Senior Scientist Bioinformatics

ProQR Therapeutics

Leiden, Netherlands

Our R&D department is currently looking for an experienced Senior Scientist Bioinformatics to join our team in Leiden. The Senior Scientist Bioinformatics will lead bioinformatics activities that support the wet-lab colleagues with the analysis of transcriptomics studies, will develop and optimize (new) (in silico) analytical methods to accurately understand RNA processing variants in our model systems, and how they are affected by oligonucleotide drugs.

We expect our Senior Scientist Bioinformatics to have:

An advanced degree (PhD or equivalent) in bioinformatics or another scientific field related to biology or chemistry followed by at least 4 years of work experience in Pharmaceutical/Biotechnology industry (strongly preferred) or 6-8 years of relevant academic research experience;
Solid skills in the relevant programming languages (Python-preferred, R, Java, etc.);
In-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in analyzing both differential gene expression and RNA isoform expression in transcriptomic (RNA-seq) data sets;
Solid understanding of Next Generation Sequencing and RNA biology, with organic chemistry/genetic disorders and/or oligonucleotide-based therapies as a plus;
Solid knowledge of statistical methods and how to apply them to molecular biology questions;
Experience with Linux and High-Performance Computing;
Experience with version control systems (Git);
Experience with setting up the relevant infrastructure (hardware, software, and other tools);
Experience with working in a project-based environment with multidisciplinary teams;
Experience with relational databases is a plus;
Affinity with finding solutions for uncommon problems and critical about own work;
Passion for innovation and drive to deliver new therapies to patients with high unmet needs.

Key Responsibilities:

You perform transcriptomic analyses in the field of RNA therapeutics;
You develop, maintain, and improve data analysis pipelines, including version control;
You perform advanced statistical analyses and implement updates based on new scientific insights;
You guide a team of bioinformaticians by assigning tasks, setting up priorities and educating them in your area of expertise;
You represent the bioinformatic team as SME in project and interdepartmental meetings, with different stakeholders within the organization;
You make project decisions, identify opportunities, and define next steps;
You contribute to maintain and curate database systems containing various experimental data types;
You ensure the quality of your analyses by establishing reproducible methods and writing clear documentation;
You work in a multidisciplinary team in close collaboration with wet-lab scientists, technicians, project leads.