Bioinformatician

The Archival Infrastructure and Technology (AIT) team is looking for an enthusiastic, highly motivated bioinformatician to join the Human Cell Atlas (HCA - https://www.humancellatlas.org) project. You will support labs from all over the world contributing single-cell data to the HCA. You will ensure this data is associated with a rich description and is interoperable so it can be combined with other data in order to build the Atlas.

The HCA is a cutting-edge initiative using recent technological advances that allows us to measure and observe individual human cells at scale. Labs all over the world are collecting vast volumes of data that will help us to understand health and disease better. As part of this team, you will support the HCA community sharing this data and increasing our understanding of human biology.

You will be defining and running processes that make single-cell data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reproducible (FAIR https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2016.18), as part of the Data Coordination Platform (HCA-DCP) for the HCA community. We deliver services that biologists and bioinformaticians in labs all over the world use to submit datasets to the DCP, uploading terabytes of data at a time. This is big data, but the hardest challenge we face is variability, not volume, as we support submitters to accurately describe their experiments using our tools. As part of our team, you will have the chance to engage with our collaborators from the Broad Institute and the University of California Santa Cruz.
Your role
You should have knowledge of genomics and an ability to pick up new skills quickly. You should be adaptable, enthusiastic and value-focused, as these are traits we look for in all our team members. Existing domain knowledge of data management and single-cell data is useful, but a willingness to learn and versatility in approach is key.

As part of your day to day job, you will interact with the labs generating data for the HCA project. You will support them structuring their data to meet HCA standards and ensuring their data is FAIR. You will work with them to understand their needs and requirements for data deposition. You will work with the whole HCA community to understand what metadata is vital to ensure the FAIRness of single-cell data and that it can be used to build the Atlas. You will use this information to evolve our metadata standards. You will also work with software developers to design and implement improved processes and services to capture single-cell data and increase the level of automation in our FAIRification processes including annotating metadata with ontology terms. All of our code and data is open, you should be confident in making your work open-source.

We follow agile principles in our approach to development and operations, focusing on our user needs when prioritizing work to be done. You will be part of a cross-functional team where bioinformaticians and software developers work together to understand the needs of the HCA scientists and deliver and run services to meet those needs.

This position is a fantastic opportunity to gain hands-on experience, working on a high-profile project with major scientific impact in a world-leading bioinformatics institute.

You have
- Experience working with sequencing or other omics data
- Experience in Genomics and/or Bioinformatics
- Knowledge of common data formats, in particular, JSON and JSON schema
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to work as part of a team of people with a range of skills and a diversity of backgrounds.

You might also have
- Practical experience of data management
- Experience in single-cell genomics
- Some familiarity with semantic technologies and the use of ontologies for annotating metadata
- Experience in running bioinformatics training courses
- Experience of at least one programming language including Python and/or Java
- Experience of working in an agile development environment
- Interest in Cloud technologies

Application Instructions: 

To apply please submit a covering letter and CV through our online system here: https://www.embl.de/jobs/searchjobs/index.php?ref=EBI01648&newlang=1&pos...

Application Closing Date: 
3 August 2020