Current vacancies

Advanced Research Assistant

Salary range: £24589 to £30995pa plus excellent benefits

The Sanger Mouse Pipelines Genome Engineering group(GE) generates custom mutations in mice by gene targeting in embryonic stem (ES) cells and directly in the mouse zygote by applying cutting edge gene targeting technology.GE creates mutant alleles of interest to Sanger Institute Faculty, many of which are used as models for human disease. Our efforts benefit from extensive targeting vector/ES cell modular resources generated previously as part of the KOMP, EUCOMM, and EUCOMMTOOLs high throughput gene targeting programs and associated expertise as well as the successful implementation of CRISPR/Cas9 methods.

We are seeking two highly motivated and flexible individuals to join the GE team as an Advanced Research Assistant. The post holder’s main responsibilities will be execution of day-to-day workflows of projects for the generation of targeting vectors, CRISPR/Cas9 reagents and the generation and validation of quality assured targeted mouse ES cells. Key responsibilities include execution and timely delivery of these resources, accurate record keeping, project troubleshooting and an ability to work across multiple projects.  In addition, the group also has a research and development (R&D) commitment to implement new approaches that facilitate the insertion of complex alleles directly into the mouse zygote.

Previous experience of mammalian cell culture, especially mouse ES cell (mESC) culture is a prerequisite for this role. The candidate would also be expected to be able to genotype the mESC clones generated in order to provide quality assured reagents for microinjection. The candidate should have a broad knowledge of molecular biology techniques such as nucleic acid extraction, construct generation (via conventional cloning, Gibson assembly and/or recombineering), PCR, restriction enzyme analysis and sequencing. An understanding of conventional gene targeting and the more recent CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering techniques would be advantageous. The successful candidate must be able to work as part of a team and also have the   ability to independently handle complex workflows from project start to delivery. Good communication/record keeping skills are a key part of the role.

Some weekend cell culture is anticipated in this role.

Reference:82774

Advanced Research Assistant - Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation, Histology

Salary range: £24589 to £30995pa plus excellent benefits

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute conducts cutting edge genomic research on an unprecedented scale and our laboratory teams play a vital role in enabling and supporting our science.

The Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation programme is currently looking for an enthusiastic and technically skilled advanced research assistant to oversee the operational management of key projects utilsing a newly established histology laboratory. They will be expected to be able to use their skills and experience to trouble-shoot moderately complex problems and innovate where required in a timely way. Supervisory responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the workflows is a key requirement of the role. It is expected that the successful candidate will have had previous experience in a histology environment.

The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator to keep both the team and senior staff fully apprised of progress; they will be expected to take a collaborative and pragmatic approach when planning the work schedules in order to prioritise effectively. Working as part of the wider support team they will be helping to provide laboratory solutions and support for the head of the Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation programme and the faculty team.

Reference:82844

Advanced Research Assistant - Cellular Generation and Phenotyping

Salary range: £24,589 to £30,995 per annum depending on experience, plus excellent benefits

We are looking for two enthusiastic, highly motivated Advanced Research Assistants to join a team of scientists working on the delivery of large scale cell biology projects for the institute.  Current projects include the derivation of organoids or iPS cells from tissue samples, and the differentiation of gene edited IPS cells into macrophages or neuronal cells.   The successful candidate will usually work on one or two projects as well as hold other responsibilities which will aid in the development and running of the department. The roles are on a permanent contract.

The department of Cellular Generation and Phenotyping is a core facility whose role is to support the Science at the Sanger Institute and run several large scale cell biology projects simultaneously.  Projects currently running in the department include genome wide CRISPR screens, induced pluripotent stem cell derivation and differentiation into a variety of different lineages, organoid derivation and generation of P. Falciparum mutants

Reference:82828

Advanced Research Assistant: Genetic Screens in Dementia

Salary range £24,589 to £30,995 pa plus excellent benefits.

Fixed-Term for 3 years.

