Research Fellow (Bioinformatician)

Type of Contract: Funding limited up to 60 months

We seek to appoint a bioinformatics fellow with knowledge, ability and demonstrated aptitude in computational biology. The successful candidate will join the dynamic Cardiology research group within the Faculty of Medicine, headed by Professor Dana Dawson.

This is a 5-year post, funded through a British Heart Foundation Program Grant to explore the unique mechanistic patho-physiology of the strongest psycho-somatic interaction known in medicine. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (or ‘broken heart syndrome’) is an acute cardiac emergency which predominantly affects women (90%) and is triggered by a precipitant episode of stress. Despite non-obstructed coronary arteries there is severe heart dysfunction, and although the heart function ‘normalises’ shortly afterwards, these patients have reduced long-term survival. Although stress is on the rise for everyone, only a minority develop takotsubo cardiomyopathy for any given stress. This implies that affected individuals have an intrinsic predisposition or exposure susceptibility. This programme of research will investigate candidate pathophysiological mechanisms of susceptibility in takotsubo cardiomyopathy. This programme of research will investigate candidate pathophysiological mechanisms of susceptibility and predisposition in takotsubo cardiomyopathy and next generation sequencing is an essential platform for delivering the required data for analyses. These include immunity, inflammation and thrombo-inflammation with data from multi-omic profiling of circulating immune cells, spatial transcriptomics and genomic datasets.

The appointee will be part of a translational team and work closely with cardiovascular scientists, immunologists and clinical colleagues. It is hoped that together, the group will provide the leap of science required to understand the full pathway in which this disease is triggered and unfolds.

The Bioinformatician will build on previous work on the role and extent of immune responses in acute takotsubo cardiomyopathy patients. The successful candidate will be guided and advised by a senior computational biology team comprised of Dr. Michael Morgan and Dr. Elaina Collie-Duguid in Aberdeen and Dr. Kelvin Tuong in Australia. The post would be particularly suited to an individual with strong quantitative skills.  In addition to strong credentials in programming, prior knowledge of immunology would be a real advantage.

Salary will be at the appropriate point on the Grade 6 scale, £38,784 - £46,049 per annum, pro rata and negotiable with placement according to qualifications and experience.

Informal enquiries should be made to Professor Dana Dawson (dana.dawson@abdn.ac.uk).

Prior to employment, the successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their right to work in the UK.  This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route under the UKVI immigration rules but is dependent on factors specific to the candidate and if tradeable points can be used under the rules.

Information on other visa options available at https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

Please contact Grant Rae, HR Adviser (grant.rae@abdn.ac.uk) for further information.

To apply online for this position click the 'Apply' button above.

The closing date for the receipt of applications is 8 October 2026

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