MRC Postdoctoral Research Scientist LMS 2530

Open Date 13/12/2024, 10:00 Close Date 12/01/2025, 23:55 Research Institute   MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences Research Institute / Unit Information  

The LMS is a world-class research laboratory where scientists and clinicians collaborate to advance the understanding of biology and its application to medicine. Funded by the MRC as part of UK Research and Innovation, the LMS has a collaborative working culture and new state-of-the-art building based in the heart of West London in the Hammersmith Hospital Campus (W12).

The LMS aims to deliver transdisciplinary team science, in synergistic interaction with Imperial College and the wider national research environment. Part of achieving this, is to recruit new talent and support postdoctoral scientists to become world leaders in their area of science.

UK Research and Innovation is a new entity that brings together nine partners to create an independent organisation with a strong voice for research and innovation, more information can be found at www.ukri.org

Band   MRC - 4 Location   London Salary   £40,832 plus London allowances (£5,385) per annum Allowances   Additional allowances comprise a £1,000 lump sum Settlement Allowance plus a yearly Training Allowance of £850 in the first year, paid in monthly instalments. The Training Allowance increases to £1,300 in year two, and £1,800 in the third year. Contract Type   Fixed Term Job Type   Science Full Time / Part Time   Full Time Contract Length   3 years Job Description  

Overall purpose:

 

Applications are invited for a talented postdoctoral computational biologist / bioinformatician to join the Cardiovascular Genomics and Precision Medicine Group, led by Professor James Ware.  We are looking for a highly motivated and creative postdoc interested in joining our friendly international team, which spans the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences, the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial College London, Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals, and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

Our research aims to understand the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease, particularly inherited cardiomyopathies, and to extract clinically useful information from the genome for application in patient care. Cardiomyopathies are an important health problem, as a leading cause of sudden death in young adults, and the commonest indication for heart transplantation. The post-holder will be embedded in a well-established bioinformatics team and will be responsible for new projects to understand the genetic architecture of inherited heart diseases, and to evaluate genomic biomarkers for prognostic and therapeutic stratification.

Traditionally understood as monogenic disorders, a substantial proportion of cardiomyopathy cases remain genetically unexplained under this paradigm.  Our recent work identifies more complex architectures, and we are studying the interactions between common variants, rare variants, and the environment (selected recent papers at https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.ware/publications).

The successful applicant will lead analyses of unique genomic data (whole exome/genome) from recently collected cohorts, alongside the UK Biobank and other large-scale population data, that together provide an outstanding opportunity to understand the genetic basis of inherited cardiac conditions.

In this post you will initially focus on analyses of dilated (DCM) cardiomyopathy, identifying common & rare variant associations with disease, and searching for genetic modifiers of penetrance and expressivity that will both identify therapeutic targets and provide biomarkers for patient stratification.  In collaboration with Prof O’Regan’s team we will integrate genomic biomarkers with cardiac imaging data, and develop machine learning models for risk prediction

This work is highly collaborative, and the successful applicant will interact with a global network of leading researchers bringing diverse skills and perspectives to these challenges.

The postdoctoral research scientist will be expected to submit publications to refereed journals and to attract external research funding.

For more information on current research directions, see our groups webpages at https://lms.mrc.ac.uk/research/cardiovascular-genomics-precision-medicine/ and/or Prof Ware’s University Profile: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/j.ware

There is further information about current and previous team members, and a news feed, at www.cvgenetics.org.

 

Key skills:

• Background in computational biology and human genetics
• Experience of handling large sequencing datasets and performing statistical analysis
• Experience of statistical approaches for rare and/or complex disease genetics, including GWAS and/or RVAS
• Experience with genomic research environments, such as Genomics England or UK Biobank
• Excellent programming skills in R and Python
• Knowledge of HPC environments, Git and Docker an advantage

 

Main Responsibilities:

• To lead analyses to understand the genetic architecture of cardiomyopathies
• To manage large datasets
• To develop innovative solutions to sequencing data analysis
• To develop & manage reproducible analysis pipelines using Git and Docker
• To collaborate closely with other members of the team and external partners on various projects
• To prepare work for publication and grant submissions
• To present at seminars and conferences as necessary
• To co-supervise MSc and PhD students
• Willingness to work out of normal working hours (including weekends) if the requirements of the project demand
• To contribute to the smooth running of the Group’s/Unit’s laboratories and, facilities with other scientists, clinicians, technicians and students within the laboratories
• To assist in the supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate research students and research assistants as required
• To comply with the Institute, College, Division, and Unit safety practices and to attend courses on safety when appropriate
• Any other duties as may be deemed reasonable by Head of group as well as Head of Division

Person Specification  

Education / Qualifications / Training required (will be assessed from application form):

Essential:

• PhD (or equivalent experience) in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or a Biological/Medical field including Genetics or a closely related discipline

Desirable:

• Bachelor’s degree and Masters (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or a biological/medical science degree including genetics

 

Knowledge and experience (will be assessed from application form and at interview):

Essential:

• Experience in computational biology / bioinformatics
• Evidence of proficiency in statistical genetics
• Experience planning and completing independent research projects
• At least one of the following:
  • Expertise in human genetics
  • Expertise in genomics
  • Experience in analysis of next generation sequencing data
• Excellent written communication skills in English and the ability to write clearly for publication

Desirable:

• Experience in cardiovascular biology / cardiomyopathies
• Experience in variant interpretation
• Knowledge of databases and resources for variant annotation
• Track record of software development and package creation

 

Personal skills / Behaviours / Qualities (will be assessed at the interview):

Essential:

• Ability to conduct reproducible research
• Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature
• Ability to develop and apply new concepts
• Creative approach to problem-solving
• Excellent verbal communication skills in English and the ability to deal with a wide range of people
• Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a high standard of work
• Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision
• Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines
• Advanced computer skills
• Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative
• Flexible attitude towards work
• Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times
• Willingness to undertake any necessary training for the role

Further Information  

Applicants should submit a CV, names and contacts of two scientific references along with a cover letter stating why you are applying for this role (providing evidence against the requirements of the job as per the job description and person specification). Applications without a cover letter will not be accepted. Please quote reference number LMS 2530.

This role qualifies for endorsement by UKRI for a UK Global Talent Visa, for which the successful applicant is likely to be eligible to apply. We will also reimburse the cost of visa application (terms and conditions apply).

Please note that applications may be reviewed by both LMS and Imperial staff

The MRC is a unique working environment where scientific researchers and professional support staff can actively partake in world class innovation and collaboration opportunities and their skills and knowledge through accessing a wide catalogue of  training & development, including professional registration with the Science Council.

In addition, MRC (part of UKRI) provides its community of employees access to a whole host of useful benefits, including a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement (30 days plus 2.5 privilege days & 8 bank holidays), family friendly policies (6 months full pay maternity & adoption leave),  a range of shopping/travel discounts, access to our Employee Assistant Programme Scheme, Health and Wellbeing Support and a salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme.  Please follow this link to find out more - Benefits

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