Bioinformatician - Drug Discovery

Placements24; Polokwane; Hybrid; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & incentives

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Professional development

Conferences access

Advanced computational resources

Job summary

Placements24 in Polokwane is seeking a skilled Bioinformatician to join our Drug Discovery research team in a hybrid role. You will analyze large-scale biological and chemical datasets to identify novel targets and accelerate the drug development pipeline.

You will collaborate with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to interpret data, guide experiments, and develop computational pipelines using Python/R and ML methods in a dynamic research setting.

Qualifications

• PhD or Master's in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Cheminformatics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Proven experience in analyzing biological and/or chemical data relevant to drug discovery.
• Strong programming skills in Python or R, including libraries such as NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn.
• Familiarity with databases, data warehousing, and bioinformatics tools and resources.
• Experience with machine learning techniques and their application to biological problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement computational pipelines for analysis of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and chemical screening data.
• Apply machine learning and statistics to identify drug targets, predict compound efficacy, and optimize leads.
• Integrate multi-omics data to understand disease mechanisms and drug action.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to design experiments and interpret results.
• Develop and maintain databases and workflows for biological and chemical information.
• Visualize data and communicate insights to technical and non-technical audiences.

Skills

Python

R

NumPy

Pandas

Scikit-learn

Databases

ML techniques

Data analysis

Communication

Education

PhD in Bioinformatics or related field

Master's in Bioinformatics or related field

Tools

Bioinformatics tools

Job description

About the Role

Our client is seeking a talented Bioinformatician to join their Drug Discovery research team in Polokwane. This hybrid role is focused on leveraging computational approaches to analyze large-scale biological and chemical datasets, aiming to identify novel therapeutic targets and accelerate the drug development pipeline. You will collaborate closely with chemists, biologists, and pharmacologists to interpret complex data and guide experimental strategies. The ideal candidate is passionate about applying advanced computational techniques to solve challenging biological problems in a dynamic research environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement computational pipelines for the analysis of diverse data types, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and chemical screening data.
• Apply machine learning and statistical methods to identify potential drug targets, predict compound efficacy, and optimize lead candidates.
• Integrate and analyze multi-omics data to gain a comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms and drug action.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to design experiments and interpret results in the context of drug discovery programs.
• Develop and maintain databases and workflows for managing and querying biological and chemical information.
• Visualize complex data to effectively communicate findings and insights to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Requirements

• Ph.D. or Master's degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Cheminformatics, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Proven experience in analyzing biological and/or chemical data relevant to drug discovery.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python or R, including experience with relevant libraries (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Familiarity with databases, data warehousing, and bioinformatics tools and resources.
• Experience with machine learning techniques and their application to biological problems.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to thrive in a hybrid research setting.

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary and performance incentives.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Opportunities for professional development and attending scientific conferences.
• Access to advanced computational infrastructure and resources.
• Dynamic and collaborative research environment focused on innovation.