Main Purpose of the Job

The post holder will be working on the Grassroots project as part of the cross-institute Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW) programme funded by the BBSRC. This role involves maintaining and developing existing tools along with developing new ones.

A key part of this role is the further development of user portal for the various Grassroots services https://grassroots.tools, especially the field trials service at https://grassroots.tools/fieldtrial/all. This is also accessible through a mobile app, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tools.grassroots.qr_reader, which the post holder will further enhance and develop.

Alongside these the post holder will also lead the administration of the DSW data portal, https://opendata.earlham.ac.uk, and the iRODS-based data repository where the datasets and their metadata are stored.

Key Relationships

Internal: Group leaders at EI, EI’s Director and Senior Management Team. EI’s Science Faculty groups, other internal data infrastructure teams e.g. COPO, Marti, etc., NBRI and communications and training teams.
External: DSW collaborators and work package leads, collaborators on other projects, visitors to EI.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Further develop and enhance the user-facing Grassroots web portal by working closely with partners and users of DSW to identify useful additional features for the visualisation and analysis of wheat data within the wheat community at large

50

Administer the DSW data portal and Grassroots servers

20

Liaise with both internal and external collaborators on how to share data and services in a FAIR way

10

Further develop the Grassroots mobile app

10

Write documentation for both users and administrators of Grassroots and contribute to scientific papers

5

As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post.

5

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

Degree in biology, computing science, maths or related discipline or strong evidence of previous experience of software development

Essential

PhD in bioinformatics, computing science or similar

Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Experience of working on Linux, Unix or similar

Essential

Programming in Python, C, Flutter or similar

Essential

Understanding of the importance of FAIR data and metadata

Essential

Experience in Django

Desirable

Web-based front-end development using Javascript, HTML CSS

Desirable

Administering data repositories using software such as iRODS

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Experience of developing web server-client applications

Essential

Experience of Programming

Essential

Experience in open source software engineering and associated tools such as version control, testing, etc

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

Demonstrated ability to work independently, using initiative and applying problem solving skills

Essential

Desire to collaborate with other teams and organisations

Essential

Good communication skills, both written and verbal

Essential

Good interpersonal skills, with the ability to work well as part of a team

Essential

Experience with communication and software project management tools such as Discord, Trello, etc

Desirable

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

Essential

Willingness to embrace the expected values and behaviours Essential of all staff at the Institute, ensuring it is a great place to work

Essential

Able to present a positive image of self and the Institute, promoting both the international reputation and public engagement aims of the Institute

Essential

Willingness to work outside standard working hours when required

Essential

Ability to undertake occasional travel (national and international) related to collaborations and/or seminars

Essential

Earlham Institute

About the Earlham Institute
The Earlham Institute is a hub of life science research, training, and innovation focused on understanding the natural world through the lens of genomics.

We are building a future where the biology of any organism can be understood by analysing its genome. Our mission is to decode the scale and complexity of living systems so we can understand, benefit from, and protect life on Earth.

The Earlham Institute is based on the Norwich Research Park and is one of eight institutes that receive strategic funding from the UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC).

Our Science
Earlham Institute scientists specialise in developing and testing the latest tools and approaches needed to decode living systems and make predictions about biology.

We are home to state-of-the-art facilities and technology, creating a unique combination of expertise and infrastructure. We have dedicated laboratories for genome sequencing, single-cell analysis, engineering biology, and large-scale automation; as well as one of the largest supercomputing facilities for life science research in Europe. Our Advanced Training team also provides access to specialised scientific training to upskill the next generation of research and technical staff.

Our Culture
The Earlham Institute champions 'team science'. Our collegiate and innovative research environment comes with significant support, including a commitment to your professional development, research and administrative assistance, and opportunities to build collaborations with scientists and industry on the Norwich Research Park, across the UK, and internationally.

The Institute is also home to talented technical and operational staff, whose invaluable contributions enable our science to have the maximum impact. We aim to recognise, reward, and develop all staff and students so that every individual feels able to achieve their best with us.

We work hard to nurture an engaged and positive workplace, centred on core values that include openness, technical excellence, and collaboration. We attract staff from around the world who contribute to - and benefit from - an environment that enables them to deliver world-class science alongside a supportive and social community.

For more information about working at the Earlham Institute, please click here.

Further Information:

Our Vision and Mission

Our Strategy

Our Culture

Life at Earlham Institute

Department

Research Faculty

Group Details

The Leggett group is focussed on developing new methods for the analysis of metagenomic samples from clinical and environmental sources, with a particular focus on in situ sequencing and real-time analysis approaches, something that is enabled by nanopore sequencing. One of the tools that we develop is the Grassroots system, a service-based infrastructure for sharing genomic, metagenomic and phenotypic data through a web interface (https://grassroots.tools/). Another of our key tools is MARTi (Metagenomic Analysis in Real Time), which is nearing its first release (http://marti.cyverseuk.org). We also maintain the DSW data portal at (https://opendata.earlham.ac.uk). The group contains a mixture of wet lab and computational expertise and currently consists of 4 postdoctoral researchers and 3 PhD students from a range of backgrounds.

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Research Software Engineer

Applications are invited for a Research Software Engineer to join the Research Faculty at the Earlham Institute, based in Norwich, UK.

Background:

The Research Software Engineer will work on the Grassroots web server infrastructure and will develop skills in building tools and services for making access to a wide variety of the scientific data generated within the DSW programme in a FAIR way.

This is an exciting opportunity to work on a project that is a major part of DSW. The collaboration with people at the Earlham Institute, across the Norwich Research Park and with the wider community is a really important and exciting part of this project.

The role:

The post holder will be working on the Grassroots project as part of the cross-institute Delivering Sustainable Wheat (DSW) programme funded by the BBSRC. This role involves maintaining and developing existing tools along with developing new ones.

A key part of this role is the further development of user portal for the various Grassroots services, especially the field trials service. This is also accessible through a mobile app, which the post holder will further enhance and develop.

Alongside these the post holder will also lead the administration of the DSW data portal, and the iRODS-based data repository where the datasets and their metadata are stored. 

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should have a Degree in biology, computing science, maths or related discipline or strong evidence of previous experience of software development. Experience of working on Linux, Unix or similar and experience with Programming is essential.

Good communication and organisational skills with the ability to work independently are also required.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £36,000 to £44,500 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. 

This post is contracted until the end of March 2028 and we welcome applications from candidates seeking job-share, part-time or other flexible working arrangements.

This role meets the criteria for a visa application, and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply.  Please contact the Human Resources Team if you have any questions regarding your application or visa options.

As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.

The closing date for applications will be 29 January 2025.