Bioinformatician - Single cell 'omics (Fixed Term)

The Department of Clinical Neurosciences, which is based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus was formed in 2004 and brings together the University Divisions of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Stem Cell Neurobiology, the John van Geest Centre for Brain Repair and the Wolfson Brain Imaging Centre. The Department works alongside the existing Addenbrooke’s NHS Trust Clinical Division of Neurosciences. The emphasis of research is on basic and applied neuroscience with the specific aims of understanding mechanisms of injury and repair in common diseases of the central nervous system. The clinical emphasis is on demyelinating disease, neurodegeneration, behavioural neurology, stroke and brain injury using clinical, genetic, immunological and imaging approaches.

This new role is commensurate with the appointment of Professor Chinnery as leader of a University research programme affiliated to the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit (MBU). This accompanies his relocation to the University of Cambridge as Professor of Neurology and Head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences. The post will be administratively based within the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, but will be based physically within the MBU housed in the Wellcome Trust/MRC Building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

Professor Chinnery is Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow in Clinical Science. His laboratory research group studies the mechanisms responsible for human mitochondrial diseases. Mitochondria are the ‘power house’ within the cell. Mitochondrial dysfunction causes progressive multi-system diseases that usually affect the nervous system and have no treatment. The over-arching aim of his research group is to develop new treatments for mitochondrial diseases using a combination of genomic, cell biology, and informatic techniques on human tissue samples, and using cell and animal disease models. The MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit includes eight other research groups studying the fundamental biology of mitochondria, how this changes in disease, and how to harness this knowledge to develop treatments. The unit has state-of-the-art facilities available to group members.

The role holder will use new and existing bioinformatics tools to analyse and interpret high-throughput data generated using state of the art single cell approaches in collaboration with the Cambridge Single Cell Unit. The role holder will be closely integrated within a multi-disciplinary  research group, enabling the rapid iteration between the informatics team and both biological wet-laboratory scientists and clinicians.

You will be educated to degree level in a scientific discipline (e.g. bioinformatics, computer science or biological science), post graduate in bioinformatics and have experience in genetics or genomics research.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 2 years in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit:

www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/9072. This will take you to the role on the University’s Job Opportunities pages. There you will need to click on the ‘Apply online’ button and register an account with the University’s Web Recruitment System (if you have not already) and log in before completing the online application form.

Only applicants who are short listed for interview will be contacted.

Informal enquiries to Professor Patrick Chinnery: pfc25@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference RR07952 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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