An Advanced Research Assistant position is available in Rick Livesey’s group at the Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, as part of a translational initiative led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute called Open Targets (https://www.opentargets.org). This is a collaborative project between Dr Rick Livesey, Dr Ludovic Vallier (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; WTSI) and Dr Heike Hering (Biogen).

The successful candidate will be based in the centre of Cambridge at the Gurdon Institute, where they will contribute to the optimisation and execution of robust CRISPR – Cas9 based screening assays to identify targets that modulate a key process in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease using neurons induced from human pluripotent stem cells (IPSC). We welcome candidates with a background in cell biology, molecular biology and/or neurobiology with experience in performing cell and molecular biological assays. Experience in mammalian cell culture and flow cytometry are desirable, as is a background with handling human IPSC.

Reference:82847

Bioinformatician - WormBase

Bioinformatician - Parasite genomics

Salary range £31,498 to £39,729 depending on experience

The Parasite genomics team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute are seeking a talented Bioinformatician to work on WormBase ParaSite (parasite.wormbase.org), a portal for parasitic worm genomics. Parasitic worms are responsible for more than one billion human infections globally and have a devastating impact on livestock and agriculture. WormBase-ParaSite facilitates new approaches to the study and control of parasitic worms by integrating, analysing and displaying genomic data for hundreds of species.

You will work on a range of data analysis, data integration and community-engagement activities for WormBase ParaSite, and will also actively participate in the exciting next phase of development for the resource. The main areas of focus will be:

• Customisation and deployment of annotation pipelines for parasitic worm genomes
• Analysis, curation and integration of large-scale genomics data sets (e.g. studies of gene expression and genomic variation)
• Development of the resource to support  drug target identification
• Community engagement, including presentations and tutorials at workshops and conferences

WormBase ParaSite is a sister project to the well-known WormBase (www.wormbase.org) and Ensembl (www.ensembl.org) projects. As well as working with genome scientists within the Parasite genomics team, you will also spend time working with WormBase and Ensembl staff at the neighbouring European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI).

Reference:82810

Campus Commercial Director

We are seeking an experienced Commercial Director to support the future strategic development of the Wellcome Genome Campus.  Our overall vision is to build on the established scientific foundations so that the Wellcome Genome Campus becomes an international centre for business, cultural and educational activities emanating from Genomes and BioData.

Academic research on the Campus is anchored around two world leading research institutes the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the EMBL-European Bioinformatics Institute.  Connecting Science is a campus wide organisation that ensures a lively discourse around Genomes and Biodata, including running a highly successful conference centre, courses, public engagement activities and undertaking social research. Through a growing translation and entrepreneurship programme we are seeing an increasing number of companies on the Campus and our Biodata Innovation Centre is now reaching full occupancy since being opened by the Prime Minister in 2016.

To fulfil our vision we are starting to plan for the future development of the Campus and we are now seeking a Campus Commercial Director to coordinate an effective business strategy underpinned by sound business planning.  Accountable to the COO, the role will bring together existing operational Campus teams with a focus on preparing for further growth in academic research and in particular commercial development in support of a vibrant ecosystem in Genome and BioData.

Reference:82805

Computational Genomics - Senior Staff Scientist

Salary range from: £38989 to £49602 plus excellent benefits.

A position is available for a Senior Staff Scientist in the Cellular Genetics programme at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. The successful applicant will be responsible for the creation of a computational support team of 1-4 people to serve the needs of the Cellular Genetics faculty research groups. This is an exciting opportunity to oversee the creation of a team of excellent bioinformaticians that will handle very large functional genomics data sets being created by the Cellular Genetics faculty research teams. The post-holder will develop and implement highly efficient, robust computational workflows to handle a wide range of genomics data sets, including RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq data from both bulk and single cell technologies. The position will involve line management of a team of skilled bioinformaticians, and regular communication and scientific interaction with members of the Cellular Genetics programme.

Candidates in Biology with a PhD in computational genomics or related fields are strongly encouraged to apply. We also welcome candidates with a PhD in Physics, Statistics or Computer Science with strong interests and background in computational biology and functional genomics. Excellent programming skills, experience with very large data sets in a high performance computing environment and an ability to work as part of a team are essential. Familiarity with cloud computing and Common Workflow Language would be desirable.

