Job Description

Ref Number

B02-10021

Professional Expertise

Research and Research Support

Department

School of Life & Medical Sciences (B02)

Location

London

Working Pattern

Full time

Salary

43,981-52,586

Contract Type

Permanent

Working Type

Hybrid

Available for Secondment

No

Closing Date

09-Feb-2026

About us

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Biosciences is one of the world's foremost centres for research and teaching in the biological sciences and one of the largest Divisions within UCL, undertaking a significant amount of research and teaching. The Division has a diverse portfolio addressing all areas of biology from protein interactions to cell function, organism development, genetics, population studies and the environment. Computational modelling approaches are frequently used alongside experimental research programmes and much of our research crosses traditional boundaries, including the relationship of biodiversity to the health of the planet. Activity is underpinned by high calibre science technology platforms and state of the art equipment. Educational activity includes a range of undergraduate programmes, an expanding number of Masters Programmes and a substantial number of postgraduate research students.



This is an exciting opportunity to join the team of Professor Ziheng Yang FRS and Dr Asif Tamuri to work in the areas of computational phylogenomics and molecular evolution.



The project will be jointly supervised by Prof Ziheng Yang and Dr Asif Tamuri.

About the role

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In this role, you will work with Professor Ziheng Yang FRS and Dr Asif Tamuri to conduct research in the area of computational phylogenetics and evolution. You will become a member of a multidisciplinary research team at the interface of evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, computer science, and computational statistics. In addition to developing and conducting the research, you will communicate results as scientific papers and in scientific presentations at local, national, and international conferences.



The post is funded by the BBSRC with a funding end date of 14 June 2027. Starting date will be on 1 April 2026 or as soon as possible afterwards.



A job description and person specification can be accessed at the bottom of this page.



If you have any queries about the role, please contact Professor Ziheng Yang FRS (z.yang@ucl.ac.uk) or Dr Asif Tamuri (a.tamuri@ucl.ac.uk).



If you need reasonable adjustments or a more accessible format to apply for this job online or have any queries about the application process, please contact the HR Administrator (fls.hr@ucl.ac.uk) stating the advert reference number in the subject line.

About you

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You must have a PhD (or expect to receive one shortly) in computer science, maths/stats, molecular phylogenetics, computational biology, or a similar area. You will have either excellent computational and programming skills with experience in scientific computation, or extensive experience in using modern likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic software to conduct large-scale data analyses. A proven track record of effective research will be required.



We are particularly interested in two types of candidates: method developers and/or data analysts. Method developers will implement high-performance computing algorithms to accelerate phylogenetic likelihood calculations in the PAML package and develop new models and methods for genome-scale phylogenetic analysis. Candidates should be proficient in C/C++ and scientific computing, with an interest in applying computational and statistical approaches to evolutionary genetics and genomics; experience in statistical inference or phylogenetics is an advantage.



Data analysts candidates will be bioinformaticians or evolutionary biologists with strong computational skills, experience with modern phylogenetic software, and an interest in analyzing genomic-scale phylogenetic data.

What we offer

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As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:


41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)

Additional 5 days' annual leave purchase scheme

Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)

Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan

Immigration loan

Relocation scheme for certain posts

On-Site nursery

On-site gym

Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay

Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service

Discounted medical insurance


Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/reward-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

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As London's Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world's talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL's workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.



Our division holds an Athena SWAN Silver award, in recognition of our commitment to advancing gender equality.



You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/equality-diversity-inclusion/.