Vernalis
Scientific Computing Engineer - Vernalis
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Scientific Computing Engineer – 2 year Fixed Term Position
Location: Cambridge, UK
Reports to: Principal Scientist
About Vernalis
Working within our fully equipped research laboratories in Cambridge, our established group of scientists are world leaders in multiple hit-ID technologies and structure-based drug discovery. Our scientists develop and apply lead generation and structure-based methods to solve problems in drug discovery and have generated cell active compounds and development candidates against targets in multiple therapeutic areas including oncology, neurodegeneration, anti-infectives, and inflammation.
The Role
As the Scientific Computing Engineer, you will be the architectural backbone and primary steward of our research computing ecosystem. You will bridge the gap between high-level scientific inquiry and enterprise-grade IT stability. This is a hands-on, senior technical role where you will manage a sophisticated hybrid environment—ranging from high-performance CPU/GPU clusters for computational chemistry to Dockerised application stacks—ensuring our scientists have the frictionless compute power they need to innovate. A scientific or research computing background is central to this role: you will be expected to understand the science, not just the servers.
You will act as a vital Technical Liaison, translating the agile, performance-driven requirements of the Research group into actionable, secure configurations for the Enterprise IT team.
Key Responsibilities
- HPC Management: Oversee the health and performance of our on-premises HPC cluster (Bright Computing / SLURM). Optimise job scheduling and resource allocation across mixed CPU and GPU nodes for computational chemistry and ML applications.
- DevOps & Container Orchestration: Lead the expansion of our Docker Swarm cluster. Manage the internal GitLab instance and architect robust CI/CD pipelines to automate the deployment of in-house scientific applications.
- Application Maintenance & Security: Own the ongoing lifecycle of the full portfolio of deployed Dockerised applications and their CI/CD pipelines. Keep underlying runtimes and dependencies current (e.g. Python versions, base images, and key libraries), and proactively monitor for, triage, and remediate newly disclosed CVEs to keep the estate secure, patched, and supportable.
- Scientific Desktop Support: Design, deploy, and maintain standardised Linux desktop environments for computational chemists and structural biologists, ensuring compatibility with specialised visualisation and modelling software.
- Laboratory Systems Integration: Manage the Linux environments powering critical lab equipment, including X-ray diffraction and NMR systems. Ensure high availability, secure data offloading, and robust backup protocols for these instruments.
- Hybrid Cloud Strategy: Develop and execute a roadmap for "cloud-bursting" and strategic migration, balancing on-premises performance with cloud scalability where cost-effective.
- Storage & Identity Integration: Partner with Enterprise IT to optimise NFS-exported storage (EMC2/Windows). Manage complex user identity mappings (UID/GID to SID) to ensure seamless data access across Linux and Windows platforms.
- Inter-departmental Liaison: Translate scientific "asks" regarding networking, firewalls, and storage into technical specifications for the IT group, ensuring research velocity is maintained through suitably configured business rules and centralised user management.
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Core Qualifications
- Operating Systems: Expert-level knowledge of RedHat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and SELinux security policies.
- DevOps: Strong experience with GitLab CI/CD and container orchestration (Docker Swarm).
- HPC Stack: Proficiency in SLURM workload management and Bright Computing cluster tools.
- Storage & Identity: Experience with NFS, enterprise storage (EMC2), and managing UID/GID/SID mappings in an Active Directory environment.
- Communication: Exceptional ability to translate between "Scientific Research" and "Enterprise IT" requirements.
- Security: Working knowledge of vulnerability management and container security—tracking CVEs, dependency/base-image scanning, and timely patching of Dockerised services.
- Scientific Background: Demonstrable experience supporting a scientific research environment (e.g. computational chemistry, structural biology, or a related discipline), ideally underpinned by a degree in a scientific or computational subject.
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Highly Desirable Attributes
- Research Background: Previous experience as a Compute Officer (e.g., University of Cambridge or equivalent) or working within a biotech/structural biology research environment.
- Scientific Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with the data requirements and software used in Computational Chemistry, NMR, or X-ray crystallography.
- GPU Optimisation: Experience configuring GPU resources for Machine Learning (PyTorch/TensorFlow) and molecular dynamics.
- Cloud Proficiency: Practical experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP, specifically regarding hybrid workloads or cloud migration.
Why This Role?
This is not a "siloed" IT position. You will have a direct seat at the table in the Research group, influencing how we use technology to solve complex biological problems. You will have the autonomy to shape our transition to the cloud while maintaining a high-performance, on-premises engine that supports everything from the laboratory bench to the supercomputer.
Note to Candidates: We are looking for a "Scientific Technologist"—someone who understands that the ultimate goal of the server is the science it produces.
Why Vernalis?
At Vernalis, you will be part of ‘One Team’ working in a friendly and collaborative office. We offer a comprehensive range of benefits including generous pension contributions, private healthcare cover, 26 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, holiday purchase scheme, flexitime, discretionary bonus, employee assistance programme, and enhanced family leave policies.
If you feel passionate about joining a team where scientific excellence and enthusiasm combine in a friendly and flexible environment to impact drug discovery projects, then please get in touch!
Vernalis Research is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community—a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit.
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