Senior Bioinformatician in Infectious Diseases

We are seeking a talented and driven bioinformatician to lead on the development and optimisation of bioinformatic solutions for the national NHS Respiratory Metagenomics Programme and related projects. The role offers a unique opportunity to work within a multi‑disciplinary NHS team to support transformative innovation in the diagnosis of infectious disease across the UK and internationally through the development of pipelines, curated databases and analytic tools to translate long read metagenomic sequencing into clinical services. The role has a significant external facing component, leading deployment and troubleshooting support across 30+ NHS and international sites and growing metagenomics capabilities in NHS teams through national working groups and peer support. The successful candidate will work closely with colleagues across the NHS, UKHSA, ONT and academia to support mutual success.

Hosted by CIDR within the Department of Infection at St Thomas’ Hospital, the post will primarily lead on the development, deployment and continuous improvement of bioinformatic solutions to support clinical service delivery for sites across the UK in the NHS Respiratory Metagenomics Programme. As part of a multi‑disciplinary team, the post holder will provide bioinformatics expertise in the translation of nanopore long‑read sequencing‑based technologies into routine diagnostic service to support daily patient testing. They will be responsible for the selection, development, maintenance and curation of databases and bioinformatics tools and resources. They will work closely with other bioinformaticians across our NHS, UKHSA, academic and industry partners to develop, validate, maintain and optimise metagenomics pipelines for clinical use across the NHS and to support the digital genomic bridge with UKHSA. The individual will provide support for other members of CIDR and partners in the diagnostic laboratory to enable and enhance the overall objectives of the NHS Respiratory Metagenomics Programme.

Main duties of the job:

• Lead the bioinformatics support for translation of nanopore metagenomics assays into pilot clinical services, including sequencing of bacteria, fungi and viruses with a focus on respiratory infections, including SARS‑CoV‑2, other coronaviruses and influenza.
• Provide bioinformatics support for developmental projects evaluating high‑throughput real‑time targeted sequencing of respiratory viruses of public health and infection control significance.
• Responsible for the development and maintenance of analysis pipelines to support clinical service delivery across the NHS network, ensuring the approach supports longer‑term scaling and sustainable use.
• Lead in the development, implementation and management of analytical tools for the service pipelines, including the development of database and related tools for data retrieval, manipulation, analysis and visualisation.
• Lead in the deployment of bioinformatic pipelines across NHS Trusts and international sites, including liaison with relevant scientists, network engineers, governance and clinical departments; and drafting and maintaining clear guidance documentation for bioinformaticians and non‑bioinformaticians alike.

Person Specification:

• Previous Experience: PhD or equivalent in genome biology or bioinformatics; experience of working in a diagnostic laboratory and/or infectious diseases; developing, implementing and maintaining bioinformatic data analysis pipelines in clinical settings; software project leadership skills; experience of commercial and academic molecular biology software packages for mining genome databases; computer programming in R, Lisp or another functional programming language; next generation sequence analysis.
• Additional: Excellent communication and liaison skills; ability to work collaboratively across organisational boundaries; enthusiasm with the ability to motivate a team in a rapidly changing environment.
• Qualifications: PhD or equivalent in genome biology or bioinformatics; evidence of ongoing professional development or knowledge acquisition in NGS bioinformatics techniques and related software; experience in a diagnostic laboratory; experience in infectious diseases.
• Skills: Proven skills in scripted programming languages e.g. Python, PERL; proven skills in database design, architecture, and implementation on a variety of platforms.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ celebrates, respects and values the diversity of its staff and patients. We review our policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all employees, patients and carers are treated equitably according to their needs. We are actively committed to ensuring that no one who applies for a job, works or studies at the Trust, or accesses our services is discriminated against on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, disability, religion or belief, age, gender identity, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity/paternity, or marital/civil partnership. Applications are welcomed from applicants with a disability. We can make reasonable adjustments and offer support and advice in a variety of ways throughout the application process. Equality of opportunity is our policy.

As an organisation we are committed to developing our services in ways that best suit the needs of our patients. This means that some staff groups will increasingly be asked to work a more flexible shift pattern so that we can offer services in the evenings or at weekends. We are committed to supporting all employees to achieve a healthy work life balance and to work in a way that is best for them and our patients. We will consider all requests to work flexibly, taking into account the individual’s personal circumstances as well as the needs of the service. We encourage all prospective applicants to discuss their individual circumstances with the recruiting manager as part of the on‑boarding process.

Due to recent changes in the UK immigration rules which affect Skilled Worker Visas, please ensure that you are able to meet the requirements to live and work in the UK before applying. Further information about eligibility is available on the UK Government website.

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