Software Engineer / Scientific Programmer (EMDB); European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI)

We are looking for a scientific programmer to join the Protein Data Bank in Europe (PDBe) team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI).

The scientific programmer will work in the emerging fields of bioimage informatics and help to improve the Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB). The goal of this project is to improve the usefulness of EMDB to the electron microscopy community by providing better tools for the analysis and visualisation of complex image data sets, by developing and implementing tools for the assessment of image quality, and by harnessing emerging grid/cloud computing infrastructures for storage and computation.

The post holder is expected to contribute to the design and implementation of software components and algorithms using specifications set by the project leader and in close collaboration with the international project team and other stakeholders, in particular experimental groups in EMBL and elsewhere. This is an opportunity for the right person to make an impact on how the scientific community uses biomacromolecular structure information.

Applicants should hold a masters degree or PhD in computer science/bioinformatics, or in physics, (bio)chemistry, biology, mathematics or a similar discipline with an emphasis on computational methods, and preferably some post-doctoral experience. An interest in mastering the biological/biochemical background of the project is essential.

The ideal candidate would have experience in scientific image processing/image databases, computational biology, protein science/structural biology, grid/cloud computing, computer vision, and/or statistical methods.

The post holder should have experience in scientific software development in an academic or industrial context, preferably with a life sciences background, and be fluent in higher-level programming languages (preferably Java) as well as in scripting languages (preferably Python). Experience in the development of distributed web-based applications in a UNIX/Linux/MacOS environment using relational databases and XML would be highly advantageous.

The successful candidate must demonstrate the ability to contribute to the design, implementation, and maintenance of scientific software at a professional level, and to interact successfully both with software engineering teams and experimental groups.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are a prerequisite as is the ability to present results at scientific conferences as well as in journal papers and technical reports

An initial contract of 2 years will be offered to the successful candidate. This may be renewed, depending on circumstances at the time of review.

The EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), provides cutting-edge research, service and training in the field of bioinformatics. The EBI is located on the Wellcome Trust Genome Campus at Hinxton near Cambridge in the UK.

The PDBe team is part of the worldwide Protein Data Bank organisation (wwPDB) which maintains the global archive of structural data on biomacromolecules. The team also maintains a number of databases that support deposition and advanced search services for structural biologists and the wider scientific community. The team consists of an international and interdisciplinary mix of professionals (scientists, software engineers, and database engineers).

Together with partners in the USA the PDBe team also maintains the EMDB, the international database of 3D density maps of macromolecular complexes and sub-cellular structures derived from high resolution biological electron microscopy. Molecular electron microscopy is a rapidly developing technique for imaging molecular structures in their cellular context and promises to bridge the gap between structural biology and cellular and systems biology.

For further information please visit http://www.embl.org/ and http://www.ebi.ac.uk/

http://www.wwpdb.org, http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe and www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/emdb

Further information about the scientific aspects of this position can be obtained informally from the EMDB Project Leader:  best@ebi.ac.uk

EMBL is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer offering attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation.

Note that special visa requirements apply to employees from non EU countries working at EMBL-EBI in the UK.  The period of work does not qualify for the Highly Skilled Migrants Programme.

To apply, please email a cover letter, CV (in English) and contact information of three professional references quoting ref. no. AC/09/109//EBI in the subject line, to: applications@ebi.ac.uk