Single Cell Computational Biologist

About the team/job

We are looking for a Computational Analyst/Biologist with strong background in Single Cell Genomics to join the Open Targets team. We are seeking a team member to expand our informatics platforms through integration of single cell omics data to enhance drug discovery.

Open Targets (OT) is a public-private partnership aiming to systematically identify and prioritise drug targets by integrating complex biological data in a pre-competitive environment. As an open-source project, the Open Targets platform and Open Targets Genetics organise and present large amounts of biomedical data to publicly facilitate the drug discovery decision-making process.

Check out our blog to learn more about our recent work and what it is like to join our team. And stop by the Open Targets Community to see first-hand how our data and tools are used to help researchers unlock insights to solve some of the most complex biological questions.

In this Single Cell Computational Biologist role you will actively develop pipelines that integrate our growing experimental single-cell data (including RNA expression, protein expression, single-cell eQTLs) with public domain data. This will require benchmarking the approaches against appropriate metrices and the development of processes to migrate these pipelines into the Open Targets software ecosystem. You will work in a multidisciplinary team and interact closely with experimentalists, data analysts, academic and industry scientists and the Open Targets core development team. You should be able to demonstrate the ability to work well with colleagues and to collaborate with external partners. You must have excellent communication and interpersonal skills, strong self-motivation and enjoy working in a stimulating, multi-cultural team. 

Your role

Working as part of a dynamic and collaborative team with members that come from various professional backgrounds and countries across the world, you will be responsible for:

• Integration of single cell (sc) gene expression distribution across cell types/tissues from healthy and disease states in the OT informatics ecosystem/resources
• Aid collection and ingestion of sceQTL data (including baseline gene expression, sc-eQTLs, CRISPR perturbations with scRNA-seq readouts) across OT projects and publicly available resources
• Be responsible for integrating and introducing the representation of cells into the OT resources in a standardised, harmonised manner
• Designing, developing and improving robust and testable data integration pipelines to facilitate cell context biological information and cell-specific target selection including development of appropriate benchmarks.
• Collaborating with scientists across Open Targets from experimental projects to drug discovery to synthesise optimal approaches for cell-specific target selection.
• Keep up-to-date with current techniques for the analysis of single cell datasets, functional genomics datasets, seek new data analysis tools that can be readily applied, discuss data analysis approaches within and outside the team
• Liase with scientists in key consortia groups (such as Human Cell Atlas), and key single cell resources (such as CZI CellXGene and EBI Expression Atlas) 

You have

• BA/MSc/PhD in Computer Science, Bioinformatics or equivalent
• Fluent programming skills in Python.
• Experience with version control
• Experience with single cell datasets
• Familiarity with single-cell pipelines in R (e.g. Seurat)
• Experience in functional genomics and genetics data analysis and integration
• Experience in building reproducible, integrative data pipelines.
• Understanding of statistical methods of complex disease genetics such as GWAS, whole genome/exome sequencing analyses, identification and QC of variants
• Ability to communicate clearly with project stakeholders and colleagues, including scientific and technical experts
• Ability to communicate ideas and results effectively
• Ability to work independently and organise own workload 

You might also have

• Knowledge of human genetics, genomics 
• Interest in data visualisation for the web (e.g. D3, Canvas, SVG) 

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

• Contract duration: This position is a 3 year fixed-term project-based contract.
• 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.
• 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. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.