Research Fellow in Life Sciences

University of Nottingham

Area
Life Sciences

Location
University Park

Salary
£31,387 to £46,485 per annum pro-rata depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Closing Date
Monday 02 March 2026

Reference
MED260625

About the Role

Applications are invited for an experienced bioinformatician to join the Deep Seq facility. The post holder will take responsibility for the analysis and interpretation of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) datasets generated on a range of cutting-edge platforms.

The successful candidate will provide expert analytical support and advice to facility users, helping them to extract maximum biological insight from their data. This role requires effective communication with researchers from diverse backgrounds and the ability to translate between biological questions and computational analysis.

You will plan and conduct your own analyses using available tools, adapt existing methodologies and scripts, and design new pipelines and workflows that deliver accurate, reproducible, and timely results. You will also prepare analysis reports and user summaries, and contribute to publications.

Facility and Technical Environment

The Deep Seq facility specialises in Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) MinION, GridION, and PromethION instruments. Experience in the analysis of ONT data is therefore a significant advantage, although training can be provided.

Deep Seq also operates short-read platforms from Element and Illumina, as well as single-cell technologies including 10x Genomics platforms. The facility maintains several dedicated servers and high-performance computing (HPC) resources for data processing, and the post holder will take a leading role in their management and optimisation.

This position offers an excellent opportunity to further develop bioinformatics expertise in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment, with scope to design and implement novel computational tools and expand your analytical portfolio.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should hold a PhD (or be near completion), an MSc in Bioinformatics, or have equivalent professional experience in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field.

Essential skills and experience include:

• Proficiency with Linux operating systems
• Ability to analyse and interpret large datasets and critically evaluate methodologies
• Strong programming skills in at least one scripting or programming language (e.g. Python, R, Perl, Nextflow, C++, or Java)

Experience in the following areas is required or advantageous:

• Database management
• Sequence alignment and assembly
• Variant and methylation calling
• RNA-Seq analysis
• Integration of public datasets
• Workflow management systems (e.g. Snakemake, Nextflow)
• Use of HPC environments

Contract Information

This is a full-time, permanent post (36.25 hours per week). Flexible working arrangements and job share arrangements may be considered.

Informal Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Matthew Loose (matthew.loose@nottingham.ac.uk). Please note that applications sent directly to this email address will not be accepted.