Postdoctoral Fellow

Wellcome Sanger Institute; Cambridge; On-site; GBP 39,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

Campus facilities and wellbeing

Job summary

Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge seeks a motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Martin group, advancing understanding of early-life traits and biomarkers for perinatal conditions.

The role involves large-scale proteomic and genomic analyses, linking with rich registry data, and exploring genetic architectures in neonatal traits using state-of-the-art methods and AI-enhanced workflows. A 3-year contract with access to leading sequencing and computing resources is offered.

Qualifications

• PhD in statistics, genetics, genomics, bioinformatics or related field.
• Experience analysing large-scale omics data with QC and normalization.
• Knowledge of statistical methods for large-scale omics research.
• Full working proficiency in Python and/or R, and Unix/Linux.
• Experience using AI tools to improve productivity in research.
• Proven reproducible code with GitHub, Snakemake/Nextflow, RMarkdown.

Responsibilities

• Analyze large-scale proteomic data from neonatal birth cohorts to develop biomarkers.
• Link samples to rich registry data to explore molecular subtypes and etiology.
• Optionally analyze large genetic datasets to perform initial studies on neonatal conditions.
• Analyze sequence data from 110,000 individuals across four birth cohorts for genetic influences.
• Investigate direct vs indirect genetic effects and time-varying genetic influences.

Skills

Python

R

Unix/Linux

Statistics

Omics data analysis

AI tools

GitHub

Education

PhD in statistics/genetics/genomics

Tools

Snakemake

Nextflow

GitHub

RMarkdown

Job description

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Martin group at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, working towards understanding the genetic basis of early-life traits and conditions, and/or to develop biomarkers for pregnancy complications and neonatal diseases.

About the Group:

The Martin group works on the genetic basis of rare and common disease, using large-scale human genetic datasets with rich linkage to electronic health records and questionnaires. Over the last few years, we have had a particular emphasis on the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders and related traits, the genetics of complex disease in populations with high levels of consanguinity, and factors influencing germline mutation rates. Recent work from the group has appeared in Nature, Cell, Nature Genetics, and Nature Human Behavior. A full list of our recent papers can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/group/martin-group/.

The group is now opening new research directions involving genomics and multi-omics in very early life. Most conditions in the earliest stages of life remain untouched by large-scale genomics, and molecular predictors that could guide clinical management are urgently needed. We are building a programme spanning a clinical continuum from pregnancy loss, through fetal growth restriction, to complications of premature birth. This includes large-scale sequencing of birth cohorts to study the genetic basis of perinatal and early-life traits and conditions, genetic and multi-omic studies of neonatal conditions using nationwide Scandinavian dried blood spots, and large-scale sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pregnant mothers.

What you’ll be doing:

• Analysis of large-scale proteomic data from nationwide Scandinavian dried blood spots, in order to develop biomarkers for understudied neonatal conditions that are common in premature babies.
• These samples are collected before disease onset and linked to rich registry data, which opens up questions about molecular subtypes, prediction and aetiology that have not previously been tractable.
• There may also be the opportunity to analyse largescale genetic datasets from these same blood spots, to carry out the first well-powered genetic studies of these neonatal conditions.
• Analysis of new sequence and genotype data from over 110,000 individuals across four birth cohorts, including the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), to explore genetic influences on neurodevelopmental and perinatal traits. This is one of the world’s largest family-based sequence datasets.
• Questions here could include:
• Disentangling direct from indirect genetic effects using new methods. Exploring time-varying effects of genetics using longitudinal phenotype data.
• Exploring the factors influencing penetrance of variants associated with rare neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Studying how genetic architecture of different traits varies across the phenotype distribution.
• Developing biomarkers for pregnancy complications from methylation-aware wholegenome sequence data on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pregnant women, including methods development to incorporate both epigenetic and genetic information in the same assay.

About you:

This role would suit someone with experience in statistical analyses of large-scale human genetic or other omic datasets, particularly on DNA sequence data, methylation data and/or with high-throughput proteomic data. You will be based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge, with access to world-leading sequencing capacity and computational infrastructure, and to a large community of statistical and computational geneticists. You will join the Postdoctoral Fellow community and be able to take part in training, networking opportunities. Prospective candidates are welcome to contact [e-mail] with informal queries before deciding whether to apply.

Essential Skills:

• PhD in a relevant area (statistics, statistical genetics, genetics, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics or similar)
• Experience analysing large-scale high-throughput human genetic and/or epigenetic and/or proteomic data, including quality control and normalization where relevant
• Knowledge of statistical methods appropriate for large-scale omics research
• Full working proficiency in Python and/or R, and Unix/Linux
• Experience or enthusiasm for using AI tools to improve productivity in scientific research
• Previous experience writing highly reproducible code with github, Snakemake/Nextflow, RMarkdown or similar
• Creativity and original scientific ideas
• Enthusiasm and commitment
• Attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate ideas and results effectively both verbally and in writing
• Ability to prioritise, work independently and organise own workload
• Ability to collaborate effectively with and independently supervise less experienced scientists

Other information:

• Salary per annum (dependent upon skills and experience): £38,570-£49,893
• Contract duration: 3 years
• Closing Date: 10th November 2026

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks: LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability, Gender Equity and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We believe people do their best work when they can be their authentic selves. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.