Job Description
Are you a highly motivated full stack software engineer who wants to join an exciting international consortium to help build a comprehensive catalogue of gene function? Do you have the motivation to develop new skills in the latest software systems and deployment technologies? If so, this position is for you!
The IMPC is a G7 recognised global research infrastructure that coordinates the production and phenotyping of thousands of new mutant mouse strains to better understand human health. Over the last five years, we have made 20,000 new gene-phenotype associations from 26 million data points collected from a diverse set of standardised phenotype tests, with all data being archived, analysed and disseminated by our team.
As part of an exciting new phase, we are relaunching the www.mousephenotype.org portal with an emphasis on data visualisation and tooling to support machine learning. This opportunity will enable you to apply your system administration and configuration management skills to resources that play a crucial role into research with human genetic diseases and aging. You will also have the opportunity to develop, learn and extend exciting new techniques in deep learning to help researchers make new discoveries in our rich phenotyping resource.
You’ll be part of a multi-disciplinary team passionate about representing and querying semantically annotated data. Your primary responsibilities will be to support and extend existing data processing pipelines, and work closely with the developers of the large IMPC resource to find new ways to represent the existing data.
You’ll be working within Mouse Informatics at EBI alongside a diverse and international team of developers, bioinformaticians and ontologists that make up the wider Samples, Phenotypes, and Ontologies (SPOT) team. You will collaborate closely with the team, who have a range of expertise in semantics, data analytics, image analysis and 3D image display. You will also be collaborating with other groups at EMBL-EBI and external collaborators, both within the UK and internationally, to improve our websites. At EMBL-EBI, we help scientists realise the potential of ‘big data’ in biology by enabling them to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind. Working for EMBL-EBI gives you an opportunity to apply your skills and energy for the greater good. As part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), we are a non-profit, intergovernmental organisation funded by 23 member states and two associate member states and proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge in the UK, and our 600 staff are engineers, technicians, scientists and other professionals from all over the world. For further information please visit www.ebi.ac.uk
For further information about the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, visit www.mousephenotype.org
Qualifications and Experience
You will be qualified to degree level in either computer sciences or bioinformatics:
- Fluent with Linux system administration
- Experience with common process automation technologies – Jenkins, Bamboo, Ansible, or similar
- Well-versed with operational support environments, systems design and development
- Willing to take ownership of existing data pipeline and implement new automation and container technologies
- Solid working knowledge of a systems / scripting language (BASH, Python, etc.)
- Working knowledge of a server side programming language (we use Java)
- Experience with, or eager to learn, Java software project management tools, i.e. Maven, Nexus, etc.
- Superb communication skills
- Ability to work independently while also interacting in a team environment
Additionally, these qualifications would be considered desirable:
- Experience with Ruby on Rails
- Involvement with model organism databases
- Working knowledge, or eager to learn, modern deployment strategies – Docker, Kubernetes, etc.
- Familiarity with indexing and database technologies (e.g. SolR, Lucene, ElasticSearch, MySQL, Neo4J)
- Interacting with RESTful APIs
- Experience with the Java Spring framework family of technologies
- Working knowledge of version control, git and github in particular
Benefits
EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation. The remuneration package comprises a competitive salary, a comprehensive pension scheme and health insurance, educational and other family related benefits where applicable, as well as financial support for relocation and installation.
We have an informal culture, international working environment and excellent professional development opportunities but one of the really amazing things about us is the concentration of technical and scientific expertise – something you probably won’t find anywhere else.
If you’ve ever visited the campus you’ll have experienced first-hand our friendly, collegial and supportive atmosphere, set in the beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. Our staff also enjoy excellent sports facilities including a gym, a free shuttle bus, an on-site nursery, cafés and restaurant and a library.
Application Instructions
To apply please submit a covering letter and CV, with two referees, through our online system.
Additional Information
Applications are welcome from all nationalities - visa information will be discussed in more depth with applicants selected for interview.
EMBL-EBI is committed to achieving gender balance and strongly encourages applications from women, who are currently under-represented at all levels. Appointment will be based on merit alone.
This position is limited to the project duration specified.
Applications will close at 23:00 GMT on the date listed above.