At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead community support and user training for Galaxy in bioinformatics.
- Company: Join the Earlham Institute, a leader in data-driven biology.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, professional development, and a collaborative work environment.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth and international collaboration.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in life sciences with cutting-edge technology.
- Qualifications: Degree in Bioinformatics or related field; programming skills essential.
The predicted salary is between 38000 - 46500 £ per year.
The post holder will be responsible for leading community support, user training, and workflow curation for Galaxy as a core component of the BioFAIR Methods Commons (MC) concierge service. BioFAIR is a UK federated digital research infrastructure designed to connect existing services, communities, and expertise to build a cohesive national ecosystem for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reproducible (FAIR) data. As one of the BioFAIR Spokes, the MC will provide access to trusted and robust analysis platforms, workflows, and tools to UK life scientists. Within this ecosystem, Galaxy serves as an open-source, web-based platform that makes complex computational research accessible, reproducible, and transparent. Based within the Data Science group at the Earlham Institute (EI), this role operates as part of the User Support and Community Delivery team within the larger BioFAIR MC team across EI, the University of Manchester, and Seqera. The role contributes directly to the team's tiered Concierge Service, delivering support across the entire Galaxy workflow lifecycle through intensive co-development with Exemplar Use Cases, premium support for complex projects, self-service onboarding, and lighter-touch community outreach. Engagement will be managed using Client Relationship Management (CRM) processes to track cohesive user journeys, backed by community engagement initiatives and AI-assisted support. The post holder will also lead Galaxy activities within the Workflow Observatory, the quality-assurance layer built into WorkflowHub, to curate, test, benchmark, and endorse FAIR workflows for inclusion in the BioFAIR Workflow Collection, whilst contributing guides, playbooks, and training materials to the Knowledge Hub. Additionally, the post holder will contribute to the Horizon Europe ESG4Stars project, specifically focusing on profiling and optimising Galaxy tools to maximise their energy and runtime efficiency.
Key Relationships
- Internal: BioFAIR MC team; Data Science group; NBI Research computing; ESG4Stars project contributors; and other researchers at the Earlham Institute.
- External: BioFAIR Hub and Spoke partners (including the University of Manchester and Seqera); academic research organisations; global Galaxy community networks (e.g. Galaxy Training Network, IUC and IWC); and international ESG4Stars consortium partners.
Main Activities & Responsibilities
- Provide technical and scientific support to researchers using Galaxy across the workflow lifecycle, diagnosing, debugging, and resolving tool execution errors through the tiered MC concierge support framework.
- Collaborate with embedded Exemplar Use Cases, Pathfinders, and BioFAIR Fellows to design, build, version, and publish high-quality workflows on WorkflowHub, ensuring adherence to FAIR standards and metadata packaging.
- Execute Galaxy tool profiling, computational resource benchmarking, and workflow refactoring for the Horizon Europe ESG4Stars project to reduce compute footprint and energy consumption of computational research.
- Author and update user-focused training materials, playbooks, and tutorials for the Galaxy Training Network and the BioFAIR Knowledge Hub, delivering workshops, clinics, and community outreach events.
- As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the role.
Person Profile
- Education & Qualifications
- A degree (BSc/MSc) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, or a related biological/quantitative discipline, or equivalent professional experience - Essential
- A PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, or a related quantitative or biological discipline, or equivalent high-level professional experience - Desirable
- Specialist Knowledge & Skills
- Knowledge of computational workflow management systems (ideally Galaxy), including tool integration techniques and workflow design - Essential
- Proficiency in modern programming and scripting languages used in scientific data analysis (e.g. Python, Bash, or R) - Essential
- Working knowledge of biological data analysis (e.g. bioimaging, genomics, or other omics) - Essential
- Understanding of FAIR workflow principles and metadata standards (e.g. RO-Crate) - Desirable
- Familiarity with tool profiling, benchmarking, or energy-efficient computing practices - Desirable
- Experience
- Proven experience in developing, running, debugging, and publishing scientific workflows - Essential
- Experience providing direct user support, training, or bioinformatics consultancy to scientific researchers - Essential
- Experience with quality assurance, benchmarking, or optimising software tools and algorithms - Desirable
- Experience working within collaborative open-source communities or research consortia - Desirable
- Interpersonal & Communication Skills
- Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well as part of a distributed team - Essential
- Good written and verbal communication skills - Essential
- Proven ability to deliver technical training or guidance to people with varying levels of computational experience - Desirable
- Documentation and tutorial authoring skills - Desirable
- Additional Requirements
- Attention to detail - Essential
- Promotes equality and values diversity - Essential
- Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute - Essential
- Willingness to work outside standard hours as required - Essential
- Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work - Essential
- Ability to undertake occasional travel (national and international) related to project collaborations, workshops, and/or seminars - Desirable
- A keen interest in science, technology, and environmental sustainability - Desirable
The Earlham Institute harnesses the power of data-driven biology to accelerate solutions for health, biodiversity, and food security. Based at Norwich Research Park, the Earlham Institute is one of eight institutes strategically funded by BBSRC. Our science combines world-class technology, interdisciplinary expertise, and training and development across genomics, engineering biology and data science, to decode the scale and complexity of living systems. We believe we can achieve more if we work together. That's why we collaborate with the global science community and industry partners, while also inspiring the next generation of scientists and technical specialists. Our ScienceEarlham Institute scientists specialise in developing and testing the latest tools and approaches needed to decode living systems and make biological predictions. We are home to state-of-the-art facilities and technology, creating a unique combination of expertise and infrastructure. We have dedicated laboratories for genome sequencing, single-cell analysis, engineering biology, and large-scale automation; as well as one of the largest supercomputing facilities for life science research in Europe. Our Advanced Training team also provides access to specialised scientific training to upskill the next generation of research and technical staff. Our CultureOur collegiate and innovative research environment comes with significant support, including a commitment to your professional development, research and administrative assistance, and opportunities to build collaborations with scientists and industry on the Norwich Research Park, across the UK, and internationally.
The role is based in Norwich, UK. Contract: This is a full-time post for a contract of 2 years. Salary: Salary on appointment will be within the range £38,000 to £46,500 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience. Visa: This role does not meet the full salary requirements set by UKVI to allow for visa sponsorship. However, some individuals may still be eligible for visa sponsorship depending on their personal circumstances. Disability: As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy. Closing date: The closing date for applications will be 17 September 2026.
Galaxy Workflow Expert in Norwich employer: The Earlham Institute
The Earlham Institute is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment in the heart of Norwich where innovation meets collaboration. As a Senior Full-Stack Engineer, you will have the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects that impact biodiversity research while enjoying a supportive culture that prioritises employee growth and development. With access to cutting-edge technology and a commitment to work-life balance, you'll find a rewarding career path that encourages both personal and professional advancement.
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