Junior Bioinformatician (24 Month Fixed Term Contract - Wits Sbimb)

Background:

• Named after Nobel Laureate and Wits University graduate, Sydney Brenner, the Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience (SBIMB) is a burgeoning multi-disciplinary research institute dedicated to investigating the molecular and genomic aetiology of diseases among African populations

Mission

• To conduct biomedical molecular and genomic research addressing health priorities in Africans

Vision

• To become a Leader in Biomedical Research on the African continent, conducting world-class, innovative and relevant research, that will benefit the southern African community, and to excel as a centre for learning

Division:

Sydney Brenner Institute for Molecular Bioscience

Main purpose of the job:

• To contribute to cutting-edge bioinformatics analysis focused on African populations
• The role combines research support, data analysis, and capacity-building activities in African genomic science

Location:

• SBIMB, 9 Jubilee Road, Parktown, Johannesburg

Key performance areas:

• Perform quality control and preprocessing of GWAS summary statistics
• Support management and organisation of multi-omic datasets (genomic, transcriptomic, and related data)
• Run standard bioinformatics and statistical genetics pipelines under supervision
• Maintain reproducible workflows, scripts, and clear documentation
• Contribute to training and capacity-building initiatives across partner African institutions together with the PI and document to the Project team using reporting tools like Jira, Trello, GitHub, etc. to track progress

Required minimum education and training:

• Master’s Degree (or Bachelor’s with strong experience) in Bioinformatics, Genetics or related field

Required minimum work experience:

• Experience in data analysis and management
• Exposure to genomic datasets advantageous
• Experience with HPC environments

Desirable additional education, work experience and personal abilities:

• Proficiency in Linux/Unix and at least one scripting language (R, Python, or Bash)
• Strong attention to detail and ability to document reproducible analyses
• Good understanding of human genetics and GWAS concepts
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub version control
• Interest in psychiatric genetics and/or African population genomics
• Must be able to work under pressure and deadline driven.
• Preference will be given to South African or Permanent Residence
• Must be able to communicate effectively with management, collaborators, team members, support staff, affiliated researchers, community and Sponsors

Closing date: 22 September 2026

Note: No CV will be accepted after the closing date

Please note:

• WHC, in accordance with its Employment Equity goals and plan, will give preference to suitable applicants from designated groups as defined in the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 and subsequent amendments thereto

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