Reference:82827

Director of Scientific Operations

We are currently seeking a Director of Scientific Operations to lead the delivery of all of our scientific operations and high-throughput platforms to provide invaluable data and resources which are vital for our world-leading science.

The role will continually evolve services to embrace new technologies and the ever-changing demands of bold new scientific challenges. Driving a committed culture which embraces innovation and collaboration you will provide oversight and direction to a team of 300 people and represent the Institute on a global platform.

More than ever before, the Institute is at the forefront of genetic discovery and emerging real-life health benefits as a result of the research that we do. This is an excellent opportunity for a highly skilled professional to contribute to the leadership of our Institute and shape the direction of our operations to reflect the strategic requirements of our research programmes and the vision of the Institute for the future.

Reference:82806

Faculty Position in Cellular Genetics

Faculty Position at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is seeking an exceptional early to mid-career stage scientist to join its Core Faculty to lead a research team in Cellular Genetics and contribute to the Institute’s scientific portfolio.

The Institute is an internationally outstanding genomic research centre with approximately 40 core Faculty teams and 1,100 employees based south of Cambridge. Our mission is to use genome sequences to advance understanding of the biology of humans and pathogens in order to improve human health. With core funding and state-of-the-art platforms in sequencing, model organisms, cellular genetics and IT, we enable our researchers to concentrate on biological questions across a diverse range of genomic and genetic science, in both independent studies and large-scale collaborations. The result is a unique, vibrant and interactive research environment with synergies and cross-fertilisation of ideas across and between programmes. 

We welcome candidates with research interests in single cell genomics, spatial transcriptomics, computational biology, genomics technology development, or application of genomics and computation to specific biomedical research areas. We will also consider applications more broadly from exceptional individuals with diverse scientific interests.

Reference:82753

ICT Service Delivery (Security)

Salary: £24589 to £30995 per annum, plus excellent benefits

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute is looking for a  experienced IT professional to strengthen our IT team. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated individual, who will be technically capable and posses skills across a broad range of technologies, whilst able to show enthusiasm for learning new skills and technologies.

Your role will be to deliver a high quality, customer focused IT and telecommunications service to the Institute through the provision of technical support, training solutions provision including R&D into new and existing technologies primarily focused to support the Service Operations and Information Security Teams.

You will be a team player, a high degree of communication and people skills to deal with the user community with the ability to react quickly to changing priorities.

Reference:82815

Janet Thornton Postdoctoral Fellowship

Salary range: £31115 to £39004per annum plus excellent benefits.

At the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute we are committed to enabling and opening routes back into science for those who have had a break from scientific research - for any reason.

The 2017 call is now open

We understand that even a short time out of research can have an impact on your career, which is why we have created a postdoctoral fellowship providing an additional opportunity specifically for those who have been out of scientific research for 12 months or more to return to high-quality postdoctoral training. One Fellowship will be awarded each year. Each Fellowship will last for three years and can be worked full time, part time or flexibly.

Fellowships will be awarded after a competitive selection process, with applicants developing their own project with prior agreement and in collaboration with a Sanger Institute Faculty member.

While the Sanger Institute provides the opportunity in its recruitment processes for job applicants to declare career breaks (taken for any reason) so that they can be taken into account when assessing applications for all roles, particularly in relation to the potential impact of time out on individuals' scientific and career outputs, this fellowship will be open exclusively to those who have taken a career break of 12 months or more.

What's included?

This postdoctoral Fellowship is for a duration of three years, can be worked full time, part time or flexibly at the Sanger Institute on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus in Hinxton near Cambridge and includes:

• Salary £31,115 - £39,004
• Research expenses, including consumables and travel costs for conferences and training courses
• Access to training and support resources at the Institute
• Access to the University of Cambridge Careers Service
• Generous benefits

One Janet Thornton Fellowship will be awarded each year following a competitive selection process.

