Bioinformatics Developer in Cambridge

We are seeking a skilled and highly motivated Bioinformatics Developer to join the Human Genomics Team at EMBL-EBI and contribute to the maintenance and development of the DECIPHER platform. DECIPHER is a global data sharing platform that fuels rare disease discovery and enables patient diagnosis. This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative multi-disciplinary team dedicated to providing tools to assist in the interpretation of genetic variation and the responsible sharing of clinical data for patient benefit.

DECIPHER aggregates information from open data resources such as gnomAD and UniProt and utilises bioinformatics tools such as the Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP) to create detailed variant annotations. These are presented in user friendly visualisations to help clinical experts interpret likely disease-associated variants identified in their patients. Clinical centres can share variants and summary phenotype information from their patients through DECIPHER, enabling matching with other patients with similar conditions and collaboration between clinicians for patient benefit. With the help of DECIPHER, many thousands of patients now have a diagnosis and hundreds of papers are published every year improving understanding of rare diseases. By joining this project you will be playing an important role in advancing rare disease research, diagnosis, and discovery for genomic health.

Your role as the Bioinformatics Developer in the DECIPHER team includes:

• Investigating, assessing and integrating molecular biology and phenotypic data in varying formats from public resources
• Deploying bioinformatics tools in the DECIPHER environment and analysing genomic data
• Designing, testing, implementing data structures and user interfaces to represent information relating to the human genome and genetic disorders
• Supporting DECIPHER users by responding to bug reports and requests for support or new features
• Working with stakeholders to understand and translate their requirements into feature specifications
• Performing ad hoc analyses to investigate potential data issues and support decision making
• Liaising with other groups at EMBL-EBI and external collaborators to understand the resources they have created and how they could integrate with DECIPHER
• Bringing bioinformatics expertise to the DECIPHER team and representing the DECIPHER project at internal and external meetings

You have:

• Bachelors (or equivalent) degree in biological, clinical or computational sciences
• Higher degree or equivalent experience in bioinformatics, software engineering or computational sciences
• Experience of bioinformatics standards, tools and resources, preferably those relevant to variant annotation
• Experience of creating methods to manage and process genomics data
• Experience designing and utilising large-scale relational databases, preferably with PostgreSQL
• Proficiency in a language used for data manipulation and analysis such as R and Python
• Familiarity with software development in JavaScript (preferably Node.js or browser-based)
• Proficiency working in a UNIX/Linux environment
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to deliver a high-quality product to agreed deadlines
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work closely with colleagues, giving and receiving constructive feedback
• A professional and helpful manner when responding to support requests

You may also have:

• Experience of collaborating on development projects and working with colleagues from different disciplines
• Experience of working with and interpreting genomic/ molecular biology datasets
• Experience in developing reactive, data-driven web applications in JavaScript frameworks such as Vue, React, or Angular
• Proficiency working in a HPC bioinformatics environment
• Experience of working with clinical data and/or ontologies
• Experience of training people to use web tools or supporting users seeking assistance through a helpdesk system

Hybrid Working: At EMBL-EBI, we are pleased to offer hybrid working options for all our employees, with an expectation that you will be on site at least two days a week, with Thursday being our “team day”.

Contract length: 2 years grant based contract

Salary: Grade 5 or 6 monthly salary from £3,452.05 or £3,861.91 after tax plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on personal circumstances.

Why join us:

• Do something meaningful: At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges.
• Join a culture of innovation: We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside.
• Enjoy lots of benefits: Financial incentives, flexible working arrangements, private medical insurance, generous time off, relocation package, campus life benefits, family benefits, and benefits for non-UK residents.

What else you need to know:

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions.
• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence.
• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below.

Closing Date: 08/10/2026