About the team/job
We are looking to recruit a Data Standards Biocurator who has broad biological experience, with technical knowledge of data and metadata standards development, and a strong interest in interacting with our services’ user community. The post-holder will work in the Data Coordination and Archiving Team at the EMBL European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), located on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge (UK). The team maintains close collaborations with both data submitters and those retrieving data and offers extensive Helpdesk facilities.
The successful applicant will work in a team of developers, bioinformaticians, data curators and technical support staff upon innovative data services provided from the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA) and other data resources at EMBL-EBI. We need the successful candidate to be immediately available, as the role is limited to the project/grant until end of September 2023.
Your role
You will be involved in developing, improving and implementing data and metadata standards. This will range from requirements gathering and implementation of new metadata standards for describing archived data, capturing and standardising formats for new data types as new bioinformatics technologies emerge, as well as collaborating with established metadata standards bodies such as the Genomic Standards Consortium (GSC).
In addition to the development of metadata and data standards, your role will be to advise on the presentation of data, how the standardised data should be displayed and captured in the ENA and other resources’ APIs and Browser services.
You would be involved in supporting a number of collaborative data coordination projects – developing new metadata/data standards as required. An example of some of the projects you will be involved in include:
- Blue-Cloud (https://www.blue-cloud.org/) – an open science platform for collaborative research for which the team provides marine-relevant molecular data services.
- The EASI-Genomics project (https://www.easi-genomics.eu/home) – this provides fully funded access to more than 150 transnational access projects through selective calls; the team provides sequencing experiment-related data standards and support in their use.
- The Moore Foundation Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Initiative (https://www.aquaticsymbiosisgenomics.org/) will be generating high-quality reference genomes for symbiont systems, requiring from the team support for new data-types and standards that better capture symbiotic systems.
- The UniEUK project (https://unieuk.org/) will provide a Universal taxonomic framework and integrated reference gene databases for Eukaryotic biology, ecology and evolution; the team provides data and services to map and interoperate across activities across multiple taxonomies.
- The BiCIKL project (https://bicikl-project.eu/) aims to improve data linking across molecular, taxonomy, natural history collections and literature. The team works on establishing links to related services to provide a network of information around sequences and on sample and sequence metadata standards development and improvement.
Your work will be carried out in close communication with our international base of submitters. You will be required to take an active part in the delivery of data coordination services, attending and presenting at internal and international meetings.
You have
The ideal candidate will hold a PhD or equivalent experience in biological sciences or bioinformatics. As the ENA supports a broad range of nucleotide data, knowledge of molecular biology and broad biological experience is required.
You must have experience in the following:
- Knowledge of bioinformatics data file formats
- Knowledge of metadata standards and ontologies
- Data curation experience
- Unix/Linux command line knowledge
- Java and/or Python
The candidate is expected to:
- Have excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Demonstrate being highly organised
- Be able to demonstrate a high attention to detail
- Work both independently and as part of a team
- Be able to meet deadlines
You might also have
- Experience working with XML format and schema
- Experience with SQL
- Experience in working in a service environment
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.
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
- 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 to eight bank 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 more details please see our employee benefits page.
What else you need to know
- Contract duration: This position is a project-limited contract until 30/09/2023. The successful candidate must be able to start immediately.
- International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants.
- Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ and individuals from all nationalities.
- Job location: This role is based in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. You will be required to relocate if you are based overseas and you will receive a generous relocation package to support you.
- How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.
- DORA – EMBL is a signatory of DORA and is committed to hiring and training outstanding research, service, and administrative personnel.