If you have questions about what is included in the Fellowship please email  fellowship@sanger.ac.uk

Eligibility

The Janet Thornton Fellowship is open to scientists who:

• have had a break from scientific research, of 12 continuous months or more, for any reason
• are not currently working in scientific research
• have at least one years' postdoctoral experience

If you have questions about your eligibility for the Fellowship please contact  fellowship@sanger.ac.uk.

Application Process

Eligible candidates are invited to develop their own project (maximum number of words: 1000), in collaboration with a WTSI Faculty member of staff (see for list of Faculty to approach).  This description must be pre-approved by the Group Leader involved before the application is submitted.

All shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview in December 2017 to discuss their application in more detail and to give a short presentation on their previous work.

Applications are to be made online. Candidates will be asked to provide:

• a covering letter
• a current CV
• the names of two referees
• the description of the project and Faculty sponsor name
• the reason(s) for their break from scientific research.

Shortlisting decisions will be made based on the scientific excellence of the candidates.

The call is now open. Deadline for applications is Monday 4 September 2017.

If you have questions about the application process please contact  fellowship@sanger.ac.uk.

Reference:82797

Named Veterinary Surgeon

Salary range £38,989 to £49,602 per annum, plus excellent benefits

This is an exciting opportunity for a Named Veterinary Surgeon to join the RSF team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute to provide expert advice and support on the health, welfare and treatment of animals, with a particular emphasis on compliance of experimental and surgical activities within the facility by leading the development of the institute's PPL's and training.

You will report directly to the Head of the RSF and work closely  with a diverse set of stakeholders, providing expert advice throughout and ensure best practice within the RSF, whilst adopting the role of leading on interactions with the Home Office and other regulatory bodies.

Your experience as Named Veterinary Surgeon under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act will be critical to the role, and you'll be MRCVS and DEFRA registered. Strong communication skills are taken as given, as will your ability to understand and implement new strategies developed with senior management.

Reference:82790

Postdoctoral Fellow

Salary £31,115 to £39,004 plus excellent benefits.

Fixed term for 2 years.

This project will use computational and statistical analysis of large genomic datasets to characterise and optimise molecular targets for malaria vaccine development.  A major challenge in vaccine development is to overcome the parasite’s remarkable ability to evade the human immune system through extremely high levels of antigenic diversity.  We are using genome sequence data on thousands of Plasmodium parasites sampledin different locations to undertake a deep analysis of this natural antigenic repertoire, with the aim of designing specific molecular targets where the parasite is most vulnerable to attack by a vaccine.

The post-holder will join a dynamic team at the Sanger Institute that has produced a large open data resources on Plasmodium genome variation and population genetics, and is continually working to improve the resolution and geographic coverage of the data in partnership with research groups around the world.  A key objective of the role will be to perform a detailed and comprehensive analysis of natural genetic variation in a wide range of candidate vaccine antigens in different geographical locations and epidemiological settings, and to make the findings easily accessible and of practical utility to vaccine developers and the research community. 

This is a challenging analytical problem since many malaria antigens are under strong diversifying selection, resulting in extremely complex forms of genetic variation that make it impossible to align sequence reads to a single reference genome.  The role will therefore involve the use of multiple reference genomes, reference-free variant calling, population reference graphs, long sequence read technologies and other cutting-edge tools for analysis of complex genome variation.  The post-holder will work closely with colleagues at Sanger, EBI and Oxford who are developing these methodologies and applying them to a wide range of problems in malaria epidemiology and host-parasite evolution.

The post-holder will also interact with researchers at Sanger Institute and the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust in Kenya who are conducting laboratory and field studies related to malaria vaccine development.  This will include the design of recombinant antigens for antibody screening in controlled studies of human malaria infection, and prioritisation of novel vaccine candidates by combining experimental datasets with large-scale population genomic data.

Reference:82836

Postdoctoral Fellow

Salary £31,115 to £39,004 plus excellent benefits.

Fixed term for 3 years.

