Bioinformatician

About Us

Do you want to work with a team that is changing science and enabling the next generation of genetic medicines? The stellar growth in cell and gene therapy has accelerated the need for a better quality, faster and more robust DNA manufacturing technology. Touchlight has created a new DNA vector for use in advanced genetic medicines that is safer and more efficacious than conventional plasmid DNA. Our unique platform also enables DNA production at unprecedented scale, speed and purity. We believe that DNA is fundamental to the future of medicine and our CDMO has a focus on the following areas:

• Nucleic acid medicines (mRNA and DNA)
• Ex-vivo and in-vivo cell and genetic medicines
• Gene therapy using viral vectors and gene editing
• Autologous and allogenic cell therapy

Role overview: We are seeking an experienced and motivated Bioinformatician to join our dynamic and collaborative R&D Team at Touchlight. In this role, you will utilise your expertise in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics to support and advance innovation. You will work with cutting-edge sequencing technologies, analyse complex datasets and apply molecular biology knowledge to contribute to several research projects. You will be involved in both wet-lab and computational work, contributing to the design and execution of sequencing experiments as well as the development of robust and scalable data analysis workflows.

Key responsibilities:

• NGS Library Preparation and Sequencing: Design and perform next-generation sequencing (NGS) library preparation workflows and experiments across platforms, such as Illumina, Nanopore and PacBio
• Pipeline Development and Management: Develop, maintain and document scalable, reproducible and version-controlled bioinformatics workflows for high-throughput sequencing data
• Sequencing Data Analysis: Analyse and interpret NGS datasets to extract meaningful biological insights that inform ongoing research and product development
• Collaboration and Innovation: Work closely with the team to research, design and implement novel data analysis pipelines aligned with R&D and commercial goals.

Skills and experience:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Molecular Biology, Genetics or equivalent industry experience
• Hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques, such as PCR, qPCR, cloning or cDNA synthesis
• Practical experience with NGS library preparation and sequencing platforms, including Illumina, Nanopore or PacBio
• Proficiency in Python, particularly for bioinformatics data processing and workflow development
• Knowledge of shell scripting and/or familiarity with workflow management tools such as Snakemake or Nextflow
• Experience with standard NGS data analysis tools, including FastQC, BWA, Bowtie2, Samtools and BEDTools
• Working knowledge of version control systems (e.g., Git) is desirable
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a keen eye for data quality and reproducibility.

Touchlight Benefits: Touchlight is a successful scale-up business with a record of world-leading innovation and a welcoming, entrepreneurial culture. We make Touchlight an extraordinary place to work by providing our employees with incredible facilities, flexible working and a competitive benefits and remuneration package.

A Place for Everyone: We believe diversity drives innovation and for that reason we strongly encourage those from all backgrounds to apply for roles at Touchlight. We are an equal opportunity employer and aim to build a workforce that is truly representative of the communities in which we operate and our customers. If you need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please speak with the HR team who will be happy to support you.