We are currently seeking a structural genomicist to join our team at the Cambridge Baker Systems Genomics Initiative, part of the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU) and Department of Public Health and Primary Care (DPHPC). The post will suit a highly-skilled individual, who is interested in applying their skills in the field of structural bioinformatics and genetics/genomics.
The Cambridge Baker Systems Genomics Initiative (CBSGI) is an international partnership between the DPHPC and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute (Melbourne, Australia). CBSGI conducts world-leading interdisciplinary research with a major focus on the development of statistical and machine learning approaches as well as the application of bespoke approaches to multi-omics data from studies of >100,000 participants, with the goal of improving the prediction and prevention of cardiometabolic, respiratory and related diseases. The Director of CBSGI is Associate Professor Michael Inouye, a Principal Researcher in Systems Genomics at the University of Cambridge and the position's supervisor. The CEU (Director: Prof John Danesh) conducts world-leading interdisciplinary research with a major focus on the prediction and prevention of cardiovascular diseases using studies conducted in more than 2.5 million participants. More information about our collective interests and activities can be found at http://www.phpc.cam.ac.uk/ceu/ and http://www.inouyelab.org/.
The successful candidate will be involved in analyses of the effects of genetic variation on protein structure as well as the integration of ancillary datatypes, such as metabolomics, transcriptomics and disease/trait associations. The aims of this work are to investigate local and global patterns of missense variants and their effects on secondary and tertiary protein structure, protein-protein and protein-RNA binding surfaces, and drug docking. In addition to CBSGI, the selected candidate will collaborate closely with an interdisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, bioinformaticians and statisticians in the DPHPC and the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit (CEU). They will interact with academic and industry collaborators based in the wider Cambridge area as well as those in Boston, USA and Melbourne, Australia.
The primary role of the post-holder will be to lead structural genomics projects, involving the joint statistical analysis, interpretation of omics data and development of new methodology using the Unit's vast portfolio of genomic and related data. Currently this data comprises ~100,000 participants with extensive information on many cardiovascular risk factors and genetic data (comprising array genotyping, exome and whole-genome sequencing), ~50,000 participants with metabolomics data, and ~3,000 participants with plasma proteomics data. Imminent experiments will vastly increase the wealth and types of multi-omic data available for these cohorts.
The post-holder will also be expected to evaluate and develop the statistical methods necessary to test hypotheses of interest, such as those listed above and advise on appropriate statistical practices. The work of the post-holder is expected to lead to first author high-impact publications.
Essential Qualifications/Skills*
- PhD in a quantitative field such as Bioinformatics, Structural Biology, Systems Biology, Statistical Genetics, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics or equivalent qualifications or experience*
- Background knowledge or experience in structural bioinformatics, protein structure prediction and molecular dynamics.
- Experience with genetic data analysis, genome-wide association studies, or high-throughput sequencing.
- Experience of manipulating and managing large datasets as well as utilising the Protein Data Bank
- A sound understanding of statistical concepts, ideally in relation to genetics.
- Strong quantitative (in silico) analysis skills using statistical programming packages such as R.
- Experience working with Linux and high performance computing.
- Experience of statistical method development.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
Desired Knowledge/Skills
- Experience with programming and scripting languages (e.g. C, C++, Java, Python).
- Working knowledge of proteomics, transcriptomics or metabolomics.
In addition to these skills, the post-holder should also be able to work independently judging priorities and have excellent organisational and communication skills.
Appointment at research associate is dependent on having a PhD (or equivalent experience is recognised), including those who have submitted but not received their PhD. Where a PhD has yet to be awarded or submitted appointment will initially be made at research assistant and amended to research associate when the PhD is awarded. If an individual has not submitted a PhD or is not working towards one they could be appointed as a Research Assistant if they have either a degree (degree and/or Master's) in a relevant area or equivalent experience.
The funds for this post are available for 2 years from commencement in post.
The post-holder will be based at Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Strangeways Research Laboratory, Worts Causeway, Cambridge, CB1 8RN (approx. 2 miles south of city centre)
Informal enquiries can be made to Dr Michael Inouye by email (mi336@medschl.cam.ac.uk).
Closing date: 11 November 2018
Interview Date: Week commencing 19th November 2018
To apply: http://www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/19077/