We are seeking to appoint a highly motivated Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Adams Faculty Team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Synthetic lethality is a powerful strategy for treating cancer which exploits somatic mutations found in cancer genomes to specifically kill cancer cells while leaving normal cells unharmed. The Experimental Cancer Genetics group (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/people/directory/adams-david) aims to use isogenic cell line systems to identify synthetic lethal interactions, an approach used previously to identify clinically relevant gene interactions such as the interaction between BRCA1/2 and PARP.

We seek a talented biologist to lead our genetic screening efforts. The post holder will work with a group of postdocs and students to deploy CRISPR screening to identify synthetic lethal interactions and to explore the biology of these interactions. The role would suit someone with a background in cancer genetics or genome engineering. A background in vector construction and lentiviral production would be advantageous.

The project will involve high-throughput sequencing, high-throughput screening technologies, and is supported by a team of computational biologists. This project underpins a collaboration with the Netherlands Cancer Institute. 

Recent publications from the group include:

^1-6

1 van der Weyden, L. et al. Genome-wide in vivo screen identifies novel host regulators of metastatic colonization. Nature 541, 233-236, doi:10.1038/nature20792 (2017).

2 Thompson, N., Adams, D. J. & Ranzani, M. Synthetic lethality: emerging targets and opportunities in melanoma. Pigment cell & melanoma research 30, 183-193, doi:10.1111/pcmr.12573 (2017).

3 Wong, C. C. et al. Inactivating CUX1 mutations promote tumorigenesis. Nature genetics 46, 33-38, doi:10.1038/ng.2846 (2014).

4 Robles-Espinoza, C. D. et al. POT1 loss-of-function variants predispose to familial melanoma. Nature genetics 46, 478-481, doi:10.1038/ng.2947 (2014).

5 Robles-Espinoza, C. D. et al. Germline MC1R status influences somatic mutation burden in melanoma. Nature communications 7, 12064, doi:10.1038/ncomms12064 (2016).

6 Perna, D. et al. BRAF inhibitor resistance mediated by the AKT pathway in an oncogenic BRAF mouse melanoma model. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 112, E536-545, doi:10.1073/pnas.1418163112 (2015).

Reference:82824

Postdoctoral Fellow - CRUK Grand Challenge: Mutographs of Cancer Project

Salary £31,115 to £39,004 plus excellent benefits.

Three years fixed term.

A postdoctoral position is available at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute under the leadership of Professor Sir Mike Stratton as part of the CRUK Grand Challenge, Mutographs of Cancer Project.

This is an exciting opportunity for the successful candidate to unravel the mutational signatures that will explain the major global differences in cancer incidence, to understand the biological mechanisms underlying cancer-causing mutational processes and to explore their application towards surveillance of mutagenic exposures in human populations.

The successful applicant will hold a PhD and will have expertise in the large-scale analyses of next-generation sequencing data to extract mutational signatures and interpret the results; and/or in single cell data analysis of normal cell populations. They will be part of a multidisciplinary team and will be tasked with proactively seeking and maintaining appropriate collaborations. Successful candidates will also be expected to drive forward the project, working closely with the Project Manager and other relevant team members to accomplish scientific objectives.

Reference:82811

Postdoctoral Fellow - Human Genome Analysis

Salary £31,115 to £39,004 plus excellent benefits.

Fixed term for 3 years.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled Postdoctoral Fellow in Human Genome Analysis to join the Soranzo team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/research/faculty/nsoranzo/). The post will suit an ambitious and talented individual who is interested in applying his/her skills at the interface of human disease and regulatory genomics.

The Soranzo team at the Sanger Institute studies genomic predisposition to cardiometabolic risk. In the last ten years, we have led international efforts to discover genetic variants associated with both established and emerging risk factors in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunity. Distinguishing features of our research are the focus on large-scale science, the use of genome sequencing for genomic exploration, and a focus on high-dimensional (‘omic’) phenotypes, including metabolomics and gene expression phenotypes.

