Bioinformatics Research Fellow

Grade UE07: £40,497- 48,149 per annum 

CMVM / Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

Full time: 35 hours per week

Fixed-Term: 1st September 2027 

 

Bioinformatics research fellow

 

We are seeking a candidate to join our team to generate the first large-scale single-cell transcriptomic atlas of African cattle. The project has generated high coverage single-cell RNA-seq data from 200 Bos indicus animals, covering all major peripheral immune-cell types alongside matched whole-genome sequence data. As the lead computational scientist you will convert these data into biological insights, developing and applying state-of-the-art methods to pinpoint the DNA variants that regulate immune-cell function and disease resistance. As part of this, the post-holder will work closely with partners in both the UK and Kenya.

 

Your skills and attributes for success:

 

• Design, implement and maintain scalable pipelines for processing single-cell RNA-seq, mapping expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) and annotating regulatory variants.
• Train, evaluate and refine AI/ML models that integrate sequence, epigenomic and comparative-genomic features to predict causal variants across immune-cell types.
• Exploit the uniquely deep single-cell dataset, together with existing ATAC-seq, PRO-Cap and MPRA resources, to compile an openly shared catalogue of validated immune-regulatory variants.
• Collaborate with wet-lab and field partners in the UK and Kenya on experimental validation (e.g. CRISPR, MPRA) and translation into breeding or editing strategies.
• Disseminate code, models and findings through open-access repositories, peer-reviewed publications and international conferences.
• Contribute to student supervision, project reporting and the vibrant computational biology community at Edinburgh.

 

Informal enquiries can be directed to Prof James Prendergast (james.prendergast@roslin.ed.ac.uk). 

 

Essential skills:

 

• PhD (or PhD nearing completion) or equivalent experience in a relevant quantitative discipline (e.g. Bioinformatics, Computer science, Genetics/Genomics, Computational Biology or Data science).
• Demonstrated experience with NGS data analysis—ideally scRNA-seq or eQTL—using R/Python, Linux and Git.
• Experiencing with workflow languages e.g. Nextflow, Snakemake.
• Proficiency in Linux/Unix operating systems.
• Experience of planning and executing research projects and complex integrative analysis of large datasets.

 

Desired skills:

• Machine learning experience in R or Python is desirable.
• Experience with running analyses in an HPC environment.

 

What we offer:

 

• Access to unique datasets including one of the largest single-cell RNA datasets ever generated in livestock, plus world-class HPC facilities.
• Funding for training, conference travel and at least one research visit to collaborators in Nairobi.

 

 

Click to view a copy of the full job description (opens new browser tab) 

 

 

Application Information

 

Please ensure you include the following documents in your application:

• CV
• Cover letter

 

As a valued member of our team you can expect:

• A competitive salary.
• An exciting, positive, creative, challenging and rewarding place to work. 
• To be part of a diverse and vibrant international community.
• Comprehensive Staff Benefits, such as a generous holiday entitlement, competitive pension schemes, staff discounts, and family-friendly initiatives. Check out the full list on our staff benefits page (opens in a new tab) and use our reward calculator to discover the total value of your pay and benefits. 

 

Championing equality, diversity and inclusion

The University of Edinburgh holds a Silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our commitment to advance gender equality in higher education. We are members of the Race Equality Charter and we are also Stonewall Scotland Diversity Champions, actively promoting LGBT equality. 

 

Prior to any employment commencing with the University you will be required to evidence your right to work in the UK. Further information is available on our right to work webpages (opens new browser tab).

 

The University may be able to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role.  This will depend on a number of factors specific to the successful applicant.

 

Key dates to note

 

The closing date for applications is 18th August 2025.

 

Unless stated otherwise the closing time for applications is 11:59pm GMT. If you are applying outside the UK the closing time on our adverts automatically adjusts to your browsers local time zone. 

 

As a world-leading research-intensive University, we are here to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges. Between now and 2030 we will do that with a values-led approach to teaching, research and innovation, and through the strength of our relationships, both locally and globally.