Senior Bioinformatician (Fixed Term)

The Hannon laboratory at the CRUK Cambridge Institute (part of the University of Cambridge) is looking to recruit a talented and dedicated Senior Bioinformatician to join their research group.  Our laboratory has a long-standing interest in RNA biology and cancer research, and a history of developing new tools to address cutting-edge questions in these fields.

As a Senior Bioinformatician, you will support a team of around ten people focused on RNA and chromatin biology. The team includes a mixture of wet- and dry-lab researchers, and together, we aim to uncover the molecular mechanisms of the piRNA pathway and epigenetic silencing. This multidisciplinary research covers a wide range of areas, including transcription, export, and processing of non-coding RNAs, establishment and dynamics of chromatin marks, and ultimately repression of transposable element. While knowledge in any of these areas would be advantageous, more important is a strong background in bioinformatics and a passion for exploring large-scale genomics data to reveal fundamental biology.

You will play a pivotal role in our team, from experimental design, analysing and interpreting published data and that produced by the group, to generating new hypotheses that will be tested experimentally.  Our current approaches range from high-throughput sequencing such as RNA-seq, small RNA-seq, CUT&RUN, CUT&Tag, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, and WGS (using both long- and short-read technologies), as well as imaging and proteomics. You will also have access to bespoke data from in-house developed single-cell and spatial multi-omics profiling methods. Previous experience with several of these approaches is expected, and additional expertise in genome assembly or in structural bioinformatics, including protein structure prediction and protein docking, would be considered.

You will participate in the research activities of the laboratory as a whole and will also be expected to contribute your own innovative ideas, resulting in potential independent projects.  You will work in close contact both with wet-lab scientists producing the data and with bioinformaticians in the group, as well as core facility scientists and the larger community of bioinformaticians within the institute.

The successful candidate should have a strong background in bioinformatics, statistics and mathematical modelling, and prior experience working with bulk genomic, ChIP and transcriptomic data.  Excellent computer skills (programming including an advanced knowledge of R, Linux shell, and sequencing analysis software) are essential.  A PhD in a relevant discipline is desirable but not essential.

Candidates are expected to work independently and interact well in a diverse and dynamic multi-disciplinary team environment.  They must display an ability to undertake project management, methods development and communicate ideas and results clearly.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click on the 'Apply' button above. 

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

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