BACKGROUND:

British Heart Foundation Manchester Centre of Research Excellence at the University of Manchester

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) has been awarded one of its prestigious Centres of Research Excellence (CRE) to The University of Manchester. This competitive award recognises the internationally leading position of cardiovascular science at our University. The Centre is interdisciplinary, involving not only basic cardiovascular scientists and clinicians, but colleagues in inflammation biology, data science, computer science and engineering.

The BHF is one of the largest charitable funders of heart and circulatory research in the world. BHF funds around half of all the cardiovascular research performed in the UK and focuses its resources on scientifically excellent projects with a potential to benefit the health of people with, or at risk of, cardiovascular disease.

Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC):

The National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds Biomedical Research Centres (BRCs) as experimental medicine centres of excellence via competitive application every five years. The Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) was renewed for the 2022-2027 period to provide experimental medicine infrastructure funding across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Contracted by the NIHR, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) host the BRC in partnership with the University of Manchester and also with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Manchester BRC drives forward experimental medicine across a range of research themes which are grouped into four clusters: Inflammation, Cancer, High Burden Under Researched Conditions and Disease Complexity as areas where the region has demonstrable strength and which will work collaboratively to improve patient outcomes and embed, build and accelerate personalised health and care for all.

This role is jointly supported by the BHF Manchester Centre of Research Excellence and NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) through its Inflammation Cluster, with contributions from three key research themes:

• Integrated Cardiovascular Medicine
• Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Disorders
• Inflammation cluster

The successful candidate will work under the supervision of Professors Andrew Morris and Maciej Tomaszewski, and other colleagues from and BHF Manchester CRE and NIHR Manchester BRC

Our Future Health:

Our Future Health is a collaborative project between the private sector and the public. It has recruited more than two million participants in the UK. Their clinical data have been triangulated with DNA-derived information and are now accessible to UK based researchers. In addition to nearly one million biobanked samples, the dataset includes health information from questionnaires, linked health record data and clinical measurements. Our Future Health are committed to increasing inclusivity of under-represented demographic groups (e.g. non-white ethnicity), providing a more representative perspective of UK population diversity than UK Biobank.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

This role offers a unique opportunity to work on a pioneering project using the Our Future Health dataset, which includes genotypic, clinical and questionnaire data from over two million UK participants. The project will focus initially on investigating the genetic determinants of inflammatory conditions including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The successful candidate will develop and test an operational pathway for accessing and analysing Our Future Health data, identify practical challenges, and evaluate the dataset's practical utility for commonly conducted computational experiments, such as genome-wide association studies.

Main Responsibilities:

• To identify and support development of new computational approaches to data analysis with an emphasis on genomics and genome-wide association studies
• To conduct data analysis using state-of-the-art computational, statistical and bioinformatic methods
• Analyse large-scale genomic and clinical datasets.
• To take responsibility for the validity and reliability of data at all times
• Develop and apply statistical models to identify genetic associations.
• To maintain accurate and complete records of all findings
• To write regular internal reports
• To present findings from the research projects in oral and poster formats at national and international meetings
• To write up findings of research work for publication in high impact journals
• To contribute to development of grant applications for research funding from competitive external sources
• Develop an operational pathway to access Our Future Health data
• Identify and address the early hurdles in data access and analysis
• Test the Our Future Health dataset from the perspective of practical utility
• To supervise practical work and advise students on computational/bioinformatic analysis
• To take responsibility for organising resources and effective decision making in support of research
• To attend relevant training, workshops and conferences as necessary
• To be an active team-member and set positive examples by showing a commitment to achieving results, encouraging and supporting junior members of the team and raising suggestions for continuous improvement
• To promote the reputation of the department, Faculty and wider University
• Work collaboratively with supervisors and interdisciplinary teams across the Faculty, BRC, BHF CRE and external partners

Other Duties:

• To undertake appropriate administration tasks
• To attend relevant meetings
• To actively read the scientific literature relating to (and around) the project
• To undertake any necessary training and/or development
• To maintain an up-to-date knowledge of relevant statutory Health and Safety legislation and recommendations and attend safety training as required
• To always act in accordance with the University's policies and procedures relating to Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities, and all other policies and procedures that apply to the post.
• To understand and engage with the University's social responsibility agenda and contribute, as appropriate, to making a positive difference to the world locally, nationally and internationally.
• To undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as directed by PI/Supervisor

REQUIREMENTS:

Essential Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• PhD (or soon to be completed) in computational biology, bioinformatics, statistical genetics, statistics, computer science, applied mathematics, or a related field.
• Extensive and up-to-date theoretical and practical knowledge in computational biology, genetics, statistics, bioinformatics
• Experience in performing, and interpreting results of, large genome-wide association studies.
• Excellent programming skills in e.g. C, Perl, R, Python
• Knowledge and prior experience of work with high performance computation environments Previous experience in projects related to UK Biobank or other biobanks with genetic data
• Ability to lead on efficient planning, optimising and progressing projects and communicating findings
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills and ability to work with colleagues at all levels
• Strong time management and organisational skills
• Good written and spoken English
• A willingness to contribute to the work of others by offering practical and intellectual help
• Strong recent journal publication record (commensurate to career stage)
• Previous experience of evaluating complex data

Desirable Skills, Knowledge and Experience:

• Previous experience presenting research at national or international conferences
• Success in securing grant funding
• Prior interests/experience in cardiovascular or metabolic disease research

TERMS:

2 Year Fixed Term

LOCATION:

Manchester UK

COMPENSATION:

£37,694 - £46,049 per annum, depending on relevant experience

HOW TO APPLY:

Apply via the University of Manchester recruitment website - https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=34680

DEADLINE:

20/03/2026