As part of a Sanger-led initiative in Precision Medicine, we are performing whole-genome sequencing on thousands of individuals from the INTERVAL Study, an extensively phenotyped UK-wide Bioresource (see http://www.intervalstudy.org.uk for further information). The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for computational analyses of whole-genome sequencing datasets, with the aim to characterise different classes of sequence variants, including: (i) single-nucleotide variants/small insertion/deletion polymorphisms; (ii) structural and copy number variation; (iii) telomere length; (iv) mitochondrial DNA variation. Depending on skills and interest, there will be opportunities to develop research projects focusing on different applications of the data, including but not limited to population genetics, genome graphs, genotype imputation, or genotype-phenotype association studies. The appointed researcher will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team of computational scientists, bioinformaticians, statisticians and wet lab scientists. The results will inform efforts to characterise the properties and function of rare and low-frequency sequence variation affecting human complex phenotype.

The project will also involve collaboration with the Metabolic Disease Group at the Sanger Institute (Dr Ines Barroso), and the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU), Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge (Professor John Danesh and Dr Adam Butterworth).

Reference:82818

Postdoctoral Fellow - Precision Medicine

Salary £31,115 to £39,004 plus excellent benefits.

Fixed term for 3 years.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled Postdoctoral Fellow in Precision Medicine to join the Soranzo team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/research/faculty/nsoranzo/). The post will suit ambitious an and talented individual who is interested in applying their skills to dissect the genetic basis of human disease.

The Soranzo team at the Sanger Institute studies genomic predisposition to cardiometabolic risk. In the last ten years, we have led international efforts to discover genetic variants associated with both established and emerging risk factors in cardiovascular disease, diabetes and immunity. Distinguishing features of our research are the focus on large-scale science, the use of genome sequencing for genomic exploration, and a focus on high-dimensional (‘omic’) phenotypes, including metabolomics and gene expression phenotypes.

As part of a Sanger-led initiative in Precision Medicine, we are performing whole-genome sequencing thousands of individuals from the INTERVAL Study, an extensively phenotyped UK-wide Bioresource (see http://www.intervalstudy.org.uk for further information). The large-scale application of genome-sequencing to large cohorts of tens to hundreds of thousands of individuals pose a problem of scale and unique analytical challenges. First, the deep phenotyping already available in these cohorts, with thousands of phenotypes measured in a single individual, will require the implementation of scalable analysis tools or robust multivariate analysis methods that can deal with the breadth and depth of these datasets. Second, genome sequencing will bring along challenges in the discovery, interpretation and downstream assessment of rare and private variants, which need to be tackled in order to fulfill the potential of sequencing data in personalized medicine. 

The successful candidate will be primarily responsible for deploying state-of-the art genetic analysis to whole-genome sequencing datasets in a UK population-based cohort. The main aim of this analysis will be the discovery and in-depth characterisation of novel associations with cardiometabolic phenotypes, including high-dimensional haematology and metabolomic measurements and risk factors for cardiometabolic disease. Analyses will focus on both rare sequence genetic variation, and other types of variation such as telomere length polymorphisms and different classes of copy number and structural variants. Depending on skills and interest, there will be opportunities to develop research projects focusing on different aspects of the data, and/or in-depth analyses of specific traits or loci. The appointed researcher will be embedded in an interdisciplinary team of computational scientists, bioinformaticians, statisticians and wet lab scientists. The results will inform efforts to characterise the properties and function of rare and low-frequency sequence variation affecting human complex phenotype.

The project will also involve collaboration with the Metabolic Disease Group at the Sanger Institute (Dr Ines Barroso), and the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU), Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge (Professor John Danesh and Dr Adam Butterworth).

Reference:82819

Postdoctoral Fellow in Schistosome Genomics

Salay range: £31115 to £39004pa plus excellent benefits. 

Fixed-term for 3 years

In the Parasite genomics group, we use large-scale sequencing approaches to study parasitic diseases of global importance, with a particular emphasis on neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). We are particularly focusing on the biology of schistosomes, one of the most important and neglected parasites, which infects 250 million of the world’s poorest people.  

