Research Scientist (ID4171)

Animal & Plant Health Agency; Borough of Runnymede; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A government agency focused on health is seeking a bioinformatician to support the analysis of Salmonella WGS data. You will work collaboratively in a dynamic team to enhance public health diagnostics through advanced data analysis. Ideal candidates will have strong skills in bioinformatics and data handling, with opportunities for skill development in machine learning. This role is part of a diverse team committed to inclusivity.

Qualifications

• Experience with bioinformatics analysis and WGS data handling.
• Ability to conduct independent research and analyses.
• Capable of managing large datasets in a collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of Salmonella WGS diagnostics.
• Assist in the analysis of WGS data within the team.
• Develop and maintain bioinformatics pipelines.
• Investigate outputs from genomic workflows.

Skills

Bioinformatics analysis

High throughput WGS data analysis

Phylogenetic analysis

Machine learning

Data synthesis and report writing

Job description

This is an opportunity to develop your skills and knowledge while providing vital support to the study of food-borne and veterinary pathogens. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is a powerful tool that can be applied to a wide range of public health and food safety applications, including diagnostics and pathogen typing. The post is based within the Salmonella Genomics team, and the main purpose of the job is to contribute towards the maintenance and development of a WGS-based analytical pipeline for in-silico typing of veterinary Salmonella isolates. Other duties will involve working with high throughput WGS data of veterinary Salmonella isolates to conduct phylogenetic analysis and other in-silico methods for accurate clustering of the studied samples, perform detection of antimicrobial resistance genes and mobile genetic elements, and contribute towards the ongoing development of machine learning models for source attribution of Salmonella. The post holder will be expected apply a bioinformatics skillset to facilitate the WGS-based identification of emerging strains with enhanced epidemic potential, and to aid in outbreak detection and epidemiological investigations of veterinary Salmonella.

Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of the team's core Defra objectives around Salmonella WGS based diagnostics and molecular studies.
• Provide support to the study of food-borne and veterinary pathogens, with a focus mainly on Salmonella, by assisting senior scientists with WGS data analysis, synthesis of analyses outputs, and report writing.
• Support bioinformatics analyses with an expectation of performing some independent analysis.
• Contribute towards the further development and improvement of the currently utilized bioinformatics pipelines and tools for identification and molecular typing of Salmonella
• Contribute to the maintenance of the Salmonella WGS archive.
• Contribute to the investigation of outputs from Salmonella genomic workflows in line with project objectives.
• Capable of working with large volumes of WGS data and contributing towards multidisciplinary work with opportunities to train and enhance skills in code development, cluster detection, and machine learning and other methods of source attribution.
• Support the Health & Safety and Quality activities in line with the Departmental needs.

Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they has a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.

About APHA

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and works on behalf of the Scottish Government and Welsh Government. Our diverse teams of over 3,000 skilled and committed professionals come together to provide research, advice and support to UK Government for safeguarding animal, public and plant health for benefit of the environment and economy. The Science Directorate (SD) delivers high quality, high impact and highly relevant multidisciplinary science. Our people are diverse, talented, engaged and inspired to deliver innovative outcomes. APHA is a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, because it helps us be more innovative and make better decisions. We are dedicated to being an inclusive employer, offering equitable opportunities for all individuals. Our goal is to build a diverse workforce, and we hope to attract applications from all backgrounds and underrepresented groups.