Postdoctoral Fellow – Malaria Vector Mosquitoes – Saffron Walden, United Kingdom

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We have an exciting opportunity for a Postdoctoral Fellow (PDF) to carry out cutting edge genomics research on malaria vector mosquitoes to be based in Lawniczak Group at the Wellcome Sanger Institute for 3 years fixed term.

About the Role:

Four major malaria mosquito vector species now have over 20,000 short read genomes from samples collected across the African continent. These data have revealed both extraordinary genetic connectedness between geographically distant populations and even species, but they have also revealed that some populations remain genetically distinct. We observe interesting regions of the genome that likely have structural variation, but short reads aligned to a single reference genome are insufficient to understand these genomic regions. We are now able to routinely generate long read data from single individual mosquitoes.

This project will leverage on the knowledge we already have regarding geographical population structure in An. gambiae, An. coluzzii, An. arabiensis, and An. funestus to study long read genomes from individuals from each species from across their range. We anticipate 100-200 long read genomes per species to gain a pangenome understanding of genomic patterns and differentiation in these important species. There will also be opportunities to return to the short read data that exists for 1000s of indivdiuals and explore this using a graph genome that you will create.

We have other projects in the lab focused on secondary malaria vectors and other important fly species (e.g. pollinators) and there will be multiple opportunities to collaborate on projects. Currently, the pangenomes project is focused on geographic spatial variation in Africa, but there may be opportunities to add in a temporal component to explore how variation changes over time, especially in response to malaria control interventions.

You will be responsible for leading the pangenome analyses for all four species and shaping additional data generation plans based on findings. You will also play an important role in developing digestible and informative data visualisation for researchers and colleagues (e.g. National Malaria Control Programs).

The role is primarily an analytical and computational role, though there may be some wet lab work required on occasion. For example, we are also pursuing the potential to capture full-length transcriptomes for each specimen we generate long read data from.

About You:
You will have a strong interest in genomes and malaria and in the application of DNA to infectious disease monitoring and elimination. You will be creative and dedicated to making maximal use of the samples and the resulting data to benefit malaria vector research while carrying out interesting evolutionary genetics research.

About Us:
You will be part of a vibrant, diverse PDF community at the Sanger Institute. We provide PDFs with a wide programme of transferable skills training and excellent career development opportunities.

For more information about being a PDF with us, please visit: https://youtu.be/1-vxm2nBmFA

Technical Skills:

• PhD in relevant subject area (genomics, computational biology, statistics or similar, or on track to be awarded your PhD within 6 months of starting the role
• Proven ability to deliver research projects
• A track record of demonstrating research excellence and expertise in your area of research

Knowledge, skills and experience as appropriate to research area;-

• Experience in genomic data analysis and interpretation
• Programming and bioinformatics skills and/or experience in statistical analysis
• Proven track record of scientific productivity from datasets, publications, pre-prints, or resources
• Being a team player, and working collaboratively with others and building working relationships with internal and external colleagues

Competencies and Behavioural Skills:

• Ability to keep good scientific records
• Proven ability to work effectively within a team
• Ability to work independently and organise workload
• Demonstrable attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to adapt to regularly changing priorities and workloads
• Highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with a wide-ranging audience, both orally and in writing, using a range of media
• Ability to maintain supportive relationships, respecting diversity and cultural differences.
• Promote a positive, safe and efficient working environment
• Take ownership of work, demonstrating pride, adaptability and accountability for achieving results
• Uphold the highest ethical and scientific standards
• Demonstrates inclusivity and respect for all
• Ability to plan and prioritise own work in order to meet deadlines, including using initiative to plan research programmes

Other Information:

We welcome applications equally from those who wish to work full time (37 hours) or for a minimum of 30 hours per week via a flexible working arrangement.

Please apply with your CV and a Cover Letter. Please write a cover letter that 1) showcases your relevant skills and background, 2) describes how you approach the study of these species using long read data.

Applications lacking a cover letter addressing these three areas will not be considered.

Interviews due to take place either wk commencing 16th/ 22nd April

Salary: PDF £38,000 – £49,156 Role profile

Closing Date: 1st April 2024

Contract Type: 3 years core funding

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018.  The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

Every year the Wellcome Sanger Institute supports the visits of dozens of overseas researchers from across the globe to the Genome campus to collaborate, share insights and to undertake ground-breaking scientific research. Our reliable in-house service provides expert advice and guidance to support current and prospective staff, and visitors at various points of their journey. We are able to provide guidance through your entire journey, from initial visa application through to extensions and applications of Indefinite Leave to Remain, the service is proud to support your personal applications and those of your dependants and family members.

For more information about our immigration service visit: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/about/careers/global-mobility-and-immigration-service/