Computational Scientist

Science and Technology Facilities Council

Salary: Band D: £31,931 to £34,709 per annum or Band E: £39,748 to £44,166 per annum (dependent on skills and experience). A Specialist Allowance of up to £3000 (Band D) or £4000 (Band E) per annum is also available for this role.
Benefits: 30 days holiday + 8 bank holidays + 2.5 privilege days + exceptional defined average salary pension + excellent work life balance
Hours: Full time
Contract Type: Open Ended.
Location: Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Harwell, Oxfordshire; or Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, WA4 4AD
Closing date for applications will be Monday 17th April 2023

Come and do the kind of computing that got you into technology in the first place. Work with cutting-edge tech and world-leading scientists and engineers. And harness the power of some of the country’s most advances supercomputers to tackle work that improves daily life in the UK and far beyond.

Put simply, come and discover the impact you can make when you’re equipped, encouraged and inspired to perform to your very best.

About the Role:
We have an opportunity for a Computational Scientist to join the Computational Biology group within the Scientific Computing Department at STFC. The group is focused on developing and applying new methods for understanding complex phenomena within the life sciences field. Our work contributes to the fundamental understanding of how our world around us functions. We are particularly interested in computationally challenging problems, and the development and application of high-performance computing and data intensive computing methods to understand them.

We seek an enthusiastic person to support the development of automated data processing at the large scale National Facilities. This will involve becoming familiar with scientific codes, liaising with staff scientists and streamlining data processing protocols to deliver accurate and rapid results to support the user programme.
One of the first applications is likely to be in the area of 3DED/MicroED experiments performed at Diamond Light Source’s Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC). This is a relatively new technique that is used to structurally characterise small molecules and biological macromolecules from nanometre-sized crystals. The method is similar to X-ray diffraction experiments performed at Diamond beamlines. Our aim is to adapt the data processing software already familiar to Diamond’s users for automatic processing of 3DED/MicroED datasets collected at eBIC. This will involve developing familiarity with data collection protocols and software, an understanding of data formats, and the ability to extend the existing data processing packages DIALS and xia2. Usability is a major focus of the role, which will involve learning to understanding the needs of the user and developing user interfaces.

You will be a staff scientist within Scientific Computing helping us to provide support to the large facilities and their associated communities. And, going forward you will be reassigned to other projects within our computational biology team. Longer term the role will naturally progress towards other projects in the team, or elsewhere in the department, ranging from taking on new scientific research problems to developing cutting-edge research software.

Person Specification:
Band D essential skills:
Postgraduate degree (MSc, PhD, etc) in a relevant STEM subject, or equivalent proven experience
The ability to work collaboratively across organisations
Proven experience and competence with modern software development languages, including Python
An understanding of (or willingness to learn) the application of software development tools and practices such as version control, unit testing, code review and continuous integration
Experience with (or willingness to learn) the Linux operating system, including using software from the command line
Flexibility to travel for presentations at meetings and workshops (day and occasionally extended trips). In the case of location at the Daresbury Laboratory, the post-holder must be prepared to make frequent visits to eBIC on the RAL campus

Band E essential skills. All of the above, plus:
Ability to understand and maintain a C++ codebase
Experience in software systems design
Experience of leading development of data acquisition or data processing systems

Desirable:
An understanding of crystallography and diffraction methods

Employee Benefits:
We are offering a permanent position with a host of benefits including:
30 days holiday (in addition to 10.5 bank holidays and privilege days)
Flexible working hours
An excellent defined average salary pension scheme
Excellent learning and development opportunities
Visa Sponsorship for candidates with the right to work in the UK

We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are invested in creating an environment that is welcoming and supportive of all. In this regard, we encourage applications from under-represented groups.

We ask some of the biggest questions in the universe, to answer some of the biggest challenges in the world. Together, our scientists, technologists, engineers, and business-support team explore the unknown across every field you could think of. And they turn what they find into work that changes the world around us.

What could you achieve with the world-leading facilities and experts of one of Europe’s largest research organisations by your side? Join us and discover what is possible.