Research Assistant/Bioinformatician (Ref. Lab/24/12)

Created in 2005 by the Generalitat de Catalunya (Government of Catalonia) and the University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona is a Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence—a seal that was awarded in 2011.

The institute is devoted to conducting research of excellence in biomedicine and to transferring results to clinical practice, thus improving people’s quality of life, while simultaneously promoting the training of outstanding researchers, technology transfer, and public communication of science. Its 29 laboratories and seven core facilities address basic questions in biology and are orientated to diseases such as cancer, metastasis, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and rare conditions.

IRB Barcelona is an international centre that hosts 500 members and 45 nationalities. It is located in the Barcelona Science Park. IRB Barcelona forms part of the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST) and the “Xarxa de Centres de Recerca de Catalunya” (CERCA).

Your Role & Our Team

IRB Barcelona is seeking a talented and motivated Bioinformatician to join the Biomedical Genomics Lab led by Dr. Núria López-Bigas at IRB Barcelona (bbglab.irbbarcelona.org).

The position involves contributing to the development of innovative bioinformatics tools designed to analyze cancer patient mutations and identify driver genes and mutations. These tools, used widely in the research community, have significant implications for understanding cancer biology and advancing precision medicine. The successful candidate will improve and develop analysis pipelines and web front-end and back-end functionalities in close collaboration with researchers and software engineers.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Proven experience in bioinformatic software development and/or front/back-end web development.
• Excellent analytical skills, creativity, and a team-oriented mindset.
• A proactive and enthusiastic approach to research challenges.

This position is cofinanced by the Research Project “Plan Nacional” (PID2021-126568OB-I00”), project financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Spanish Agency of Research and the European Union (MICIU/AEI /10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE).

Key responsibilities

• The successful candidate will improve and develop analysis pipelines and web front-end and back-end functionalities. She/he will play a key role in the development, maintenance, and enhancement of cancer genomics tools created by the group. These include Cancer Genome Interpreter (https://www.cancergenomeinterpreter.org/), Intogen (https://www.intogen.org/), and BoostDM (https://www.intogen.org/boostdm). The responsibilities will encompass developing new analysis modules, improving the interpretation of diverse mutation types, and connecting these tools to various cancer genomics databases. Additionally, the candidate will work to implement functionalities that align the tools with clinical practice needs.

• Additional tasks include:

• Providing bioinformatics support for research projects.

• Preparing technical reports in collaboration with senior researchers.

• Participating in interdisciplinary meetings.

You have

• A Bachelor's degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Sciences, or similar.

• A Master’s degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Sciences, or similar.

• Professional experience in a similar role or related field.

• Programming skills in Python.

• Fluency in English (spoken and written).

You might also have

• Experience in Cancer Genomics and Precision Oncology.

• Experience in analysis of NGS data (WGS, WES, gene panels)

• Experience in pipeline development.

• Strong python software development skills and familiarity with good software development practices.

• Familiarity with front-end and/or back-end web development.

• Experience with databases and clinical data management.

• Familiarity with collaborative software development using Git and platforms like GitHub and Bitbucket.

• Experience with high-performance computing (parallel execution, computational pipelines, workload managers).

• Experience in the development and use of software containers (e.g., Docker, Singularity).

• Exposure to cloud computing environments.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Experience in international teams.

• Ability to work independently and within a collaborative research team, and ability to comply with tight deadlines.

• Willingness to learn if missing any of the above.

WORKING CONDITIONS & ENTITLEMENTS:

• Working conditions: Employed in compliance with Spanish legislation and regulations under a full-time contract. Employees receive the benefits of the Spanish Social Security system covering sickness, maternity/paternity leaves and injuries at work.
• Estimated annual gross salary: Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications.
• International environment: The opportunity to join a prestigious, diverse and inclusive international research institution and to become a member of an established research group.
• Benefits: Continuous training in a high-quality environment with unique professional career opportunities.

HOW TO APPLY & SELECTION PROCESS:

• Deadline for applications: 10/01/2025 (If no suitable candidate is found, the deadline will be extended)
• Number of positions available: 1
• Selection process:
  • Pre-selection: Will be based on CV, motivation letter & experience.
  • Interviews: Short-listed candidates will be interviewed.
  • Job offer: Will be sent to the successful candidate after the interview.

Note: The strengths and weaknesses of the applications will be provided upon request.