CNAG – The Institute

The Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico (CNAG) is one of the largest Genome Sequencing Centers in Europe.

The CNAG Consortium aims to carry out large-scale projects in DNA/RNA analysis for the improvement of quality of life in collaboration with the Spanish, European and International Research Community. CNAG researchers participate in major International Genome Initiatives such as the Human Cell Atlas (HCA), the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC), the International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC), the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC), the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) and the European Infrastructure for life-science information (ELIXIR), as well as in several EU-funded projects.

CNAG occupies approximately 1,400 square meters of laboratory and office space and operates 4 Illumina instruments (3 NovaSeq6000 and 1 MiSeq) and 2 large Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencers (1 PromethION 24 and 1 GridION Mk1) that produce more than 7 Tbases of sequencing data per day. The sequencing operation is supported by an extensive informatics infrastructure: 15 petabyte of data storage, 10.000 computing cores and an internal 56 Gb/s network. The operation is certified ISO 9001 and accredited ISO 17025 and serves to deliver standardized, high-quality data for research and clinics. CNAG has highly developed single-cell operation equipped with a 10x Chromium X, 10x Chromium Connect, MissionBio Tapetri for individual cell analyses and for tissue analysis a Nanostring CosMx, 10x Visium and Stereo-seq.

The CNAG has more than 100 professionals, structured in different units such Bioinformatics, Sequencing, Single-cell, Research and Corporate Management. 

The Human Genetics team within the Bioinformatics Unit participates in national and international research and development projects related to human genetics and cancer. In collaboration with other members of the Unit, the team designs mean to facilitate the capture, sharing, analysis and interpretation of large amounts of genomics data.

The Role

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated candidate for a Bioinformatician position in the Human Genetics team to work on a competitively funded project to understand how genetic diversity shapes the landscape of inherited neuropathies across populations. The candidate will work at the intersection of population genomics, bioinformatics and clinical neurology to improve our understanding of the CMT1A genomic region, which is involved in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease 1A (#OMIM, the most common type of inherited neuropathy in adults. The major aims of the project are to (i) identify genomic signatures in the 17p11.2 region that may influence non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR)-mediated events at the CMT1A locus through molecular evolutionary analysis (ii) investigate the relationships among DNA sequences of the CMT1A locus and flanking regions across diverse populations using haplotype network analysis and other methods (iii) predict the functional consequences of genomic variants identified in the CMT1A locus and flanking regions on cross-over events using in-silico prediction tools (iv) use of long-read sequencing technology (ONT) to improve the characterisation of the CMT1A locus.

The candidate will be responsible for conducting high-quality independent research with the support and mentoring of the Bioinformatics team. He/She be expected to have skills for working in a multi-disciplinary context with different team members from clinical and basic backgrounds and be opened to be get involved in collaborative research initiatives. It would be a strong plus that the candidate is willing to follow this research by getting enrolled in PhD studies. We encourage application from early career stages and prioritize applications from under-represented minority groups.

Whom would we like to hire?

- BSc in cell biology, molecular biology or biotechnology.

- MSc in Human genetics or Bioinformatics.

- Experience in working with a High-Performing Computing (HPC) cluster.

- Strong expertise in handling of large human genomic datasets (1KGP, HGDP)

- Knowledge in the use of whole genome data analysis toolsets (PLINK, etc.)

- Prior experience in developing and benchmarking of statistical tools applied to population genomics

- Programming skills in R and other relevant languages (Unix, Python)

- Team-working skills

- Good problem-solving skills, time management and critical thinking.

- Strong commitment to high-quality work.

- Excellent communication and writing skills in English.

Specific tasks:

- Conducting independent high-quality research

- Attend regular meetings within the Data Analysis Team (DAT).

- Present and discuss research findings regularly in team meetings

- Attend training courses and embrace new knowledge relevant to the current project

- Participation in seminars and symposiums relevant to the field.

- Draft scientific papers outlining project results and conclusions

- Present research findings at nationally and internationally relevant conferences.

- Engage in knowledge dissemination and contribute to the impact of our research within the society

The Offer

- Contract duration: initially 1 year

- Estimated annual gross salary: Salary is commensurate with qualifications and consistent with our pay scales.

- Target start date: as soon as possible

We provide a highly stimulating environment with state-of-the-art infrastructures, and unique professional career development opportunities.

We offer and promote a diverse and inclusive environment and welcomes applicants regardless of age, disability, gender, nationality, race, religion or sexual orientation.

We are committed to reconcile a work and family life for our employees and are offering the opportunity to benefit from annual leave and flexible working hours.

Application Procedure

All applications must include:

- A complete CV including contact details.

- Contact details of two referees.

All applications must be addressed to Dr Pedro Rodríguez – pedro.rodriguez@cnag.eu / mireya.fernandez@cnag.eu

Deadline: Please submit your application by 20/11/2023

Interview: Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview at CNAG on 21/11/2023

Please, see all of our job opportunities in the Career site of CNAG website: https://www.cnag.eu/jobs