Scientific Programmer

The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) is a leading international biomedical research center with the goal of elucidating the molecular mechanisms of health and disease in order to create the basis for new therapies and diagnostic procedures. The MDC is a member of the largest scientific organization in Germany - the Helmholtz Association - and offers a stimulating and interactive research environment with the most modern infrastructure. Currently, 1,250 employees and approximately 500 guests work at the locations in Berlin-Buch and Berlin-Mitte. The diversity of our workforce is a strength and promotes creativity and innovative spirit at the MDC.

Data Scientist / Scientific Programmer
in the research group “Evolutionary and cancer genomics” of Dr. Roland Schwarz

Job Description

Our computational research group investigates intra-tumour heterogeneity and cancer evolution. We are particularly interested in understanding the effect of structural variants and copy-number changes on cancer evolution in-vivo in close collaborations with our clinical partners. We are members of the ICGC Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG), ICGC-ARGO and TRACERx consortia where we provide core algorithms for allele-specific copy-number calling and phasing, evolutionary reconstructions, and quantification of allele-specific expression.
Candidates will have a first degree in Computer Science, Computational Biology or a related field and experience in the R, Python and C/C++ programming languages. A PhD is advantageous, but not required. We are looking for an individual with strong programming and software development skills that will help develop and maintain the group's pipelines and algorithms. The position offers ample opportunities for contributing to the research in the group and for developing your own research profile. Successful candidates will show a strong work ethic and should be enthusiastic about working in a highly interdisciplinary environment.

Requirements

The position is available from 1 March 2021. The candidate will be part of an interdisciplinary team with close connections to our clinical partners. Excellent communication skills are therefore required.

For further reading and our recent works see:

Watkins et al. 2020, Nature, https://go.nature.com/3pTy55n
PCAWG Transcriptome Core Group et al. 2020, Nature, https://go.nature.com/2X8JFx1
Jamal-Hanjani et al. 2017, NEJM, https://bit.ly/38cCZEt  
Schwarz et al. 2014, PLoS Computational Biology, http://goo.gl/Al8Pbh

We offer

• International working environment with communication in English and German
• Interesting career opportunities and a comprehensive range of qualification and further training opportunities
• Compatibility of family and career certified by the berufundfamilie audit
• Varied support for "New Berliners" (Welcome & Family Office)
• Company health management with fitness center

We offer a competitive salary according to German E13 TVöD/Bund. Contracts are limited to 2 years with the possibility of prolongation. The MDC is an equal opportunity employer and supports gender equality.