Research Associate (Bioinformatics, Population Genomics & Research Data Management)

Diversity Dashboard; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Sheffield invites applications for a data and analytics specialist within the ARIA Accelerated Adaptation programme. The role focuses on providing core data analytics support across genomics projects, and on developing pipelines and reproducible workflows.

You will train researchers in data management and bioinformatics, assist with experimental design and study curation, and collaborate to build re-analysis workflows and dashboards.

Qualifications

• PhD (or near completion) in Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Genomics, Quantitative Genetics, Computational Biology, or a related area.
• Strong programming skills (Linux/Bash, R, Python) and experience using HPC clusters.

Responsibilities

• Co-develop and deliver training and bioinformatics support in data management, data deposition and advanced workflows.
• Assist partner research groups with experimental design, study curation and data analysis.
• Establish shared bioinformatic pipelines (e.g., via GitHub) and collaborate with RSE specialists to support verification of findings.
• Build re-analysis workflows and help evaluate scientific claims within the programme.
• Help populate shared results dashboards for transparent reporting.

Skills

Linux/Bash

R

Python

HPC clusters

GitHub

Education

PhD (or near completion) in Bioinformatics/evolutionary genomics

Tools

GitHub

Job description

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

This post will involve providing core data and analytics support to the ARIA Accelerated Adaptation programme, delivered jointly by the University of Sheffield (NEOF, based in the Genomics Laboratory of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology cluster in the School of Biosciences, & Research Software Engineering) and the Earlham Institute (COPO Project).

The appointee will play a pivotal role in establishing a comprehensive data support framework for research teams across the programme. Key responsibilities include co-developing and delivering training and bioinformatics support in data management, data deposition, and advanced bioinformatic workflows. You will assist partner research groups with experimental design, study curation, and data analysis-likely to include low-coverage whole-genome sequencing, genotype imputation, genome-wide association studies (GWAS), genomic prediction, selection tests, and multi-omics.

In addition to providing training and bioinformatic support, the appointee will play a pivotal role in establishing shared bioinformatic pipelines (e.g., via GitHub) and collaborating with RSE specialists to support independent verification of research findings by building re-analysis workflows, evaluating scientific claims submitted by programme research groups, and helping populate shared results dashboards.

Applicants must hold a PhD (or be close to completion / have equivalent postdoctoral work experience) in Bioinformatics, Evolutionary Genomics, Quantitative Genetics, Computational Biology, or a relevant area along with experience in bioinformatic or population genomic analyses, including processing high-throughput sequencing (NGS) datasets. Strong programming skills (e.g., Linux/Bash, R, Python) and experience using High-Performance Computing (HPC) clusters are also essential.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Liaise