The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is a charitably funded genomic research centre located in Hinxton, nine miles south of Cambridge in the UK.
A leader in the Human Genome Project, we are now focused on understanding the role of genetics in health and disease. Our passion for discovery drives our quest to uncover the basis of genetic and infectious disease. We aim to provide results that can be translated into diagnostics, treatments or therapies that reduce global health burdens.
Success Story - Sanger Institute
#1:Postdoctoral Fellow in Computational Genomics
PDF Salary range: £29829 to £37393per annum paid monthly in arrears.
Fixed-term for 3 years
The Trynka lab at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is seeking a highly-motivated researcher with strong skills in computational genomics to fill a postdoctoral fellow position to understand how genetic variants modulate the immune system and predispose to autoimmune diseases. Our research stretches from gene mapping and development of statistical methods through to functional genomics approaches to interpret the function of genetic immune variants. We are looking for an independent thinking person with a strong background in genomics and statistics to join our team and analyse a variety of large scale datasets – from RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, genotyping, and whole genome sequencing – generated from immune cells, both in house and from publically available resources.
We profile specific immune cell subtypes with genomic assays to measure the functional consequences of autoimmune disease variation. Candidates interested in gene regulation and genetics of complex-traits would be particularly well suited to this position. You must have programming skills sufficient to confidently analyse data from whole genome assays generated across thousands of individuals. The ideal candidate will have past experience working with ChIP-seq and/or RNA-seq data, an interest in immune phenotypes, and at least one first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
This position offers the opportunity to work at one of the world’s leading genomic centres at the forefront of current genomic research. In addition to access to Sanger's computational resources, including a 15000+ core computational cluster (the largest in life science research in Europe) and multiple petabytes of high-speed cluster filesystems, our group also has a wet lab where we generate our own data. This provides an exciting opportunity for you to not only analyse the data but be actively involved in the planning and execution of large-scale experiments.
We are part of a dynamic and collaborative environment at the Genome Campus and, although we seek someone who can work independently, you will have the opportunity to interact with researchers across many Programmes at the Institute, and in particular with colleagues from other teams in the Computational Genomics and Human Genetics Programmes.
Essential Skills
PhD in a relevant subject area (e.g. Statistics, Computational Biology, Population Genetics/Genomics, Computer Science, Physics).
High self-motivation and critical thinking skills.
Extensive experience with command-line UNIX/Linux and cluster computing.
Experience with analysis of large genomic data sets (e.g. data from hundreds of samples from next-generation sequencing assays).
Ability to communicate ideas and results effectively.
Ability to work independently and organise own workload.
Excellent written and spoken English.
The ability to effectively communicate with collaborators and occasionally present orally to large groups.
Proven independent working style, problem solving, data analysis and generation of novel ideas.
Ideal Skills
Experience with analysis of -omics data sets (e.g. RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, or DNase I, genotyping or whole genome/exome sequence).
Previous experience with QTL analysis.
Previous experience with human genetics data.
Interest in/knowledge of the function of human immune system.
Strong publishing record.
Other information
Postdoctoral Fellows are typically in their first or second postdoctoral position as part of a period of early career research training.
The Sanger Institute is a charitably funded research centrethat applies the power of genomics to uncover the basis of genetic and infectious disease. We conduct science at a scale and speed that sets our research apart. Our passion is to provide results that can be translated into diagnostics, treatments or therapies that reduce global health burdens.
The Institute is located near Cambridge on the stunning Wellcome Trust Genome Campus. This growing and dynamic site is the British hub of genomic science. It hosts the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI), the Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation, a Biodata Innovation Centre and will soon host Genomics England Limited’s 100,000 Genomes Sequencing Centre. It is an excellent environment in which to work and collaborate with researchers on campus and around the world and benefit from cross-fertilisation of ideas.
To help researchers to develop their skills and networks, the Institute hosts a range of scientific seminars with internal and invited speakers, scientific group meetings and skills development workshops. In addition the Campus is home to the Wellcome Trust Advanced Course and Scientific Conferences programme and the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre.
