Research Associate; Bioinformatician

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Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 21 July 2026

Join the John Walton Muscular Dystrophy Research Centre, a world-leading translational research team dedicated to improving the lives of people with genetic neuromuscular diseases. Working alongside a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, scientists, and bioinformaticians, you will analyse cutting‑edge omics datasets, including single nuclei RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, to uncover disease mechanisms, identify biomarkers and support the development of new diagnostics and therapies.

This is an exciting opportunity to apply and expand your bioinformatics expertise in a highly collaborative, clinically embedded research environment, contributing directly to research with real patient impact.

The position is particularly suited to candidates seeking to build a strong track record in translational omics within a clinically embedded research setting.

The project focuses on the analysis of large‑scale omics datasets, including single nuclei RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, generated from muscle biopsies and related biological samples from patients with muscular dystrophies. Through integrative and high‑dimensional data analysis, the aim is to uncover novel disease mechanisms, identify biomarkers, and support the development of improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

You will play a central role in extracting biological insight from these complex datasets, contributing to ongoing efforts to better understand disease progression and variability in neuromuscular disorders.

This post is fixed term for a period of 8 months. This is a part time role (7.4 hours per week).

Find out more about our Research Institutes here:

As part of our commitment to career development for research colleagues, the University has developed 3 levels of research role profiles. These profiles set out firstly the generic competences and responsibilities expected of role holders at each level and secondly the general qualifications and experiences needed for entry at a particular level.

• Support a range of research activities across the JWMDRC, besides the specified project
• Provide guidance on ongoing and future research, particularly experimental design, omics data analysis and interpretation
• Keep up to date with new developments in the bioinformatics field and apply them to the diverse range of data generated within the JWMDRC lab
• Collect, analyse and interpret research data and draw conclusions on the outcomes
• Co‑ordinate own work with that of others, use problem solving to affect the achievement of research objectives and contribute to the planning of the project(s)
• Present information on research progress and outcomes to a Principal Investigator or groups overseeing the research project
• Write up results from own research activity and provide input into the research project’s dissemination, in whatever form (report, papers, chapters, books)
• Use research resources (including, where required, laboratories, workshops and specialist equipment) as appropriate
• Contribute ideas, including enhancements to the technical or methodological aspects of the project
• Determine appropriate methodologies for research
• Assess research findings for the need/scope for further investigations
• Contribute to the writing up of the research and its dissemination, either through seminar and conference presentations or through publications
• Present research findings, either at conferences or through publications in reputable outlets appropriate to the discipline
• Contribute to grant applications submitted by others and develop own research objectives and proposals for funding

• Hands‑on experience in the analysis of large‑scale omics data, including complex multistage pipeline development, reporting, and troubleshooting
• Proficiency in programming (e.g. using Linux/Python and R),…