Senior Bioinformatician - Biodiversity Cell Atlas

Role Purpose

The purpose of this role is to contribute to the study of the diversity and evolution of cell type programs. The successful candidate will analyse large‑scale single‑cell transcriptomics datasets from diverse species; support wet‑lab development by performing rapid quality‑control assessments and preliminary evaluations of newly generated data; and co‑develop, refine, and integrate computational pipelines to advance these efforts. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a pioneering effort at the intersection of evolutionary genomics, single‑cell biology, and biodiversity research.

Experience in advanced single‑cell data analysis is required, and the role will involve working with genome data from diverse organisms. The successful candidate will work very closely with a single‑cell transcriptomics specialist in our team, with a postdoctoral researcher, and will have the opportunity to interact with other groups working on the BCA initiative.

• Postgraduate qualification, or equivalent working experience, in Bioinformatics, Software development, Computer Science, or related discipline
• Proficiency in single‑cell data analysis
• Experience of Unix/Linux and shell scripting
• Proficiency in one or more scripting languages (e.g. Python or Perl)
• Demonstrable experience in genomics, data processing and high‑throughput data analysis
• Experience running software on a compute farm, cluster, or cloud environment
• Experience designing and running genomics pipelines in Nextflow or similar languages

• Ability to prioritise, manage workload, and deliver agreed activities consistently
• Ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders at all levels
• Ability to communicate effectively (verbal and written) with all levels of management and staff
• High degree of initiative and self‑motivation
• Ability to explain technical issues to non‑technical users
• Ability to actively question and listen to problem‑solve
• High level of problem‑solving and analytical skills
• Ability to mentor junior members of the team
• Ability to successfully lead projects

Building on the high‑quality genomes generated by the Tree of Life programme, our team is actively implementing single‑cell sequencing approaches to systematically generate cell type molecular atlases across organisms. This is part of the broader Biodiversity Cell Atlas initiative (BCA).

Hybrid working offers many benefits, including an improved work‑life balance and focused time for deep work. The arrangement will vary for different roles and teams, depending on the nature of the work and the role requirements.

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with staff networks for LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together, share experiences, offer specific support and raise awareness. We want our people to be whoever they want to be and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

We will consider all individuals without discrimination.

We are proud to deliver an award‑winning, campus‑wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health, adopting a healthier lifestyle and reducing work‑related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute. Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative in March 2018; the commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research across all disciplines.