Bioinformatician for a Museum Insect Pollinator Genomics Project at the
Natural History Museum, London, UK.

Full details for this position at
https://jobs.nhm.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=431

Job Summary
The Natural History Museum has recently been awarded a grant by the UK
Natural Environment Research Council for an exciting project to sequence
and analyse population-scale genome datasets of a representative set of UK
insect pollinators. We will use these data to better understand changes
in diversity for this important group, and draws on our experience in
leadership roles for the Darwin Tree of Life and Biodiversity Genomics
Europe projects.

Based in the Life Sciences department, you will work with the project
Lead Investigator Ian Barnes, co-Leads Gavin Broad and Ben Price,
project co-ordinator Inez Januszczak, core technical staff, and a
variety of stakeholders. The project will analyse DNA from modern and
museum insect pollinator collections, to assess changes in diversity and
selection in these species over the last 100 years. Through comparison
with environmental and climate records, we hope to infer the drivers of
these changes, and make recommendations to relevant stakeholder groups.

You will ensure we have robust and well-documented data analysis methods,
which we can use to identify changes in the genomes of key UK insect
pollinators. You will work with NHM colleagues and other project partners
to ensure that our sampling strategy covers the full historical range
of diversity in our chosen species, and to communicate your findings
across the project and beyond.

Main Responsibilities
- Develop and implement bioinformatics pipelines for processing and
  analysing whole-genome sequencing data from both historical and
  contemporary insect specimens.
- Conduct population genomic and phylogenomic analyses, integrating
  ancient and degraded DNA datasets with modern genomic data.
- Support collaboration between NHM and external project partners,
  including UKCEH, BBCT, and Natural England, to ensure alignment of
  bioinformatics analyses with conservation objectives.
- Manage and analyse large-scale genomic datasets, applying best
  practices in quality control, variant calling, and genome assembly
  where relevant.
- Integrate genomic and environmental data to assess historical shifts
  in genetic diversity and adaptation across UK insect pollinators.
- Work closely with the project technician and coordinator to optimize
  workflows for sequencing, data processing, and metadata curation.
- Develop and maintain standardized analytical workflows and
  reproducible scripts to support long-term pollinator genomic
  monitoring efforts.
- Lead the writing of publications, data management plans, and Standard
  Operating Procedures (SOPs) to ensure best practices in bioinformatics
  are followed and documented.
- Train and support project collaborators and PhD students in genomic
  data analysis and bioinformatics methodologies as needed.
- Present findings at conferences and workshops, engaging with both
  academic and applied conservation audiences.
- Ensure data management and analysis comply with NHM and UKRI policies,
  FAIR principles, and open science guidelines.

Person Specification
The successful postholder will need the following skills and experience:
- PhD in bioinformatics, evolutionary biology, genomics, or a related
  field, with a strong focus on computational analysis of genomic data.
- Experience in whole-genome sequencing data analysis, particularly in
  handling degraded or historical DNA samples.
- Proficiency in Unix/Linux environments, scripting languages (e.g.,
  Python, R, Bash), and pipeline development using workflow managers.
- Experience with population genomics methods (e.g., SNP calling,
  demographic inference, selection analysis) and working with large
  genomic datasets.
- Strong skills in statistical analysis and visualization of
  genomic data.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently while effectively
  collaborating within a multidisciplinary research team.
- Excellent scientific communication skills, with a strong publication
  record in relevant fields, and a demonstrated ability to lead on
  bringing work to publication.
- Prior experience engaging with stakeholders in conservation, museums,
  or ecological monitoring would be desirable.
- Familiarity with pollinator ecology and conservation would be
  desirable.

Ian Barnes <I.Barnes@nhm.ac.uk>

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