Bioinformatician for Bacterial Genome Data Analysis

The University of Edinburgh; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 49,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Edinburgh is seeking a bioinformatics scientist to join the Roslin Institute. The successful candidate will analyze genome sequences from E. coli strains and apply bioinformatics expertise in various projects, helping to predict health threats. This full-time role offers a competitive salary and a chance to work within an interdisciplinary team, with options for flexible working patterns.

Benefits

Generous holiday entitlement

Competitive pension schemes

Staff discounts

Family-friendly initiatives

Qualifications

• Ph.D. obtained or submitted, with bioinformatics experience.
• Experience with genomic pipelines and large datasets required.
• Evidence of manuscript and/or report writing.

Responsibilities

• Analyze genome sequences from E. coli strains carrying Shiga toxin genes.
• Develop models to predict the potential threat of various strains to human health.
• Collaborate on machine learning projects related to bacteriophage activity.

Skills

High Performance Computing

Python

R

Genome Analysis

Statistical Analysis

Education

Ph.D. in relevant biological science with bioinformatics component

Degree in biological science, maths or computing

Job description

Grade UE07: £40,497 - £48,149 per annum (pro rata if part-time)

CMVM / Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies / The Roslin Institute

Full-time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-term: 31st March 2026

The Opportunity:

We are seeking a bioinformatics scientist to join our research group at the Roslin Institute and help analyse genome sequences from a large collection of E. coli strains carrying Shiga toxin genes. The candidate will be applying their bioinformatics expertise to a range of projects, including phylogenetics, statistical analyses, and machine learning approaches that link genotype, primarily genome sequence data, to phenotype. A key focus will be developing models to predict the potential threat of various strains to human health.

The successful applicant will collaborate closely with another bioinformatician who has been building machine learning pipelines for source attribution. This post will further develop and apply these tools to our sequenced STEC dataset. The role will also involve setting up a server for the group and contributing to other machine learning projects, particularly those related to predicting bacteriophage activity.

Although the initial funding is until 31st March 2026, additional grants and pending applications may allow for an extension of the contract.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week); however, we are open to considering part-time or flexible working patterns.We are also open to considering requests for hybrid working (on a non-contractual basis) that combines a mix of remote and regular on-campus working.

Your skills and attributes for success:

• Degree in a biological science, maths or computing subject area and a Ph.D obtained or submitted (awaiting viva) in a relevant biological science with bioinformatic component.
• Experience working with high performance computing (HPC) with large data sets is essential.
• Experience with pipelines for genomic sequence analysis from raw reads.
• Relevant experience with Python/R.
• Evidence of manuscript and/or report writing.

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Application Information

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover letter

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• Working as part of an interdisciplinary team including lab scientists and bioinformaticians.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work.
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on ourstaff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality.

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on ourright to work webpages (opens new browser tab)

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.

Key dates to note

The closing date for applications is 31st July 2025.

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone.