Plant Genomics and Variation Team Leader

Are you ready to shape the future of crop genomics, invertebrate genomics and genetic variation resources at one of the world's leading bioinformatics institutes?

We are seeking an internationally minded, community-focused Team Leader with expertise in genomics, particularly crop plants and their associated insect pests and vectors, to provide scientific leadership for Ensembl in the area of plants, invertebrates, and genomic variation, as well as the European Variation Archive (EVA).

Overview

Ensembl is one of the world's leading platforms for the exploration and analysis of genomic data, supporting millions of users across academia, healthcare and industry. The resource is undergoing a major transformation to support the unprecedented expansion in the number of reference genomes and the breadth and complexity of biological data across the tree of life. Our recently released website has been designed to operate at this scale, enabling intuitive exploration, visualisation and dissemination of increasingly rich genomic datasets. Within this portfolio, priority species include major and minor crop plants such as wheat, rice, barley and rye, together with economically important insect pests and vectors including aphids and whiteflies. You will lead the development of data resources, analytical tools and community engagement activities that empower researchers worldwide.

The European Variation Archive is the global archive for genetic variation data from non-human species, serving diverse research communities spanning crop and livestock improvement, biodiversity, evolutionary biology and functional genomics. The EVA is evolving to accommodate the rapidly increasing scale, diversity and complexity of variation data generated through advances in sequencing technologies, pangenomics and population genomics. As part of this scientific area, you will also lead the development of tools and resources for the interpretation of genomic variation in all species, including the widely used Ensembl Variant Effect Predictor (VEP).

The Plant Genomics and Variation Team Leader will be based at EMBL-EBI and is an EMBL Faculty position, offering the opportunity to shape internationally recognised resources, influence scientific strategy, and work closely with a vibrant global research community.

Your role

You will lead a multidisciplinary team consisting of approximately 15 staff members, including bioinformaticians and software developers, to deliver the EVA resource and lead the crop, invertebrate and genetic variation aspects of the Ensembl project. You will work closely with other Team Leaders within Ensembl, and more broadly with leadership across EMBL-EBI and other EMBL sites, to deliver integrated systems and data flows between our EMBL key partners. You will be given the opportunity to collaborate with talented and driven teams working towards a shared vision of delivering the very best scientific resources.

Extensive engagement with external scientific collaborators, both academic and industrial, are a key part of this role. You will also engage with global standards organisations such as AgBioData and GA4GH to both feed into and adopt community standards.

As a member of EMBL Faculty, you will also contribute to developing and delivering EMBL’s strategy.

In addition to the above, more specific responsibilities will include:

This role reports to the Section Head for Genome Assembly and Annotation, Rob Finn.

You have

You may also have

Contract length: 5 years, renewable to a maximum of 9 years

Salary:Grade 9, monthly salary from £6,251.96 after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on family circumstances. Excluding personal pension and insurance contributions.

Application Instructions

Please submit a CV and Cover Letter outlining your suitability for the role.

In your Cover Letter, please describe:

We are particularly interested in understanding how your scientific expertise, leadership experience and knowledge of the genomics landscape would enable you to shape the future direction and impact of these resources.

Please ensure that your application addresses the essential criteria outlined above.

Interviews: Will be held in person at our campus in Hinxton (likely 28th October and/or 18th November 2026).

Why join us

Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind's greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.

Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential. Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

For detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here.

What else you need to know

Closing Date