Main Purpose of the Job

The post holder will be responsible for leading community support, user training, and workflow curation for Galaxy as a core component of the BioFAIR Methods Commons (MC) concierge service.

BioFAIR is a UK federated digital research infrastructure designed to connect existing services, communities, and expertise to build a cohesive national ecosystem for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reproducible (FAIR) data. As one of the BioFAIR Spokes, the MC will provide access to trusted and robust analysis platforms, workflows, and tools to UK life scientists. Within this ecosystem, Galaxy serves as an open-source, web-based platform that makes complex computational research accessible, reproducible, and transparent.

Based within the Data Science group at the Earlham Institute (EI), this role operates as part of the User Support and Community Delivery team within the larger BioFAIR MC team across EI, the University of Manchester, and Seqera. The role contributes directly to the team's tiered Concierge Service, delivering support across the entire Galaxy workflow lifecycle through intensive co-development with Exemplar Use Cases, premium support for complex projects, self-service onboarding, and lighter-touch community outreach. Engagement will be managed using Client Relationship Management (CRM) processes to track cohesive user journeys, backed by community engagement initiatives and AI-assisted support.

The post holder will also lead Galaxy activities within the Workflow Observatory, the quality-assurance layer built into WorkflowHub, to curate, test, benchmark, and endorse FAIR workflows for inclusion in the BioFAIR Workflow Collection, whilst contributing guides, playbooks, and training materials to the Knowledge Hub. Additionally, the post holder will contribute to the Horizon Europe ESG4Stars project, specifically focusing on profiling and optimising Galaxy tools to maximise their energy and runtime efficiency.

Key Relationships

Internal: BioFAIR MC team; Data Science group; NBI Research computing; ESG4Stars project contributors; and other researchers at the Earlham Institute.
External: BioFAIR Hub and Spoke partners (including the University of Manchester and Seqera); academic research organisations; global Galaxy community networks (e.g. Galaxy Training Network, IUC and IWC); and international ESG4Stars consortium partners.

Main Activities & Responsibilities

Percentage

Provide technical and scientific support to researchers using Galaxy across the workflow lifecycle, diagnosing, debugging, and resolving tool execution errors through the tiered MC concierge support framework.

40

Collaborate with embedded Exemplar Use Cases, Pathfinders, and BioFAIR Fellows to design, build, version, and publish high-quality workflows on WorkflowHub, ensuring adherence to FAIR standards and metadata packaging.

25

Execute Galaxy tool profiling, computational resource benchmarking, and workflow refactoring for the Horizon Europe ESG4Stars project to reduce compute footprint and energy consumption of computational research.

20

Author and update user-focused training materials, playbooks, and tutorials for the Galaxy Training Network and the BioFAIR Knowledge Hub, delivering workshops, clinics, and community outreach events.

15

As agreed with the line manager, any other duties commensurate with the role.

Education & Qualifications

Requirement

Importance

A degree (BSc/MSc) in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, or a related biological/quantitative discipline, or equivalent professional experience

Essential

A PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, or a related quantitative or biological discipline, or equivalent high-level professional experience

Desirable

Specialist Knowledge & Skills

Requirement

Importance

Knowledge of computational workflow management systems (ideally Galaxy), including tool integration techniques and workflow design

Essential

Proficiency in modern programming and scripting languages used in scientific data analysis (e.g. Python, Bash, or R)

Essential

Working knowledge of biological data analysis (e.g. bioimaging, genomics, or other omics)

Essential

Understanding of FAIR workflow principles and metadata standards (e.g. RO-Crate)

Desirable

Familiarity with tool profiling, benchmarking, or energy-efficient computing practices

Desirable

Relevant Experience

Requirement

Importance

Proven experience in developing, running, debugging, and publishing scientific workflows

Essential

Experience providing direct user support, training, or bioinformatics consultancy to scientific researchers

Essential

Experience with quality assurance, benchmarking, or optimising software tools and algorithms

Desirable

Experience working within collaborative open-source communities or research consortia

Desirable

Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Requirement

Importance

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

Essential

Good written and verbal communication skills

Essential

Proven ability to deliver technical training or guidance to people with varying levels of computational experience

Desirable

Documentation and tutorial authoring skills

Desirable

Additional Requirements

Requirement

Importance

Attention to detail

Essential

Promotes equality and values diversity

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 hours as required

Essential

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

Essential

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

Desirable

A keen interest in science, technology, and environmental sustainability

Desirable

Earlham Institute

About the Earlham Institute
The Earlham Institute harnesses the power of data-driven biology to accelerate solutions for health, biodiversity, and food security. Based at Norwich Research Park, the Earlham Institute is one of eight institutes strategically funded by BBSRC.

Our science combines world-class technology, interdisciplinary expertise, and training and development across genomics, engineering biology and data science, to decode the scale and complexity of living systems.

We believe we can achieve more if we work together. That's why we collaborate with the global science community and industry partners, while also inspiring the next generation of scientists and technical specialists.

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

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
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.

We are committed to building and maintaining a workplace that treats every individual with dignity and respect. By taking an active approach to fostering inclusivity, diversity, equality and accessibility, we empower our community to achieve more.

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

Living in Norfolk

• Visit Norfolk
• Schools in Norfolk
• Childcare in Norfolk

Galaxy Workflow Expert

Applications are invited for a Galaxy Workflow Expert to join the Research Faculty of the Earlham Institute, based in Norwich, UK.

Background:

BioFAIR is a UK federated digital research infrastructure designed to connect existing services, communities, and expertise to build a cohesive national ecosystem for Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reproducible (FAIR) data. As one of the BioFAIR Spokes, the Methods Commons will provide access to trusted and robust analysis platforms, workflows, and tools to UK life scientists. Within this ecosystem, Galaxy serves as an open-source, web-based platform that makes complex computational research accessible, reproducible, and transparent.

The role:

The Galaxy Workflow Expert will deliver expert user support, workflow curation, and training for Galaxy within the BioFAIR Methods Commons’ Concierge Service, while contributing to the Horizon Europe ESG4Stars project on tool energy and runtime optimisation. In this role, you will develop skills in FAIR workflow curation, quality assurance, green computing and tool profiling, and modern CRM-led user support strategies.

The ideal candidate:

Candidates should have a BSc/MSc in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Molecular Biology, or a related biological/quantitative discipline, with previous experience in developing, running, debugging, and publishing scientific workflows.

They should have proficiency in modern programming and scripting languages used in scientific data analysis (e.g. Python, Bash, or R). Good communication, interpersonal, and organisation skills with the ability to work independently and across distributed teams are also required.

Additional information:

This is a full-time post for a contract of 2 years.

Salary on appointment will be within the range £38,000 to £46,500 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience.

This role does not meet the full salary requirements set by UKVI to allow for visa sponsorship.  However, some individuals may still be eligible for visa sponsorship depending on their personal circumstances.  If you require visa sponsorship, please click here to find out if you qualify before applying. Please note, the occupation code for this role is 2134, which is not on the immigration salary list.

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 17 September 2026.