Job Description
Main Purpose of the Job
The successful applicant will join the Informatics Platform at the John Innes Centre. They will help with maintaining the computational infrastructure and data management.
Development Work for Long-Term Viability: Collaborating with our research teams, the successful candidate will participate in the development of software solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of our institution. The focus will be on creating software that is robust, easy to manage, and capable of sustaining a lifespan of at least 10 years, in compliance with funding policies. By incorporating best practices and future-proofing techniques, this role will contribute to the longevity and accessibility of our research tools and resources.
Assist with Day-to-Day Infrastructure Tasks: The successful candidate will contribute to various infrastructure tasks essential for the smooth functioning of our research environment. This includes data management on a large scale, system administration duties, and providing technical support to internal users and collaborators. A proactive approach is required to help anticipate and address potential issues, maintaining an efficient and secure research infrastructure.
Key Relationships
In collaboration with members of the informatics platform, they will support bioinformaticians to assist research endeavours, and to provide data management, coding and infrastructure solutions at the John Innes Centre.
The Institute’s hardware is maintained by Norwich Research Park Computing and Research Computing teams. The candidate will frequently engage with members of those teams to provide resources for staff and students at the John Innes Centre.
Work with researchers in the development of new software or enhancements to existing platforms, fulfilling the requirements of our funders.
Main Activities & Responsibilities
PercentageComputational tasks supporting specific Research Projects50Maintenance of existing JIC applications and support / software hardening of newly developed applications.30Develop and maintain JIC computational infrastructure; Champion and maintain effective data management practises10As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post10
Person Profile
Education & Qualifications
RequirementImportanceDegree level qualification in an appropriate subject (e.g., Software engineering, Computer science).Essential
Specialist Knowledge & Skills
RequirementImportanceStrong command line shell skills, including use of scripting to automate tasks and deploymentsEssentialProficiency in configuring and managing databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL).EssentialSoftware development in a compiled language (e.g. C, C++, Fortran), and in an interpreted language (e.g. Python, R, Perl)EssentialAwareness of cloud-native principles and associated DevOps technologiesDesirableUnderstanding of biology and bioinformaticsDesirableUnderstanding of image processing (e.g. opencv, imagej) and ML/AI frameworks (pytorch, tensorflow etc.)DesirableUnderstanding of containerisation technologies like Docker/singularity, orchestration tools such as Kubernetes, and configuration management tools like Puppet and Ansible.Desirable
Relevant Experience
RequirementImportanceExperience with development using a web application stack (e.g. LAMP).EssentialExperience administering and maintaining web servers (e.g., Apache, Nginx).EssentialProficiency in administering Linux-based operating systems.EssentialHas experience of version control systems and code documentation.EssentialWorking with a HPC (High Performance Computing) cluster and associated tools (e.g. such as LSF, SGE, SLURM etc.) EssentialWorking in an academic environmentDesirable
Interpersonal & Communication Skills
RequirementImportanceGood interpersonal skills, with the ability to work as part of a teamEssentialDemonstrated ability to work independently, using initiative and applying problem solving skillsEssentialExcellent communication skills, both written and oral, including the ability to present complex information with clarity Essential
Additional Requirements
RequirementImportanceAttention to detailEssentialPromotes equality and values diversityEssentialWillingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to workEssentialAble to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute EssentialAbility to maintain confidentiality and security of information where appropriate Essential
Who We Are
John Innes Centre
The John Innes Centre is an independent, international centre of excellence in plant and microbial genetics, carrying out fundamental and strategic research, to train scientists and making our findings available to society.
Our research makes use of a wide range of disciplines in the biological and chemical sciences including; cell biology, biochemistry, chemistry, genetics and molecular biology.
For more information about working at the John Innes Centre, please click here.
We are proud to hold a prestigious Athena SWAN Gold award, recognising the impact of our work in promoting gender equality in science. We are also a proud member of the Stonewall Diversity Champion’s programme, a founding signatory of the Tecnician Commitment and, as a Disability Confident employer, guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the post.
The John Innes Centre is a registered charity (No. 223852), limited by guarantee (registered in England No. 511709).
Department
Computational and Systems Biology
The Department of Computational and Systems Biology conducts world-leading research across a broad range of the biological sciences, with a special focus on spatial problems in plant and microbial research. Particular strengths of the department include mathematical and statistical modelling of the physical mechanisms underlying biological pattern formation, transport dynamics, epigenetic processes, size control, biomechanics and gene network dynamics. In addition, the department has strong bioinformatics that underpins the research of the institute through training, software development and statistical analysis. While much of the research is carried out in close collaboration with world-leading experimental groups within the John Innes Centre, we also have strong international collaborations with experimentalists and theoreticians worldwide.
Group Details
The JIC Informatics platforms’ mission is to provide excellent support in both bioinformatics and scientific computing. We lead or join research projects with a large bioinformatics component, help carrying out analysis for groups without the necessary expertise and give small-scale help to research staff.
Beyond project support, we solve novel challenges at the cutting edge of bioinformatics and scientific computing. We also monitor advances in the field and enable new technologies as capabilities of JIC.
Finally, we run a bioinformatics training program for scientists at all levels with the aim to raise the standards of bioinformatics and data management at JIC, and enable groups to become as self-sufficient as possible.
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