Research Fellow in Bioinformatics

UCL’s Department of Computer Science (CS) is a top-ranked Computer Science Department in the UK. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) evaluation, UCL Computer Science was ranked second in the UK for research power and first in England. The Bioinformatics Group has a world-class reputation in the area of bioinformatics and particularly the applications of AI in protein bioinformatics.

The post sits within the Department of Computer Science and the Jones group, contributing to a BBSRC-funded project developing next-generation protein language models and domain-centric machine-learning frameworks for large-scale sequence-structure analysis and functional prediction. The role involves designing, implementing, and benchmarking computational models; developing and maintaining open-source software and web resources; running and analysing experiments; and documenting, presenting, and publishing research outcomes in line with project objectives. The post also includes contributing to project planning and reporting, supporting group activities, representing the work at scientific meetings, and helping with supervising students where appropriate.

Funding is available for this post until 31/01/2031 in the first instance.

The ideal candidate is a research-focused computational scientist with a PhD and a strong background in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a closely related quantitative discipline, with experience in protein sequence or structure analysis, machine-learning method development, and modern software engineering practices. They should be proficient in Python and Linux-based development, familiar with deep learning approaches in structural biology, and comfortable working with large-scale datasets and model benchmarking. Strong analytical, organisational, and communication skills are essential, along with the ability to collaborate effectively within a team, contribute to publications and presentations, and support the development of web-based bioinformatics tools.

A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page. To apply for the vacancy please click on the ‘Apply Now’ button below. If you have any queries regarding the vacancy or the application process, please contact Professor David Jones ([email protected]).

As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women. You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/ . Our department holds an Athena SWAN Gold award, in recognition of our commitment and demonstrable impact in advancing gender equality.