Software Engineer / Bioinformatics Data Analyst (f/m/d)

 The Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences is a leading international research institute of exceptional scientific breadth. With more than 40 research groups and some 1,000 employees from over 50 nations, it is the largest institute of the Max Planck Society.

The department of Tissue Dynamics and Regeneration (Dr. Jochen Rink) invites applications for a position as Software Engineer / Bioinformatics Data Analyst (f/m/d).

About us

We are a young, international department and our working language is English. We study the fascinating ability of planarians to regenerate complete animals from tissue pieces and conduct worldwide expeditions to study the evolution of regenerative abilities. Core elements of our scientific approach are genome sequencing, comparative genomics and various next generation sequencing techniques. Further, we established and maintain PlanMine, the Planarian research community’s online sequence resource (https://planmine.mpinat.mpg.de/planmine/begin.do).

About the position

We are looking for a talented and motivated Software Engineer/Bioinformatics Data Analyst for the maintenance and further development of the PlanMine web resource. You will get to interact with the world-wide user community, e.g. by highlighting new features and/or implementing user suggestions. You will also be an integral part of the bioinformatics subgroup within the department and therefore involved in ongoing genomics research. Within this learning environment, you will have the opportunity to deepen your software engineering skills and broaden your background in bioinformatics research.

Your responsibilities

• Maintenance and further development of the PlanMine web resource
• Implementing web applications for exploration of large biological datasets
• Developing scripts/workflows both to automate repetitive computations and answer biological questions
• Databasing and analysis of large biological datasets, primarily, but not exclusively produced from NGS experiments
• Server administration of the PlanMine servers and other departmental compute infrastructure

Your profile

• You hold a minimum of a Master's degree in Bioinformatics or a related subject in Life Science.
• You have demonstrated software development experience in Java/Javascript and HTML/CSS.
• You have demonstrated experience with database management system e.g. MySQL or PostgreSQL.
• You are familiar with Linux-based server environments and server administration.
• As a person, you are a team player, you have excellent communication skills and you are fluent in English.  
• You are self-motivated and able to multitask/prioritize different projects.

Additional experience in one or more of the following will be considered a plus:

• Experience with model system databases, either as expert user or as a curator
• biological dataset visualization on the web (e.g. intermine, bluegenes, wormbase, biomart, R Shiny)
• RNA-Seq data analysis of bulk or single cell data (e. g. clustering, differential gene expression, gene set enrichment, trajectory analysis)
• genome/transcriptome assembly and annotation
• novel gene or protein annotation, orthology assignment, characterization
• advanced statistics & machine learning techniques    

We offer

• competitive research in an inspiring, world-class environment
• Moving assistance for the ones joining us from abroad and help with getting settled in Göttingen
• professional training, networking and career-development opportunities; free language courses
• on-site health management: free fitness and yoga room, sports groups, beach volleyball league, and courses for a "moving lunch break”
• a wide range of opportunities to balance work and family life, including an on-campus kindergarten and vacation care
• initiatives for sustainability and a green environment with an on-site biotope
• Close proximity to the historic town center of Göttingen with rich cultural opportunities and a vibrant student scene
• Green and peaceful surroundings that are great for running, hiking, cycling and other outdoor activities

Recruitment

The position should be filled as soon as possible; the exact start date is flexible. The payment and benefits are based on the TVöD (wage agreement for public service personnel) guidelines. Positions are initially limited to two years with a possibility of extension.

The Max Planck Society is committed to increasing the number of individuals with disabilities in its workforce and therefore encourages applications from such qualified individuals. The Max Planck Society strives for gender and diversity equality. We welcome applications from all backgrounds.

How to apply

Please submit your application including a cover letter, CV, transcripts and publication record (if applicable), and the contact addresses of 3 referees as a single document, preferably as a PDF file. Please make sure that the cover letter clearly states your motivation for why you want to join the department and your relevant experience that qualifies you for the position of the PlanMine manager. Review of applications will begin immediately. Please submit the file to ausschreibung14-23@mpinat.mpg.de.

Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences
Department „Tissue Dynamics and Regeneration“
Dr. Jochen Rink
Am Fassberg 11
37077 Göttingen
Germany

For informal e-mail enquiries, please write to jochen.rink@mpinat.mpg.de.