Computational Biologist (Research Fellow)

About us

The mission of the Department of Clinical and Experimental Epilepsy (DCEE) is to transform the lives of people living with epilepsy for the better by identifying, understanding and correcting or preventing the underlying mechanisms leading to the epilepsies and associated comorbidities in each individual person.

Based within the department, the Sisodiya group focuses on understanding complex epilepsies using a multimodal approach, including clinical phenotyping, genomics, imaging, and other methodologies, with an emphasis on translational impact.

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated postdoctoral Computational Biologist to contribute to multimodal data integration as part of a translational genomics programme within the group led by Professor Sanjay Sisodiya.

You will join an established team of bioinformaticians and clinicians with a strong track record of innovation and high-impact research in epilepsy genomics. You will apply statistical expertise to design and implement methods for the integration and analysis of data sets from research projects investigating the genetics of epilepsies.

You will be responsible for a range of research activities, amongst which will be working closely with the bioinformaticians in the team on genomic, clinical and other data in epilepsy, and close collaboration in research projects aiming for clinical application across the group, and through collaborative external projects, such as with Genomics England Ltd (100,000 Genomes project) and other national and international initiatives.

The post is based at Queen Square and the renowned Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy in Buckinghamshire, which houses translational research facilities and onsite laboratories.

The role is available from 01 September 2025 and funded by the Epilepsy Society until 31 May 2028 in the first instance.

For a full job description and to apply for this role please visit UCL’s online recruitment portal via the ‘Apply’ button above and search using vacancy reference B02-09130.

About you

You will have a PhD in Computational Biology, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Neurological Genetics or a closely related discipline.

Excellent oral and written communication skills, strong problem-solving abilities, an interest in research and a commitment to supporting high quality research and a very high level of consideration for patients and research subjects is key for this role.

Expert knowledge and experience working in a Linux server environment and experience in computational genomics is also essential, as is experience in scripting and/or programming using languages such as Bash, C, C++, or Python.

What we offer

Appointment as Research Fellow is dependent upon having been awarded a PhD; if this is not the case, initial appointment will be as Research Assistant (salary £38,607 - £41,255 per annum) with appointment as Research Fellow being backdated to the date of final submission of the PhD thesis.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. 12% of Institute staff are actively working on EDI initiatives; visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/equality-diversity-inclusion for more information about what we’re doing. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce; these include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds, disabled people, LGBTQI+ and gender diverse people in all roles, and women in Grade 9 and 10 roles.

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