Senior Bioinformatician

Ellison Institute of Technology; Oxford; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 75,000

Job description

The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford tackles humanity's greatest challenges by turning science and technology into impactful global solutions. Focused on areas like health, food security, sustainable agriculture, climate change, clean energy, and AI-driven government innovation, EIT Oxford blends groundbreaking research with practical applications to deliver lasting results.

A cornerstone of EIT Oxford's mission is its upcoming 300,000-square-foot research facility at the Oxford Science Park, set to open in 2027. This cutting-edge campus will feature advanced labs, an oncology and preventative care clinic, and collaborative spaces to strengthen its partnership with the University of Oxford. It will also host the Ellison Scholars, driving innovation for societal benefit.

The Pathogen Mission highlights EIT's transformative approach, using Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) and Oracle's cloud technology to create a global pathogen metagenomics system. This initiative aims to improve diagnostics, provide early epidemic warnings, and guide treatments by profiling antimicrobial resistance. The goal is to deliver certified diagnostic tools for widespread use in labs, hospitals, and public health.

EIT Oxford fosters a culture of collaboration, innovation, and resilience, valuing diverse expertise to drive sustainable solutions to humanity's enduring challenges.

A unique and exciting opportunity has become available for a Senior Bioinformatician to contribute to the development, evaluation, and deployment of groundbreaking bioinformatic solutions within a real-world context. We are on the lookout for exceptional talent and someone who embodies our passion, has the technical capability and sees the vast potential for global application of our products.

You'll engage closely with our partners at the University of Oxford, demonstrating a mission-driven attitude and adaptability to fulfil our collective objectives. Your contributions will not only be valued but encouraged, as we seek your input on enhancing our offerings, platform, and operational practices. This role promises an opportunity to make a real difference in the world though bioinformatic and cloud-based analysis for patient, hospital and public health benefit.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop code, implement and evaluate computational/bioinformatic methods and tools to support research and development in infectious disease genomics including AMR determination, and outbreak and relatedness information.
• Create analysis pipelines and appraise and validate various tools' performances.
• Understand various sequencing devices and data types as well as have a good understanding of upstream laboratory processes.
• Be familiar with current genomic repositories such as ENA, GenBank, GISAID, etc.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including academics, clinicians, computer scientists, biostatisticians, and biologists to develop and implement data-driven strategies.
• Stay abreast of the latest developments in infectious diseases, bioinformatics, and computational biology.
• Be innovative and take initiative to introduce new ideas and approaches.
• Set performance goals and provide regular feedback.

Requirements

Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• A PhD qualification in bioinformatics, computational biology, microbiology, mathematics, genetic epidemiology, genomics, or equivalent.
• Experience in infectious disease genomic analysis, epidemiology, and surveillance.
• Having a scientific understanding of infectious disease genomics.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Bash, Python, R, Nextflow, Docker, etc.
• Expertise in standard bioinformatics workflows and best practices for processing microbial genomic data.
• Expertise in data structures for next-generation sequencing data, including transformations and output formats for efficient processing and analyses.
• 3-5+ years of experience in bioinformatics and computational biology and an established or upcoming bioinformatic publication history.
• Experience with large-scale genetic data analysis using bioinformatics tools and pipelines.
• Proven leadership and management skills and excellent communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a high-growth, fast-paced, dynamic environment.

Desirable Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• Experience working with cloud computing.
• Experience with regulatory guidelines and systems e.g. FDA, CE, UKCA, EUCAST.
• Familiarity with machine learning and data visualization techniques.
• Experience working in a biotech or pharma industry setting.
• A track record of launching an academic product in the commercial market.
• Experience with biostatistics and modelling for infectious diseases.

Benefits

We offer the following salary and benefits:

• Salary: £65k - £75k + bonus + travel allowance
• Enhanced holiday pay
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric car scheme

Why work for EIT:

At the Ellison Institute, we believe a collaborative, inclusive team is key to our success. We are building a supportive environment where creative risks are encouraged, and everyone feels heard. Valuing emotional intelligence, empathy, respect, and resilience, we encourage people to be curious and to have a shared commitment to excellence. Join us and make an impact!

Terms of Appointment:

• You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary.
• You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford.
• During peak periods, some longer hours may be required and some working across multiple time zones due to the global nature of the programme.