Data Wrangler/Data Scientist - MLC 1992

The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/ is located in an expanding science and innovation campus in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research.  As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support a number of research groups across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer, developmental disorders and neurodegeneration.

The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a great place to work and progress your career.  The MRC encourages the integration of clinical and discovery research to elucidate both disease processes and potential new therapies. The MLC provides vital scientific support for the UK biomedical community and focuses on preclinical research using mouse models, which supports clinical research and therapy discovery. 

The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.

Overall Purpose:

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic Data Wrangler/Data Scientist to join the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium’s (IMPC) Data Coordination Centre (DCC). As one of the IMPC Data Wranglers, you will be supporting the IMPC data generating centres in data submission to the DCC, data quality control (QC) and advice on improvements to the phenotyping procedures to ensure accurate data. This is mainly done through application of informatics and statistical methods.

The goal of the IMPC is to discover functional insight for every gene by generating and systematically phenotyping 20,000 knockout mouse strains. One of the most important tools at our scientific disposal in understanding mammalian gene function is the laboratory mouse. The fundamental genetic similarity between mice and humans allows researchers to infer a human gene's function based on studies with laboratory mice. One powerful technique is to turn off, or "knockout", the activity of a mouse gene to assess which biological systems are impacted. This provides insights into how a similar gene in humans may contribute to disease when its activity is altered.

The DCC delivers a wide range of advice/help/troubleshooting for the IMPC member centres and provides the initial entry point of data collected by these centres.  Over the last 10+ years the DCC has received over 100 million data points into the custom-made database. The DCC team comprises data wranglers and developers who work together to ensure that the data is robust and is disseminated to the wider community. The DCC is based at the Informatics Department of the Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell and is further part of a multi-institute group, including the Big Data Institute in Oxford and the Alan Turing Institute in London, under the direction of Dr Ann-Marie Mallon.

Main Duties/Key Responsibilities:

• To assist the team as an interface between the DCC and the IMPC member centres
• To provide support to the IMPC member centres with all aspects of data uploads, data corrections and troubleshooting
• To communicate effectively using a variety of platforms, such as email and teleconferences, as well as attending and presenting at international meetings and conferences
• To assist in the evaluation of the success of particular IMPC procedures through analyses and interpretation of key data
• To identify and investigate IMPC-wide and centre-specific data issues, following up on their resolution
• To assist in the effective communication of the projects to the scientific community and stakeholders within the IMPC
• To keep key people informed on progress and developments connected with delivery of a particular task
• To build and maintain effective communications and relationships internally and externally
• To undertake any other duties appropriate to the post as delegated by the DCC team and managers

Working Relationships:

You will be part of the IMPC DCC team reporting to the Lead Data Wrangler. The DCC works with a number of international partners including LIMS teams and phenotypers from the data generating centres and other IMPC data experts at the European Bioinformatics Institute.

Additional Information:

Some international travel may be required.

The Data Wrangler position is based at our office in Harwell with an option for hybrid working.

Equality & Diversity:

The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all.  Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities.  The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management. 

Corporate/Local Responsibilities & Requirements:

The post-holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s:

• Code of Conduct
• Equality and Diversity policy
• Health and Safety policy
• Data Protection and Security policy

Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal.  Any changes should be made and agreed between the post-holder and their manager.

The above lists are not exhaustive and the post-holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post.  All employees are required to act professionally, cooperatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC.

Education/Qualifications/Training Required:

Essential:

• A life sciences or computational degree or equivalent experience

Knowledge and Experience:

Essential:

•  Some experience in bioinformatics techniques, data management and/or data curation

Desirable:

• Familiarity with relational databases
• Knowledge of, or interest in learning, basic programming
• Background in mathematical or scientific field
• Knowledge of mouse phenotyping data
• Experience of data presentation

 Personal skills/Behaviours/Qualities:

Essential:

•  Flexible and adaptable team worker
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills
• Capable of working under pressure at times to meet deadlines
• Willingness to learn new techniques and tools

 Desirable: 

• Strong interpersonal skills with evidence of having developed and maintained effective working relationships
• Good written and oral communication skills including ability to present complex information in a concise and clear manner to people from different backgrounds