Scientist II, Bioinformatics

Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (AskBio) is a leading, clinical-stage gene therapy company founded in 2001 based on the work of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy visionary and pioneer, Jude Samulski, PhD. Our commitment to developing life-saving medicines that can potentially cure genetic diseases has never wavered. At AskBio, we’ve built a foundation of therapeutic programs, AAV manufacturing and a rich portfolio of patented technology. Our therapeutic focus includes neuromuscular, central nervous system, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases with clinical trials underway for Pompe disease, Parkinson’s disease, and congestive heart failure.

Our gene therapy platform includes Pro10, an industry-leading proprietary cell line manufacturing process, and an extensive AAV capsid and promoter library. We became a wholly-owned, independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG in late 2020 as a cornerstone of its newly formed Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) platform. Our global headquarters is in Research Triangle Park, NC, with significant operations in Philadelphia, PA, Columbus, OH, Scotland, France, Germany, and Spain.

Position Summary

The Scientist II, Bioinformatics develops and implements computational methods for analysing proprietary biological data, supporting cross-functional teams with tailored bioinformatics solutions. Will have expertise in omics data analysis, statistical methods, and scientific programming. The role contributes to innovative computational research in gene therapy, advancing AskBio's platform-enabled product approach. This is an on-site based position in UK Edinburgh reporting to the Sr. Director, Bioinformatics and Machine Learning.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop and implement computational methods and algorithms for the analysis of proprietary biological data.
• Collaborate with cross-functional international teams to understand data analysis needs and provide tailored bioinformatics solutions.
• Contribute to the design and optimisation of bioinformatics pipelines and workflows to improve data processing and analysis.
• Stay up to date with advancements in bioinformatics, machine learning, and data science, integrating relevant approaches into ongoing work.
• Communicate findings and recommendations effectively to stakeholders, including senior leadership and non-expert audiences.
• Provide mentorship and guidance to junior team members, fostering a culture of collaboration and learning.

Minimum Requirements

• PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related discipline with at least 2+ years of postdoctoral or relevant industry experience; or Master’s degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field with at least 8 years of relevant industry or research experience.
• Strong programming skills in Python.
• Experience in statistical analysis of DNA sequence and molecular datasets.
• Proven ability to communicate complex computational analyses to both technical and non-technical audience.
• Expertise in processing and analyzing omic datasets, particularly next-generation sequencing (NGS) data.
• Familiarity with Unix/Linux-based systems and command-line environments.

Preferred Skills & Abilities

• Experience developing computational methods for biological data analysis.
• Experience working with clinical or translational research data.
• Proficiency in additional data analysis languages (e.g., R, MATLAB).
• Knowledge of containerization tools such as Docker.
• Familiarity with integrating multi-omics datasets.
• Experience with workflow management systems such as Snakemake or Nextflow.
• Knowledge of gene therapy and its bioinformatics challenges.
• Expertise in structural biology, particularly in protein structure modelling, interactions, and computational structural analysis.
• Experience contributing to cross-disciplinary and global research projects.
• Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and collaborative development practices.