Research Associate

University of Birmingham - School of Biosciences

Location: Birmingham

Salary: £33,002 to £35,608 with potential progression once in post to £39,906

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 5th September 2025

Closes: 28th September 2025

Job Ref: 106280

Background

This project seeks to study the diversity and evolutionary history of giant Starship transposons within fungal genomes. In this project the RA will be directly involved in the bioinformatic identification of Starships and other transposons in the whole genomes of Bipolaris sorokiniana, Parastagonospora nodorum, Phyrenophora tritici-repentis and other related species. The RA will have experience in using bioinformatic tools such as “Starfish”, NCBI BLAST, and LASTZ to identify transposons de novo in assembled genomes, find homologous sequences in other publicly available genomes and perform whole genome alignments. The RA should be able to act independently to install and run new bioinformatic software as needed during the course of the project and be proactive in identifying new tools and or writing analyses pipelines (Rstudio notebooks, Snakemake, Nextflow) that can be used by other members of the lab. The RA will assist a current PhD student with their ongoing work in the de novo assembly and annotation of fungal genomes and participate in the assembly of data, figures and text for draft manuscripts.

Main Duties

• Install and run bioinformatic software as needed, including but not limited to Starfish, Lastz, NCBI blast+
• Use a wide range of bioinformatic tools to identify and annotate fungal genes and transposons in our current set of genome assemblies
• Organise and plan for the sharing of all datasets through the Lab Teams site for long term use of the gene and transposon annotations
• Produce R or Jupyter notebooks that can be used by other less experienced members of the lab to perform similar analyses
• Train other students in the use of these programs
• Collect research data; this may be through a variety of research methods, such as scientific experimentation, literature reviews, and research interviews
• Analyse research data as directed
• Present research outputs, including drafting academic publications or parts thereof, for example at seminars and as posters
• Develop or adapt techniques, models and methods
• Provide guidance as required to support staff and any students who may be assisting with research
• Deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines
• Carry out administrative tasks related directly to the delivery of the research
• Promotes equality and values diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture

Person Specification

• Degree or equivalent in relevant subject area
• Practical experience of applying the relevant skills and techniques
• Ability to analyse information and communicate effectively
• Ability to access and organise resources successfully
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day to day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly

Informal enquiries can be made to Megan McDonald, email: m.c.mcdonald@bham.ac.uk

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