About Organisation:

The Medical Research Council (MRC UK) is an internationally recognised centre of excellence with dominant research themes in the areas of HIV and emerging infections, vaccines and immunity, and chronic diseases and cancer. Through a multidisciplinary approach, intersecting basic science, epidemiological research, social-behavioural research and the conduct of new intervention evaluation studies, the Unit contributes knowledge on changing epidemics and diseases, the evaluation of innovative health care options, treatment and prevention and the development of health policy and practice in Africa and worldwide. Following the signing of strategic transfer agreements between the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the Medical Research Council (MRC UK), the Unit formally joined LSHTM on 1st February 2018. The exciting new partnership will boost research capacity into current and emerging health issues in Africa and throughout the world. The Unit is based at the UVRI Entebbe campus with established outposts in Kalungu, Masaka, Wakiso and Kampala Districts.

Job Summary: The position holder will support bioinformatics and genomic analysis investigating the genetic risk of depression in African populations and globally, contributing to PhD-level research that advances understanding of disease susceptibility and informs precision medicine.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Conduct genomic epidemiology analyses focusing on depression traits, including Genome- Wide Association Studies (GWAS), Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) analysis, fine-mapping, and Mendelian Randomization (MR) using newly generated genotyped data, and integrate these with existing African genomic datasets;
• Contribute to the design and implementation of genomic epidemiology studies within established African cohorts;
• Perform genetic association analyses using large-scale African genomic data;
• Apply advanced analytical methods such as fine-mapping to identify genetic variants associated with disease traits;
• Integrate, clean, and harmonize genomic datasets from multiple sources for combined analysis;
• Assess the applicability and performance of Polygenic Risk Scores within African populations;
• Contribute to scientific writing, including preparation of manuscripts for publication and dissemination of research findings;
• Develop research questions, objectives, and proposals to support ongoing and future studies;
• Contribute to the supervision and mentoring of research students where appropriate, based on experience and qualifications;
• Participate in regular research group meetings, seminars, and journal clubs;
• Undertake relevant training and professional development activities as required;and,
• Complete and submit a PhD thesis in line with degree requirements at the end of the program.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in biomedical laboratory technology or Biochemistry or Biotechnology;
• Candidates must currently be enrolled in a relevant doctoral (PhD) research programme in Biomedical Sciences, Genetic Epidemiology, Bioinformatics, Computational Genomics, or a closely related field;
• Master of Science in Bioinformatics;
• GDPR and HSP/GCP training;
• Should possess basic experience in Genetic Epidemiology/Computational Genomics/Bioinformatics or related skills;
• Experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team with clinical/epidemiological researchers programming with knowledge of Linux and R.;
• Experience with high performance computer clusters and paralle computation;
• Should have basic knowledge of Bioinformatics tools to analyze large genetic data.
• Should at least have strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail; Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Luganda;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, as well as collaboratively within a team;
• Ability to perform effectively under pressure and adapt to changing research demands; Self-driven, highly motivated, and result-oriented;
• High level of integrity and professionalism;
• Reliable, thorough, and detail-oriented;
• Open-minded and respectful of diverse perspectives;
• Willingness to learn and continuously develop skills;
• Forward-thinking and proactive approach to research work; and,
• Strong team spirit while maintaining independence when required.