Postdoctoral Bioinformatics Research Associate/Fellow

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences

This new full time post is available immediately on a 3 year fixed term basis.

Summary of the role

The Faculty wishes to recruit a Postdoctoral Bioinformatics Research Associate or Fellow to analyse genomic data as part of ongoing work to explore transcriptional and epigenetic variation in the brain.

Specifically, we are looking for an experienced bioinformatician who is excited about the opportunity to establish pipelines for using gene expression and epigenetic data from different brain cell types to interpret genetic association signals for obesity, body mass index and other glycaemic and metabolic traits. The successful applicant will also have the opportunity to work on other genomic data including using long-read sequencing to identify DNA modifications and profile transcript diversity.

The successful applicant will be based within the Genetics of Complex Traits team (working with Professor Inês Barroso) and the Complex Disease Epigenetics Group (working with Professor Jonathan Mill) in the Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Exeter. We are a dynamic, interdisciplinary team including geneticists, molecular biologists, mathematicians and bioinformaticians researching the genomic basis of complex disease.

About you

Applicants will possess a relevant PhD or equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study. The successful applicant will be able to develop research objectives, analyse large datasets, draft research manuscripts, make presentations at conferences, and contribute to the process of securing funding. They will be advocates of open and reproducible science. Experience analysing large genomic datasets (e.g. single-cell RNA-seq, single-cell ATAC-seq and epigenomic data) and statistical genetics (e.g. partitioned heritability analysis) is desirable. The successful applicant will be able to work collaboratively and be willing to help supervise others.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research;
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career

• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 200 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024 and QS World University Ranking 2024).  We combine world-class teaching with world-class research, achieving a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework Award 2023, underpinned by Gold ratings for Student Experience and Student Outcomes.

Our world-leading research impact has grown more than any other Russell Group university in recent years, and we are home to some of the world’s most influential researchers, seeking to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today.  More than 99 percent of our research is of international quality and 47 percent is world-leading (2021 Research Excellence Framework).

We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

We are committed to ensuring reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.

Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. 

With over 30,000 students and 7,000 staff from 150 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN and Project Juno for Physics), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer.

We are proud signatories of the Armed Forces Covenant and welcome applications from service people.

Further information

Please contact Inês Barroso and Jonathan Mill by e-mail on [email protected] / [email protected]