RNA Bioinformatician chez EMBL-EBI

Your role 

We are recruiting a Bioinformatician to develop both the RNAcentral and Rfam databases. Rfam and RNAcentral are key resources for RNA Biology that serve tens of thousands of users every year and are highly cited in the scientific literature and are currently funded by the BBSRC and Wellcome. The RNA Resources team is part of the Sequence Families group led by Alex Bateman. You will be working closely with Project Leader for RNA Resources as well as the RNA Resources full stack developers and biocurator from the Rfam team. ​

You will be responsible for running, maintaining and developing the bioinformatic pipelines that underlie RNAcentral and Rfam. They import data, perform quality controls and additional analyses and produce exports for community use. As part of your responsibilities you will import new types of data, create new analyses and ensure the continued functionality of the pipelines.  Additionally, you are expected to keep up-to-date with the latest developments in RNA science to ensure the resources continue to provide our diverse users with valuable data and analysis.

You will be responsible for development of new features, such as integration of probing data. You will also be responsible for outreach to the scientific community through presentations at major conferences such as RNA Society and ISMB. Finally, you will present at the RNAcentral consortium meetings and Scientific Advisory board meetings for regular feedback from community members.

You should be passionate about RNA science and want to help the scientific community. RNAcentral and Rfam are widely used resources and work here provides an opportunity to shape the work of many RNA researchers worldwide.

You have 

• Masters level or equivalent qualification in computational, biological or related scientific discipline

• Knowledge of RNA biology and willingness to stay up-to-date with RNA science

• Knowledge of the Python programming language

• Experience with relational databases (MySQL, Postgres) and SQL

• Comfortable using Git/GitHub, Unix, and Bash

• Strong communication skills

• Demonstrated track record of developing bioinformatic pipelines

• Ability to apply best practices software development methodologies

• Familiarity with Docker or other containerization technologies

You may also have

• Experience with high-performance computing environments such as slurm

• Experience with bioinformatic pipeline libraries such as nextflow

• Peer reviewed papers in RNA biology

• Experience with LLMs and other machine learning methodologies

• Experience with social media outreach

• Experience with the rust programming language

Other helpful information 

Hybrid Working: At EMBL-EBI we are pleased to offer hybrid working options for all our employees. A dedicated desk will be available everyday, with two collaborative team days on Monday and Tuesday and the option to work three days from home.  

Interviews: We plan to hold introductory meetings with selected candidates remotely starting on 29th September 2025 , following this we plan to hold panel interviews remotely from 17th October 2025.

Contract length: 3 years grant based contract with the possibility for extension

Salary: Grade 5 monthly salary starting at £3,303 per month after tax but excluding pension and insurance contributions. Plus generous benefits.

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. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.
 

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. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.  Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances

• Flexible working arrangements - including hybrid working patterns 

• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)

• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition public holidays

• Relocation package including installation grant (if required)

• Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)

• Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances

• Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here. 

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information.  

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ & individuals from all nationalities. 

• 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. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date