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InstructInstruct-ERIC
Instruct-ERIC is a pan-European distributed research infrastructure making high-end technologies and methods in structural biology available to users.
Our aim is to promote innovation in integrated structural biology and Instruct-ERIC operates on a non-economic basis from its UK base.
Instruct-ERIC comprises 17 Member Countries and International Organisations: Belgium, Czech Republic, EMBL, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
Instruct-ERIC provides open access to cutting edge structural biology, specifically supporting research that uses integrated approaches and technologies. It operates with the following principles: a) scientific excellence is our priority in the services we provide and the research we support; b) transparency, equality and legality is the cornerstone of our operational model.
Science is undergoing an information revolution, where the sharing of research data for use and reuse is enabling new breakthroughs. An example from structural biology is the recent step change in our ability to predict protein structures from sequence alone by use of artificial intelligence trained on large amounts of experimentally derived structural models. Instruct-ERIC generates large quantities of well-curated experimental data for and on behalf of its user base. Our new strategy is to make more of these data sets available to the broader community to leverage this valuable information source and increase the impact of Instruct as a whole.
Diamond Light Source
Diamond Light Source is the UK's 3rd generation synchrotron source and is one of the most advanced scientific facilities in the world. Diamond produces beams of intense light to probe the structure and composition of matter. From viruses and vaccines to alternative energy solutions and nanotechnology, it underpins research and innovation for more than 8000 scientists, with over 90 companies already advancing science using its services.
Embedded within Diamond is the UK's national centre for cryo-Electron Microscopy (eBIC). eBIC was the first cryoEM centre to be integrated with a synchrotron facility and provides a unique platform for imaging of biological samples both at the molecular and cellular level.
Overview of the Role
As part of the EU funded Fragment Screen project coordinated by Instruct-ERIC, developments related to the automation of cryoEM imaging for protein structure determination are underway in a collaboration between Diamond Light Source and the STFC scientific machine learning group.
We now have an opportunity for a software scientist to join this effort and work closely with scientists at eBIC to develop, test and deploy automated acquisition workflows. The successful candidate will work closely with the Data Analysis Group at Diamond. The Data Analysis Group is responsible for providing research software to analyse data generated from our diverse range of scientific facilities that exploit the synchrotron light from Diamond as well as data acquired from eBIC.
The software that you write will routinely integrate open-source software solutions and interface with other critical software infrastructure across Diamond. In this project there will be an emphasis on integrating tools for automated target identification into the acquisition workflow of single particle cryoEM experiments. This will involve developing a programmatic interface between these tools and the highly sophisticated electron microscopes at the world-class eBIC facility.
The role will focus on development of automated acquisition workflows for single particle cryoEM. You will work with a small team of developers and work closely and collaborate with scientists at eBIC.
Key Relationships
You will work with a diverse group of people and you will have regular personal contact with the:
- Instruct Director
- Instruct Hub Coordinator
- Senior Programme and Project Managers
- Technical and financial staff
You will also have broad contact with third parties across Europe and internationally through email, telephone and tele/videoconference.
Responsibilities/duties
You will;
• Developing, testing, maintaining, and supporting software solutions for automated data analysis at eBIC.
• Implementing industry standard software engineering practices to ensure sustainability of software solutions.
• Practising and sharing modern software engineering approaches and participating in code reviews.
• Liaising with members of the Scientific Computing group, in particular cluster admins and cloud team, to ensure smooth operation and deployment of software products.
Our existing software solutions are largely implemented in Python so experience with Python is particularly desirable.
About You
You will be qualified to degree level with experience in scientific software development, using a modern high-level language, and with an understanding of good software design principles and design for usability.
You will demonstrate experience from some (but not all) of the following areas:
• Object-oriented programming using a higher-level programming language.
• Working with large and complex code bases
• Python 3, C/C++ and EM image formats.
• Structural biology or a related area and development of scientific software.
• Image processing algorithms and techniques, particularly in the context of cryoEM.
• APIs, RESTful services.
• Developing software solutions that are robust and performant.
• Handling and analysing large volumes of scientific data sets using parallel computing.
If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, please send a supporting statement which explains how you meet the selection criteria for the post, an up to date CV to including details of two referees to support@instruct-eric.org.
Application deadline 1st of September 2024
Please send all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename. The supporting statement should explain your relevant experience which may have been gained in employment, education, or you may have taken time away from these activities in order to raise a family, care for a dependant, or travel for example. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria outlined above and we are happy to consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which you may have gained outside the context of paid employment or education.
You will be notified of the progress of your application by e-mail. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive all e-mails.
