Senior Scientist in Genetics

For over 100 years we have been driving change to defeat diabetes, but we know that what got us here today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We are now transforming our business and taking our expertise into new territories including obesity and rare blood and endocrine diseases. 

Our story is one of incredible growth and success, which has culminated in receiving many prestigious awards, such as Best Places to Work and Vitality – Britain’s Healthiest Workplace.

The position

In this position, you will engage with human genetics and its capacity to reveal new treatments, thriving in a collaborative setting where your innovative ideas can propel the development of therapeutic hypotheses within our Genetics – Target Discovery team based in the UK and Denmark. You will be expected to coordinate with interdisciplinary project teams and experts from diverse subject areas as well as external partners.

As a Senior Scientist Genetics at Novo Nordisk, you will:

• Analyse and interpret diverse human genetic association data from various sources using in-house tools and pipelines.
• Collaborate with in silico and wet-lab scientists to propel therapeutic hypotheses and assess the suitability of associated genes as potential drug targets.
• Explore innovative applications of human genetic data within the pipeline and seek collaboration opportunities with external partners for advanced data access.
• Initiate and lead projects aligned with therapeutic area needs under manager supervision, while organizing daily work independently.
• Contribute to increased visibility of Novo Nordisk's work by presenting at conferences and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.

The position is located at our King’s Cross office in London and follows a hybrid model, involving 2 days working in the office. We will consider Copenhagen, DK, as a potential job location too.

Qualifications

To thrive and succeed in this role, we imagine that you have:

• A PhD in human genetics, statistical genetics, genetic epidemiology, or other related fields is essential 
• Relevant post-doctoral genetics research experience in industry or academia, with human genetics applied in a drug discovery setting.
• Experience with approaches for variant-trait and gene-trait association (including GWAS, PheWAS, TWAS, QTL mapping, Mendelian randomization, familial genetic studies).
• Proficiency in high-performance computing using R and Python.
• Strong expertise in cardiometabolic disease genetics, as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, is beneficial.
• Capability to effectively communicate genetics concepts to non-experts at various levels.

We welcome candidates with a good team ethic, who pay close attention to detail, enjoy a fast paced, dynamic environment where creative intellectual independence and knowledge sharing is actively encouraged. We are looking for an excellent communicator and collaborator, able to provide compelling arguments as a subject matter expert.

About the department

You will be a member of our Genetics Target Discovery team, which is part of the Human Genetics Centre of Excellence (CoE). The focus of the CoE is to use data science and human genetics to discover and develop new drug targets and biomarkers through a range of human centric data approaches e.g. high-throughput genetic discovery screens; Mendelian randomization; pLoF variant screens and precision medicine approaches relevant to obesity, type 2 diabetes, CVD, chronic kidney disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and rare endocrine and blood disorders.

The CoE is anchored in the newly established Digital Science & Innovation (DSI) organisation within Research & Early Development at Novo Nordisk. DSI is supporting the digital journey across all our therapy areas in R&ED.

Working at Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is its people. We know that life is anything but linear and balancing what is important at different stages of our career is never easy. That’s why we make room for diverse life situations, always putting people first. We value our employees for the unique skills they bring to the table, and we work continuously to bring out the best in them. Working at Novo Nordisk is working toward something bigger than ourselves, and it’s a collective effort. Together, we go further. Together, we’re life changing.

What We Offer

• Bonus: We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached, you’ll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
• Your workplace: Our offices will be your primary workplace but with flexibility to work 2-3 days at home during your working week.
• Pension: a market leading pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Wellness: We want you to be your best self, so you’ll have access to an award-winning Wellness programme, including Private Medical Insurance.
• Insurances: All colleagues are covered by our private medical, life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
• Inclusive culture: our culture is one of care, support and respect for our people.  We are committed to making your workplace safe and believe that a transparent, inclusive culture and leadership is the way to empower every individual to do their very best.

Application support

We are an equal opportunities employer, and we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.  If you're a person with a disability, if you're neurodivergent, and need any adjustments to be made during the application and selection process, please send an email to Ola at akrw@novonordisk.com.  Please include your name, the role you are interested in and the type of adjustment you need. 

Deadline

24th November 2024

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. 

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.