Our Benefits include: Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, Group Income Protection, Healthcare scheme, Childcare Vouchers, Nursery and 25 days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays. We also have a gym, two cafes, a nursery, dining facilities, and a free campus Bus service. Our thriving Sports and Social Club provides many opportunities to meet with people working across the campus.
#2:Postdoctoral Fellow in Metabolomics Bioinformatics
Salary £29,829 to £37,393 dependent on experience
Fixed Term Contract: 3 years
We are looking for a post-doctoral fellow to join the Soranzo group (https://www.sanger.ac.uk/research/faculty/nsoranzo/) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (WTSI located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK.
The post-doctoral fellow will lead the computational and bioinformatic analysis of large-scale metabolomic datasets aiming to identify new opportunities for biomarker development in cardiometabolic disease.
1000 Genomes: a new foundation for genetic research
The post-holder will be working on a project funded by the Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation (CTTV), a collaboration between EMBL-EBI, the WTSI and GlaxoSmithKline (http://www.targetvalidation.org/). This is a public-private initiative to generate evidence on the validity of therapeutic targets, and is committed to sharing its data openly with the scientific community.
The main task of the post-doctoral fellow will be the deployment of existing statistical and novel computational methods to the data. Additional responsibilities include the bioinformatic and manual curation of the data coming from the project and previously released metabolomic datasets, and actively interacting with other members of the Centre and collaborating partners. This will involve arranging meetings and coordinating activities among various colleagues and collaborators.
The Centre for Therapeutic Target Validation is a recently established pioneering public-private initiative between GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), EMBL-EBI (European Bioinformatics Institute) and the WTSI (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute), located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK (http://www.targetvalidation.org/). The CTTV aims to generate evidence on the biological validity of therapeutic targets and provide an initial assessment of the likely effectiveness of pharmacological intervention on these targets, using genome-scale experiments and analysis. The CTTV aims to provide an R&D framework that applies to all aspects of human disease, and to share its data openly with the scientific community. The goal of the CTTV is to harness the power of ‘big data’ and genome sequencing to improve the success rate for discovering new medicines and share its data openly in the interests of accelerating drug discovery.
Essential Skills
Applicants should have a background in statistics, bioinformatics, pharmacology or computer science, and have substantial experience in computational, bioinformatic or statistical work. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability to analyse and curate large data sets in the context of genomics, metabolomics and/or pharmacology. Previous experience in developing computational methods and implementing them in software in a scientific context is desirable. Experience on this area in the context of cancer would be advantageous. Proficiency with appropriate scripting languages is required, in particular R, Perl and/or Python.
The ideal applicant should feel comfortable interacting with others in an interdisciplinary setting, since research will run in close collaboration with other groups, therefore applicants must have good written and oral communication skills.
Other information
The Genome Campus is a 100-acre estate south of Cambridge in the grounds of Hinxton Hall. Nestled in the quiet countryside of these landscaped gardens, are two world-class research facilities: the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). The site has become the British hub of biomedical science. The Campus is also home to the Wellcome Trust Advanced Course and Scientific Conferences programme and the Wellcome Trust Conference Centre.
In addition to its peaceful location the campus offers excellent facilities including a state of the art data centre, gym, two cafes, a nursery, dining facilities, a cycle to work scheme, car sharing and free campus buses from various locations around Cambridge.
Through the extensive seminar programme the Institute manages a range of scientific seminars with internal and externally invited speakers, scientific group meetings and skills development workshops. This aids learning, development and networking which are important aspects of life on campus.
Equally important to campus life is the social activities offered by the Sports and Social Club whether it is a 'Burns night supper', the Mid-summer Ball or a quiz night there are opportunities to meet with people working across the organisation.
The Benefits include: Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, Group Income Protection, Healthcare scheme, Childcare Vouchers, Nursery and Annual Leave 25 days plus Bank Holidays.
Postdoctoral Fellows are typically in their first or second postdoctoral position as part of a period of early career research training.
Closing Date for applications: 31st October 2014
Post-doctoral fellow in metabolomics bioinformatics