We are seeking an enthusiastic and ambitious postdoctoral fellow to work on the evolutionary genomics of Schistosoma and related schistosomatids. You will take advantage of recent advances in rapidly producing high-quality assemblies and utilize our recently completed high-quality assemblies of schistosome autosomes and sex chromosomes.   Using large-scale comparative genomics of schistosomes, you will identify genomic features shared across different evolutionary scales and find lineage-specific differences associated with different host tropisms and other traits.

Our lab generates extensive functional genomic data for S. mansoni and you will be able to take advantage of the Institute’s world-leading expertise and resources for genome sequencing and mapping. The ongoing functional genomics work in the group means that it will be possible to collaborate with other members of the team to test hypotheses arising from in silico work.

The exact project will depend on the skills and interests of successful applicant, but could include:

• Identify conserved non-coding elements and investigate their evolution across divergent schistosomatids.

• Investigate the genomic basis of convergent host tropism between two different mammalian-infective lineages (Schistosomatium and Schistosoma) that are independently derived from avian-infective ancestors 

• Reconstruct the evolution of schistosome sex chromosomes and understand the movement of genes between sex chromosomes and autosomes. (Schistosome are unusual amongst parasitic flatworms, in having evolved dioecy and a ZW sex determination system.)

Key responsibilities:

• to develop, drive and deliver cutting edge research on the genome biology of schistosomes
• assembly and annotation of genomic sequence data, leading to the preparation of manuscripts for publication
• development and validation of novel analytical methods where required
• effective communication with collaborators and colleagues and through presentation at international meetings
• design of spin-off research projects and follow-up studies

Reference:82841

Postdoctoral Fellow in Statistical and Computational Genomics

Salary range: £31115 to £39004pa plus excellent benefits

Fixed-term for 3 years

A postdoctoral position is available in the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute under the leadership of Dr Daniel Gaffney. The main research focus of our group is to understand how genetic variants influence cellular functions, using a mixture of statistical genetics, machine learning and high throughput functional genomics data. The successful applicant will have the freedom to develop their own research area within the broad interests of the group. The post-holder will also have access to unique, large-scale functional genomicsdata sets generated in human induced pluripotent stem cells that our group has developed as part of the Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Initiative (www.hipsci.org)

Candidates in Biology with a background in quantitative analysis and population genetics are strongly encouraged to apply. We also welcome candidates with a background in Physics, Statistics or Computer Science with strong interests in computational biology. Excellent programming skills, experience with very large data sets and an ability to work as part of a team are essential. The post-holder will be encouraged to apply for fellowships and work as part of the Gaffney group at WTSI, for more information on the group’s research see:

Dan Gaffney Research Group

Reference:82813

Recruitment Adviser

Salary range: £24589 to £30995pa plus excellent benefits

The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute conducts cutting-edge genomic research on an unprecedented ambition and scale, with our Human Resources team playing a vital role in enabling and supporting the people behind this.

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a recruitment specialist to join our forward-thinking team at a time of exciting change and transformation.

You will be responsible for delivering a professional and seamless end-to-end recruitment service; whilst also contributing to a number of continuous improvement and employer branding projects which support our strategy to be an ‘employer of choice’.

In particular we are looking for candidates who can:

• Provide a first class, compliant and consistent customer experience for both hiring managers and applicants.
• Employ a business partner approach to working with and developing long-term relationships with internal customers.
• Maximise opportunities to promote the organisation through networking, specialised and social media.
• Ensure attraction and selection of high quality, best-fit candidates from an increasingly competitive marketplace, whilst applying creative and innovative approaches to help us stand out from competition.

You should be a highly organised, efficient, proactive and energetic individual with proven experience of handling and prioritising large volumes of recruitment campaigns which can attract an international pool of applicants. You will also have a good understanding of recruitment processes, best practice and legislation which enable you to provide effective guidance and support to managers, staff and applicants. Previous experience of working in the research or higher education sectors is desirable.

You will need to be tactful and discrete in communication and respect confidentiality. You will be able to fit easily into a team environment as well as being able to work independently. The ability to build effective relationships with managers, staff and external partners at all levels is essential.

If you think you have the attributes, skills and experience that we are looking for, please read on to find out more about this exciting opportunity at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Reference:82829