Closing Date: 02/09/2023

A BIT ABOUT US…

F-star, an invoX company, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical business pioneering bispecific antibodies in immunotherapy so more people with cancer can live longer and improved lives. F-star is committed to working towards a future free from cancer and other serious diseases through the use of tetravalent (2+2) bispecific antibodies to create a paradigm shift in treatments. F-star has four second-generation immune-oncology therapeutics in the clinic, each directed against some of the most promising IO targets in drug development, including LAG-3 and CD137. F-star’s proprietary antibody discovery platform is protected by an extensive intellectual property estate, with over 500 granted patents and pending patent applications relating to its platform technology and product pipeline. The Company has attracted multiple partnerships with biopharma targeting significant unmet needs across several disease areas, including oncology, immunology, and CNS.

YOUR ROLE IN OUR TEAM:

We are seeking a creative, proactive and highly motivated Bioinformatician/Computational Biologist to join our research team at F-star. This position will be focused on a range of research activities from new target identification and validation, to understand mechanism of action and to identify new biomarkers. You will work closely with a cross-functional team of research scientists and will analyse large scale omics data sets to enable the rational design and development of new molecules.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

• Analyse complex datasets to identify and validate potential new drug targets by understanding their link to human disease.

• Advance lead candidates towards the clinic by supporting the design of experiments, by analysing and interpreting complex datasets (omics, flow cytometry, proteomics).

• Perform data analysis to enable biomarker identification and translate findings into clinically applicable biomarkers for patient response and stratification.

• Help identify and implement new processes and technologies to improve the efficiency of data analysis.

You will achieve this by:

• Working as part of a cross-functional project team with antibody discovery, biology and translational sciences teams.

• Working closely with all members of the IT and Data team to achieve departmental and company goals

• Performing hands-on analysis of omic and genetic/genomic data, especially bulk and single cell transcriptomic data, from publicly available and in-house generated datasets.

• Developing new scripts, tools, pipelines and approaches for research projects, either using classical computational biology approaches or Machine Learning.

• Provide guidance to lab research scientists on experimental design and statistical approaches, and work collaboratively to influence generation of data and perform analysis.

• Proactively deliver innovative ways to identify and visualise meaningful patterns in complex data.

A BIT ABOUT YOU:

You will be a data scientist, bioinformatician or computational biologist with strong expertise and interest in cancer biology and/or immunology. You will be passionate about finding new solutions to treat patients with serious disease. You will enjoy working collaboratively within a cross-functional team and be goal-oriented to work towards the team’s objectives.

YOUR SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential:

• BSc/MSc in bioinformatics, computational biology, natural sciences/molecular biology/genetics/biochemistry, data science, statistics or a related field.

• Experience in applied science/bioinformatic research expertise in cancer research and/or immunology.

• Experience in analysing and integrating data from one or more of the following: genetics, transcriptomics (single cell or bulk), proteomics and flow cytometry.

• Familiarity with cancer databases: TCGA, ICGC, Cosmic etc.

• Proficient with R statistical programming, and familiar with linear and mixed models, Bayesian Inference and machine learning.

• Have the capability to successfully manage multiple simultaneous projects.

• Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Desirable

• PhD or an advanced degree in a relevant subject.

• Experience in industry/biotech and/or core facility environments.

• A deep understanding of the tumour microenvironment and the molecular mechanisms driving cancer.

• Experience and knowledge of the technology used in current bioinformatics research, including scripting languages (R, Python), standard software development practices and tools (Git, CI/CD), automated data analysis pipelines and workflow management systems, and cloud computing.

• Experience in R Shiny App development.

• Knowledge in immunology/immuno-oncology.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER TO YOU:

We get things done, we keep things simple and we’re driven by the science. We’re ambitious so we work hard to create an environment where we can take smart risks. We want to be innovative so encourage debate and collaboration to challenge the usual way of doing things. We love our celebrations, socialising and perks, which make F-star a fun and diverse place to work. And most of all, everyone has the opportunity to make a difference.

Benefits:

• Pension (8% Employer contribution)

• Private Medical Insurance and Health Cash Plan

• Life assurance

• 25 days paid holiday, plus the option to buy 5 days

• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption pay

• Agile working opportunities

OTHER DETAILS:

F-star is proud to fully embrace agile working which gives you options in how, where and when you get your work done, including flexible working hours and home working.

Our Laboratories and office space are based on the Babraham Research Campus, South Cambridgeshire. This is a full-time position working 37.5 hours per week.

NEXT STEPS…

If you feel this role is right for you, we’d love to hear from you.

To apply, please visit our website: https://www.f-star.com/about/careers/ and upload your CV for us to view. Those that shine brightest will be contacted to discuss the role further, however, we aim to get back to everyone with a response either way. .

We may choose to close the role sooner than the application closing date depending on volume of candidates and so we encourage early applications.

If, along the way, you experience any difficulties with applying via our website, please email HR@f-star.com.

We aspire to be a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply.

As part of our compliance in relation to the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR) you can find our ‘Candidate Privacy Notice’ on the careers section of website.