Computational Structural Biologist

About the role

The successful applicant will be responsible for providing training and guidance to empower researchers to plan, implement, use and manage databases. On behalf of users, the post holder will manage applications to third party computational providers and develop a flexible and interoperable suite of analysis scripts for common applications that are deployable within the KCL compute environment (e.g. e_Research/CREATE) or in third party trusted research environments.

They will also be responsible for developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and ensuring they are being followed and to ensure that data are collected, stored and managed in full compliance with all relevant legal and regulatory requirements (including the General Data Protection Regulation, etc.), as well as all local and research Regulations (Ethics Board Approvals, Database submission, data availability etc.). They will be responsible for coordinating the data management activities within Randall and with the School of BMBS and external entities such as King’s College London IT or information compliance.

The post holder will have regular communications with group leaders, senior researchers and other relevant stakeholders (e.g., Facility managers etc.) to ensure support to research. They will ensure that PIs and senior research staff are aware of computing issues which may affect their research programmes. The post holder will work closely with the research teams to ensure that provided solutions meets the needs of the teams.

The post holder will be working on several projects at any one time and will be expected to manage expectations from end users and implement creative time management skills.

The post holder will also be expected to take the lead on department-led funding applications focused on the development of structural biology-focused high-performance data analysis facilities and culture, as well as infrastructure funding; where appropriate the post holder will also lead and/or support similar collaborative efforts more widely across the School, Faculty or College.

This is a full-time role 35 hours per week, and you will be offered an a fixed term contract for four years from the start date.  The earliest start date is 4th August 2025.

This role will be based on site at all times.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• PhD and postdoctoral experience in supporting structural biology projects
• Extensive experience of using, installing and optimising structural biology tools (e.g. CryoSPARC, Relion) including AI-driven software (e.g. Alphafold)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills; ability to accurately document technical details and convey complex information clearly to a variety of stakeholders
• Experience of conducting research with structural biology data and working effectively in a team
• Flexibility and adaptability to navigate change and embrace emerging trends and technologies
• Ability to solve problems and manage a complex case load of projects, making sure the needs of the department are addressed appropriately
• Experience supporting users with no technical knowledge
• Experience of scientific programming 

Desirable criteria  

• Project management  and process oriented problem solving experience
• Experience of software development and designing data resources for different research applications
• Knowledge of computer programming languages
• Experience of working in a high-performance computing environment (e.g. Slurm) and/or with public/private clouds (e.g. AWS/Azure/OpenStack)
• Evidence of using good documentation practice and in writing SOPs

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