Bioinformatics Engineer

Job Ref: MI/24/20

Duration of post: Fixed term until 31 March 2027 (in the first instance) 

About the role:

We are looking for a motivated and talented Bioinformatics Engineer to join the Bioinformatics and Biostatistics (BBS) Team within the CRUK National Biomarker Centre (NBC). The NBC’s mission is to develop, validate, and implement biomarkers that optimise cancer patient treatment. With an international reputation for the study of minimally invasive biomarkers, or liquid biopsies, NBC’s biomarker research integrates clinical, molecular and computational science into a highly convergent programme, aimed at improving cancer care. Robust and efficient bioinformatics pipelines and data analysis tools are essential to this mission1,2. 

In this role, you will work alongside a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, biologists, bioinformaticians and computational scientists to design, develop, and maintain bioinformatics pipelines and tools for processing and analysing high-throughput data. You will work with large volumes of data generated at the NBC, including genomic, epigenomic, (single cell) transcriptomic, immunogenomic and imaging data, arising from patient blood samples, as well as mouse xenograft and patient tissue samples.  You will also benefit from state-of-the-art facilities at the NBC and the closely aligned CRUK Manchester Institute, including access to a high-performance computing facility. 

1Conway, Pearce, Clipson et al. Nature Communications (2024); 2Chemi, Pearce et al. Nature Cancer (2022). 

About you:

You should have a postgraduate degree in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, Computer Science or related discipline (or equivalent relevant experience), along with some experience with bioinformatics pipelines or a strong desire to learn and gain experience. Alternatively, you should have an undergraduate degree in Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, Computer Science or related discipline, plus relevant bioinformatics pipeline experience. 

You will be familiar with standard bioinformatics tools for analysing next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, comfortable working on the Linux command line, and have demonstrable experience writing code for robust and reproducible analysis (for example in R or Python). Experience with workflow management systems (e.g. Nextflow or Snakemake), developing R or Python packages, software development best practices, and statistical/machine learning approaches for analysing high-throughput data is desirable, as is an understanding of liquid biopsies, cancer genomics and cancer biology. 

You will have excellent communication skills and the ability to converse successfully with interdisciplinary collaborators. Experience of multidisciplinary teamwork would be beneficial. 

Why choose Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre?

The Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre (https://cruknbc.org/) is a leading and highly specialised translational research centre within The University of Manchester (www.manchester.ac.uk), aligned with the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute (www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk), and core-funded by Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org), the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world. As a bridge between discovery science and clinical research, we are highly collaborative across Manchester, nationally and internationally. 

How to apply?

To apply for this position please visit our website: https://www.cruk.manchester.ac.uk/recruitment/candidate/searchvacancies 

For any informal enquiries about this post, please contact Dr Vsevolod Makeev: seva.makeev@cruk.manchester.ac.uk 

The deadline for receipt of applications is: Sunday 19 January 2025.

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