EMBL
Plant Genomics and Variation Team Leader
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Are you ready to shape the future of crop genomics, invertebrate genomics and genetic variation resources at one of the world's leading bioinformatics institutes?
We are seeking an internationally minded, community-focused Team Leader with expertise in genomics, particularly crop plants and their associated insect pests and vectors, to provide scientific leadership for Ensembl in the area of plants, invertebrates, and genomic variation, as well as the European Variation Archive (EVA).
Overview
Ensembl is one of the world's leading platforms for the exploration and analysis of genomic data, supporting millions of users across academia, healthcare and industry. The resource is undergoing a major transformation to support the unprecedented expansion in the number of reference genomes and the breadth and complexity of biological data across the tree of life. Our recently released website has been designed to operate at this scale, enabling intuitive exploration, visualisation and dissemination of increasingly rich genomic datasets. Within this portfolio, priority species include major and minor crop plants such as wheat, rice, barley and rye, together with economically important insect pests and vectors including aphids and whiteflies. You will lead the development of data resources, analytical tools and community engagement activities that empower researchers worldwide.
The European Variation Archive is the global archive for genetic variation data from non-human species, serving diverse research communities spanning crop and livestock improvement, biodiversity, evolutionary biology and functional genomics. The EVA is evolving to accommodate the rapidly increasing scale, diversity and complexity of variation data generated through advances in sequencing technologies, pangenomics and population genomics. As part of this scientific area, you will also lead the development of tools and resources for the interpretation of genomic variation in all species, including the widely used Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP).
The Plant Genomics and Variation Team Leader will be based at EMBL-EBI and is an EMBL Faculty position, offering the opportunity to shape internationally recognised resources, influence scientific strategy, and work closely with a vibrant global research community.
Your role
You will lead a multidisciplinary team consisting of approximately 15 staff members, including bioinformaticians and software developers, to deliver the EVA resource and lead the crop, invertebrate and genetic variation aspects of the Ensembl project. You will work closely with other Team Leaders within Ensembl, and more broadly with leadership across EMBL-EBI and other EMBL sites, to deliver integrated systems and data flows between our EMBL key partners. You will be given the opportunity to collaborate with talented and driven teams working towards a shared vision of delivering the very best scientific resources.
Extensive engagement with external scientific collaborators, both academic and industrial, are a key part of this role. You will also engage with global standards organisations such as AgBioData and GA4GH to both feed into and adopt community standards.
As a member of EMBL Faculty, you will also contribute to developing and delivering EMBL’s strategy.
In addition to the above, more specific responsibilities will include:
- Managing the team’s budget and staff; communicating with the EMBL’s HR and Grants offices
- Participating in related projects across EMBL-EBI, collaborating closely with other Team Leaders and other staff at EMBL-EBI, in particular with other Team Leaders within the wider Ensembl project
- Identifying appropriate funding opportunities and applying for external grants
- Participating in large-scale international scientific consortia as well as more targeted external collaborations with members of the crop community
- Presenting work in international meetings and preparing scientific publications
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This role reports to the Section Head for Genome Assembly and Annotation, Rob Finn.
You have
- A PhD degree in a relevant field (bioinformatics, life sciences, computing or statistics) or equivalent relevant experience;
- At least 6 years’ experience working in the field of bioinformatics or genomics applied to plant science/breeding
- Experience working and interacting with a genomics research community, ideally crops
- A demonstrable track record working with genetic variation data
- Experience working with big data (gigabyte to terabyte scale)
- In-depth knowledge at least two of the following: genome assembly, gene annotation, genetic variant annotation
- Hands-on experience working with AI tools
- Project management and staff management experience
- Experience in budget management and the grant life cycle from pre- to post-award.
- Proven experience of scientific and technical writing including manuscripts and successful grants
- Excellent communication skills and an ability to engage with stakeholders including domain experts, technical specialists and wider research and industry communities.
- Excellent interpersonal skills, with a collaborative mentality.
- A commitment to continual improvement of systems and processes and to supporting staff development
- The ambition and drive to develop high-impact data services for the wider research community
You may also have
- Experience with Ensembl, EVA and other EMBL-EBI resources
- A track record in leading and delivering scientific projects
- Experience of some of the following technologies: workflow managers, high-performance computing platforms, databases, and data mining
- Experience in some of the following domains: software engineering, functional annotation, high throughput sequencing analysis, statistics
- Experience of some of the following technologies: Python, GraphQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, DuckDB
- Experience of developing and/or applying AI methods for genomic annotation
- Participation in multi-institute collaborations
- Participation in public-private scientific partnerships
- Experience leading work packages for complex multi-partner grants and chairing international steering groups and committees on technical subjects
Contract length: 5 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years
Salary: Grade 9, monthly salary from £6,251.96 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on family circumstances. Excluding personal pension and insurance contributions.
Application Instructions
Please submit a CV and Cover Letter outlining your suitability for the role.
In your Cover Letter, please describe:
- Your vision for the team and its scientific direction, including the key challenges and opportunities you see for plant, invertebrate and genetic variation resources over the next five years.
- How you would approach leading and developing the team, including your approach to scientific leadership, staff development, collaboration and prioritisation.
- How you would build and strengthen engagement with the wider scientific community, including external collaborators, international initiatives and potential funding partners.
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We are particularly interested in understanding how your scientific expertise, leadership experience and knowledge of the genomics landscape would enable you to shape the future direction and impact of these resources.
Please ensure that your application addresses the essential criteria outlined above.
Interviews: Will be held in person at our campus in Hinxton (likely 28th October and/or 18th November 2026).
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. Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.
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.
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
11/10/2026
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