Senior Investigator Scientist

Senior Investigator Scientist LMS 2755Salary: 52,253 55,830 plus London allowances 5,560 per annumBand (Grade): MRC 3 | Fixed term for 3 years | Full time | Closing date: 28 August 2026The Genomics of Obesity Group:Headed by PI Dr William Scott, the LMS is appointing a Senior Investigator Scientist with an established track record of genomic data science, including advanced single-cell and multimodal data analysis, to perform semi-independent research, lead on the methodological and analytical developments in the lab, and support and co-supervise junior lab members.The main key responsibilities of the role include:Lead the computational analysis of large-scale single-cell, spatial and multimodal -omics datasets from human adipose tissue, with a high degree of independence.Develop, benchmark and apply advanced statistical and machine-learning methods for single-cell and multimodal data integration (e.g. transfer learning, latent-variable models, in silico perturbation modelling).Lead the construction, curation and analysis of human adipose tissue single cell datasets including published datasets and cohorts.Apply statistical genomics approaches to link cellular and molecular phenotypes to clinical traits and genetic variation.Design and implement reproducible, scalable analysis pipelines and workflows for high-dimensional genomics data.Provide effective supervision to undergraduate student(s) hosted in the lab working on relevant computational projects.Train, co-supervise and assist lab members with their analyses, particularly those involving complex or novel computational methods.Lead on data management, computational infrastructure and analytical good-practice (version control, reproducibility) within the lab.Participate and, where required, project-manage collaborations — including clinical cohorts, experimental teams, methods and machine-learning groups, and LMS core facilities — to expand the scope of the lab’s research.Write-up and publish research results, and assist in preparing collaborative work for publication.Present at scientific meetings.Contribute to writing bids for research grants.Balance independent work with team science, both within the lab, other teams in the institute and beyond.Take an active part in the academic activities of the group including group meetings, group journal clubs, training and organisational aspects.Take an active part in the academic activities of the LMS, including seminar presentations.Support the LMS’s values of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.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 access to 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 equalities and diversity leadership and management. All role holders are responsible for supporting LMS EDI initiatives and development in management practices. Corporate/Local responsibilities & requirementsThe job 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 policyJob 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 job 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, co-operatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC. Person requirementsEducation / Qualifications / Training required (will be assessed from application form): Essential: • A PhD supported by extensive post-doctoral experience in either industry or academia in computational biology, statistical genomics, bioinformatics, machine learning, statistics or a related quantitative discipline.Previous work experience (will be assessed from application form and at interview): Essential:• Experience of the computational analysis of single-cell and/or multimodal -omics data, demonstrated by excellent (joint-)lead author publications. Note: preprints will be considered, but at least one peer-reviewed publication is expected.• Direct experience of multimodal data analysis in adipose and other metabolic tissues.• Experience with Image analysis software.• Extended the requirements to include experience in analysing both Human and Mouse datasets.• Spatial genomic expertise applied to adipose/other metabolic tissues.• Experience of developing, benchmarking and applying analytical methods or pipelines.• A record of scientific originality and creativity, demonstrated through publications.• Experience of working with large, high-dimensional biological datasets.• Experience of supporting and supervising students and junior researchers.Desirable:• Experience as a senior, semi-independent researcher in academia or industry, such as a senior postdoc, career development fellow or team leader.• Experience of leading data management or computational infrastructure.• Experience working in collaborative environments, including international consortia.• Familiarity with cellular and animal models, to assist with experimental design required to expand on observations obtained from omics data. • Experience of working with clinical / patient-derived data and longitudinal cohorts.Knowledge and experience (will be assessed from application form and at interview):Essential:• Excellent programming skills (e.g. Python and/or R) for the analysis of genomics data.• Strong understanding of advanced single-cell genomics data analysis (e.g. scRNA-seq, single-cell multiome).• A working knowledge of spatial transcriptomics analysis (e.g. 10X Xenium) and multimodal data integration.• A solid grounding in statistics and statistical genomics.• A good understanding of NGS data analysis.Desirable:• Experience with machine-learning / deep-learning frameworks for single-cell or spatial data (e.g. transfer learning, latent-variable or generative models).• Familiarity with reproducible-research practices (version control, workflow managers, high-performance or cloud computing).Personal skills / Behaviours / Qualities (will be assessed at the interview): Essential: Good leadership skills that inspire and motivate others to support high quality outputs. Excellent communication skills to convey complex information clearly to wide audiences.Ability to organise and prioritise workload, and to delegate appropriate tasks to team members ensuring deadlines are met.Commitment to maintaining confidentiality of data at all times.A flexible approach to working, with the ability to sometimes work outside of core hours (including weekends) if the requirements of the project demand.A high level of motivation to learn new concepts and acquire new skills in biology and computing, and to seek novel and creative solutions to scientific problems.Application Process:Interested candidates are encouraged to upload their up-to-date CV and personal statement, outlining their research achievements and relevant experience, and details of at least 2 references. Please note that applications may be reviewed by both LMS and Imperial staffUKRI - UK Research and InnovationUKRI is an organisation that brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England and Innovate UK. Together, we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision ensuring the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation.Supporting some of the world’s most exciting and challenging research projects, we develop and operate some of the most remarkable scientific facilities in the world. We are pushing the frontiers of human knowledge through fundamental research and delivering benefits for UK society and the economy through world-class research, skills and business-led innovation.More information can be found at .Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI.How we support EDI in the workforceAt UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ‘How we support EDI in the workforce’.Disability Confident EmployerAs users of the disability confident scheme, any candidate who opts into the scheme and best meets the essential criteria, will be shortlisted for interview. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.How to applyOnline applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered.UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion – a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be rejected and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.As part of the pre-employment checks there is a requirement to undergo Baseline Personnel Security Screening. BPSS is a pre-condition of employment and failure to achieve it may mean that the employment offer is rescinded. UKRI reserves the right to run, or re-run, security clearance as required during the course of employment. The Laboratory Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) is a Medical Research Council funded research institute at the Hammersmith Hospital campus (London W12) of Imperial College London, with around 400 biomedical researchers undertaking multidisciplinary and internationally-competitive science. The MRC is a great place to work and progress your career, be it in scientific research or the support functions.The MRC is a unique working environment where our researchers are rewarded by world class innovation and collaboration opportunities that the MRC name brings. 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. Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future. Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs. We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. Full timePosting Date: 2026-08-18