EMBL
Chemistry Curator - Chemical Biology Services
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The Chemical Biology Services Team at the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) is looking for a talented scientist with a flair for data curation to be responsible for the quality of chemical and associated data in the ChEBI database.
About ChEBI
ChEBI (Chemical Entities of Biological Interest) is a database that contains detailed information, including all-important chemical structure data, on small molecules in biology. It is a widely used resource, with millions of accesses every year. In addition, ChEBI underpins many of the key global biological databases upon which researchers in the biosciences are increasingly reliant such as Gene Ontology (GO), Rhea, UniProtKB, IEDB, Reactome, MetaboLights, SwissLipids, and BioModels. The ChEBI database and ontology is a fundamental component of the global bioscience infrastructure, recognised by its designation as an ELIXIR core resource and a Global Core Biodata Resource.
Your Role
Your work will involve a wide and varied set of tasks and responsibilities, from the creation of database entries through liaising with technical colleagues to working with collaborators, giving training and dealing with user queries.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Curation of entries into ChEBI, paying particular attention to chemical structures and the ChEBI ontology, to ensure the delivery of high quality data
- Monitoring ChEBI’s monthly release process and liaising with technical/software colleagues if problems arise.
- Monitoring daily/weekly email notifications concerning ChEBI status and liaising with technical colleagues as needed to address any issues.
- Working closely with software engineer colleagues to guide the improvement of annotation tools, access to data, storage of annotation and representation of data.
- Work with the MetaboLights team to deliver the bulk submissions process.
- Contributing to grant applications.
- Active involvement in training and external user support
- Liaising with key collaborators (e.g. Rhea, GO, IEDB) on problems of mutual interest
- Giving presentations at conferences, workshops etc.
- Contributing to publications describing updates to the ChEBI database
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You Have
- Excellent attention to detail, strong communication skills and be able to interact with technical experts as well as scientists seeking solutions to their "real world" problems.
- A PhD (or equivalent experience) in chemistry or biochemistry
- The ability to critically assess chemical structures
- Good communication skills (both verbal and presentational)
You May Also Have
- Prior experience of chemical or biological data curation and knowledge of bioinformatics databases
- Some knowledge of ontologies
- Experience of querying relational databases using SQL
- Knowledge of Python scripting
Contract length: 3 years (renewable to a maximum of 9 years)
Salary: Grade 5, monthly salary from £3,452.05 after tax, plus generous financial benefits based on family circumstances. Excl. personal pension and insurance contributions.
Why Join Us
Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.
Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.
Enjoy lots of benefits:
- Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
- Flexible working arrangements - including hybrid working patterns
- Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
- Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition public holidays
- Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
- Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
- Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
- Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.
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For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here.
What Else You Need to Know
- International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information.
- EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.
- Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.
- How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.
Closing Date
06/09/2026
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