SENIOR SCIENTIST BIOINFORMATICS

Are you a quick-learning bioinformatics researcher? Do you wish to use your computational biology background to help create new medicines for the world? Would you like to work for one of the largest and most innovative pharmaceutical companies in the world? Would you enjoy living in the vibrant Spanish city of Barcelona? If the answer is “YES” – then we have an exciting opportunity for you.
AstraZeneca (AZ) is a global, science-led, patient-focused biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of prescription medicines for some of the world’s most serious diseases.
But we’re more than one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies.
At AstraZeneca, our work has a direct impact on patients and their families.
This is your chance to be part of not just AZ, but also a team that has the backing to innovate, invent, and improve lives.
We are seeking a quick-learning Bioinformatics researcher with a strong desire to broaden their bioinformatics and data science skills and advance the emerging area of gene editing and cell therapy in drug discovery and development.
The successful candidate will have a rare opportunity to learn and contribute to drug development across disease areas and phases.
The individual will join a vibrant Bioinformatics team within the Predictive AI and Data (PAID) department, as part of the Clinical Pharmacology and Safety Sciences (CPSS) function at AstraZeneca.
This role provides a distinctive opportunity to learn from researchers who are working on a variety of diseases such as cancer, across our global sites.
The candidate will use computational approaches to generate biological insights, enable new data science capabilities, and drive many computational efforts focused on advancing molecular-level understanding of therapeutic effects, thus accelerating the development of novel therapeutic drugs for patients in need.
The position is a unique opportunity to gain experience in a variety of computational approaches and work with industry leaders while publishing and contributing directly to the development of future drugs across many diseases.
Accountabilities - Build in silico capabilities to advance understanding of molecular mechanisms using multi-modal omics approaches, to identify, measure, and characterize on- and off-target editing in the context of CRISPR-engineered cell and gene therapy products.
- Drive hypothesis generation by applying computational biology approaches, data integration, and biological knowledge.
- Build and/or implement new computational biology capabilities to translate biological data into insights.
- Collaborate with academic research groups and contribute to publications in peer-reviewed journals.
- Help educate and train AstraZeneca colleagues in computational biology and related areas.
- Identify and proactively help to enable new ways of gaining insights through biological data.
Essential Skills/Experience - PhD in computational biosciences (e.
., computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics or computer science) or several years of experience in independently leading computational genomics-related projects.
- Demonstrated experience in genomics, preferably in variant analysis from NGS data (e.
., detection of nucleotide variants, copy number variants, etc.).
- Excellent knowledge of large genomic datasets, and tools to analyze such datasets and annotate results.
- Demonstrated expertise in Python/R and Bash/Linux scripting, together with data visualization frameworks (e.
., matplotlib, ggplot2…).
- Use of basic statistics and basic data science (e.
., dimensionality reduction).
- A keen interest in learning data science techniques, such as machine learning, for biological problems.
- Teammate mentality and ability to explain complex topics to scientists from other subject areas.
Desirable Skills/Experience - Good knowledge of biology of cell therapies (e.
.
gene editing, CAR-Ts).
- Knowledge of molecular mechanisms of cancer disease.
- Excellent ability to work on multiple projects at the same time.
- Knowledge of drug discovery or pharmaceutical development.
When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we unleash bold thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines.
In-person working gives us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions.
That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office.
But that doesn't mean we're not flexible.
We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility.
Join us in our unique and ambitious world.
At AstraZeneca, we empower the business to perform at its peak by combining cutting-edge science with leading digital technology platforms and data.
Our work has a direct impact on patients, transforming our ability to develop life-changing medicines.
Join us at a crucial stage of our journey in becoming a digital and data-led enterprise.
Make the impossible possible by building partnerships and ecosystems, creating new ways of working, and driving scale and speed to deliver exponential growth.
Ready to make a difference? Apply now! AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity.
We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills.
We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be.
We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics.
We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.