Senior Research Scientist in Heidelberg bei European Molecular Biology Laboratory

EMBL is Europe’s life sciences laboratory – an intergovernmental organisation with more than 110 independent research groups and service teams covering the spectrum of molecular biology. It operates across six sites in Heidelberg (headquarters), Barcelona, Cambridge, Grenoble, Hamburg and Rome. Our mission is to perform basic research in molecular biology; train scientists, students and visitors at all levels; offer vital services to scientists in the public and private sectors within the member states; develop new instruments and methods; and engage actively in technology transfer.

The Korbel group is seeking an experienced and motivated Senior Research Scientist to work on an internationally-oriented collaborative NIH funded project with Evan Eichler’s group (HHMI and Genome Sciences, University of Washington). The principal goal of the research to be undertaken pertains to tracking and assembling genetic sequence variation at complex genomic loci that predispose the human and primate genome to copy number variation (CNV) and recurrent structural changes. Using existing long-read and single-cell sequencing dataset we aim to document human haplotypes and their structural features that are likely predisposing to disease-causing CNVs. Sequence-resolved structural haplotypes will be subsequently genotyped against larger human cohorts to establish population frequencies of potential disease causing variants, including recurrent structural variation. The successful candidate will develop novel computational algorithms as well as novel visualization tools to gain insights into genome variation and evolution. The successful candidate will also collaborate with members of the Korbel group, which includes co-mentoring students in studies

• The successful candidate will be highly motivated, creative, with an ability to bring novel ideas to the project. The candidate should also have his previous scientific productivity documented by a strong publication record.
• A PhD in molecular biology, computer science, statistics, and/or bioinformatics is required.
• Documented working experience and expertise in human and nonhuman primate genetics, with a focus on investigation of structural variation.
• Prior experience utilizing long-read datasets such PacBio and Oxford Nanopore for de novo genome assembly and structural variation discovery is mandatory.
• Prior experience in analyzing single-cell sequencing data (such as Strand-seq data or equivalent data), to ensure assembly contiguity, is expected.
• Documented proficiency in scripting languages, such as R or Python
• The candidate should also have strong data visualization skills, since these are required at all stages of the scientific process from data investigation to drafting the final manuscript figures.
• Proficiency in LINUX server and high-performance computing cluster environments
• Experience in workflow management systems (e.g. Snakemake)
• Excellent English communication and writing skills

• Expertise for working in international consortia would be an additional plus.
• Experience with genotyping structural haplotypes in larger human cohorts would similarly be seen as a plus.

The Korbel group is a ‘hybrid’ laboratory in which computational biologists and experimentalists collaborate tightly to obtain new insights into human disease and molecular mechanisms. The group is using bulk as well as single cell-based and spatial omics approaches for investigating mechanisms behind complex phenotypes in humans, ranging from common diseases including cancer to ageing.

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.

We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

EMBL offers attractive conditions and benefits appropriate to an international research organisation with a very collegial and family-fr