Scientific Curator

About the team/job

The Genome Interpretation team builds resources to enable the use of genomic data in clinical settings. We develop the Gene2Phenotype (G2P) system, which accelerates diagnostic variant filtering, and the DECIPHER  platform, which enables anonymised phenotype-linked variant sharing and interpretation.

Despite progress in genome sequencing, the majority of patients affected by rare diseases remain undiagnosed. We are starting an exciting new project, the PARADIGM initiative, in collaboration with groups at the Sanger Institute and the Cambridge, Edinburgh, Exeter and Imperial Universities, to find novel genetic causes of disease and improve diagnosis rates. 

Your role

As a curator you will work with a team of clinical experts to create evidence-based gene-disease models for use in diagnostic filtering. You will extract information on gene-disease mechanism from the literature, evaluate the supporting evidence and enter the information to the G2P database in a standardised format. We seek to automate the curation process and expand to further disease areas by the adoption of text mining and machine learning approaches. You will be involved in the creation of gold-standard curations to help train these new methods and will help assess computationally derived models to maintain output quality. You will also collaborate with G2P developers to define improvements to curation interfaces.

This role would be an excellent opportunity for someone from a clinical background to learn bioinformatics skills or for someone with a background in biological sciences to gain an understanding of the latest clinical research. 

You have

• A Bachelors (or equivalent) degree in medical or biological sciences; a higher degree or equivalent experience
• The ability to apply scientific knowledge in the understanding of scientific research articles
• Excellent attention to detail
• High motivation with scientific curiosity and initiative
• Strong English language written and oral communication, organisational skills, and computer skills
• The ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues from different disciplines, both in person and remotely 

You might also have

• Experience in reviewing and summarising scientific literature
• Experience of biological/clinical data curation
• Experience of working in clinical genetics or genomic diagnosis eg. as a clinician, genetic counsellor or clinical scientist
• Experience of working with biological databases
• Experience of working with ontologies or controlled vocabularies
• Experience of working in a UNIX/Linux environment, basic scripting skills 

Why join us

Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.

Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential. 

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to eight bank holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
• Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

For more details please see our employee benefits page. 

What else you need to know

What else you need to know

• Contract duration: This position is an initial 3 year project contract, expected to be renewed until February 2029, Part time applications up to 31 hours per week are also encouraged. 
• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants. 
• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ and individuals from all nationalities. 
• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here.
• Job location: This role is based in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. You will be required to relocate if you are based overseas and you will receive a generous relocation package to support you.
• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system.