Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK invites applications for a new Postdoctoral Fellow role to support the Tree of Life project in 2020.
The Tree of life is a new programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute that is exploring the evolutionary biology of genomes from across eukaryote diversity to understand pattern and process in the generation of diversity. To do this, they will generate many thousands of high-quality genomes from protists, fungi, plants and animals. To be able to sequence the smallest of these species from single specimens, they need to develop methods to generate genomes from minimal input material.
This 18-month position will focus on developing and delivering such methods for meiofaunal organisms. The ideal applicant will have a PhD in a relevant topic, postdoctoral experience in working with meiofaunal genomics, skills in genome assembly and interpretation and an ability to organise and drive an independent research theme. Based within Mark Blaxter’s team, the postholder will interact closely with others in the Tree of Life programme, including wet-lab and bioinformatics staff, and with the Sanger Institute’s Scientific Operations. Within the underpinning need to deliver to project goals, the postholder will have independence in defining research focus and in establishing key collaborations. The postholder will be expected to promote and present their work through publication and at national and international meetings.
Worth of Award
There’s an attractive benefits package on offer at the Genome Wellcome Campus. They appreciate the importance of achieving work-life balance and support this with a number of families and carer-friendly policies. Plus a flexible working policy for those who may wish to amend their working pattern or arrangement.
As well as the usual benefits you would expect, they go much further:
- 25 days annual leave (extra 1 day to a maximum of 30 days for every year you work)
- Auto-enrolment into a generous Group Defined Contribution Pension Scheme, with enhanced company contribution
- Up to 2 days annual paid volunteering leave
- Up to 10 days paid Emergency Carers Leave per year
- Family-friendly environment including options for flexible and part-time working, an on-site Workplace Nursery Salary Sacrifice Schemes for pre-school children and Summer holiday club
- Life Assurance Cover and a Group Income Protection Scheme (if on a contract of 12 months or more)
- Enhanced maternity leave and parental leave
- Access to a substantial number of courses and training events onsite
- Private Healthcare Scheme (after 6 months service)
- Eyecare and Dental payment plans
- Concessions and discounts from our corporate perks site
Eligibility
- PhD in molecular biology, genetics or relevant subject area
- A strong grounding in evolutionary genomics, genome biology and population genetics
- Published evidence of knowledge and understanding of genomic analysis in a phylogenetic context
- Experience generating and working with whole-genome sequence data
- Established skills in general molecular biology operations, such as nucleic acid extraction, PCR and cloning
- Excellent communication skills; The ability to effectively communicate with collaborators and to present oral communications to scientific audiences
- Attention to detail
- Highly developed problem-solving skills
Ideal Skills
- Experience in molecular biology techniques relevant to the generation of high-quality genome data from limited materials
- Experience with using compute cluster and batch queuing systems
- Experience with workflow engines and languages; Experience with software version control systems
- Experience with genome annotation methodologies and pipelines
- Proficient in writing research manuscripts and reports
- Other knowledge, skills and experience as appropriate to the research area
How to Apply
- For informal enquiries please email [email protected]
- You can apply for this position on their website
Deadline: Applications close on December 15, 2019.