We are seeking a passionate and energetic full stack senior Software Developer to join our Ontologies Tools team. Our Ontology Tools are used extensively in the life sciences community in big data approaches to analyse data, as well as in some industries outside of the life sciences. The main purpose of our toolset is to provide web-based and programmatic access to ontologies and enable annotation of data using ontologies.
Our tech stack:
Java 11, Neo4J, Solr, React, Redux, Tailwind and more.
Our Ontology Tools include the following applications:
- The Ontology Lookup Service (OLS) enables users to efficiently search across 250+ ontologies (see https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4 and https://github.com/EBISPOT/ols4).
- OxO enables mapping of terms from 1 ontology to terms in another ontology (see https://www.ebi.ac.uk/spot/oxo and https://github.com/EBISPOT/OXO).
- Based on historic curation data, Zooma maps free text to ontology terms with a confidence score (see https://www.ebi.ac.uk/spot/zooma and https://github.com/EBISPOT/zooma).
- OntoString is a recent addition to the Semantics as a Service platform and allows curators to manually map free text to ontology terms based on mapping suggestions received from Zooma (see https://www.ebi.ac.uk/spot/ontosting and https://github.com/EBISPOT/OntoString).
The Ontology Tools have a wide range of users. These include our colleagues at EBI, external collaborators, general users from academia and industry across the world.
Your role
The ongoing objectives of the ontology tools team are to:
- Maintain and enhance the Ontology Tools code bases.
- System administration related to hosting the tools on the EBI infrastructure.
- Support our users in responding to issues/requests and keeping the Ontology Tools up and responsive.
- Ensure the Ontology Tools stay relevant; we need to reconsider the architecture and design of the tools on an ongoing basis.
- Frequent verbal and/or written communication with our users.
Your primary responsibility will be to work as part of the ontology tools team to realize our objectives. Specifically, you will be responsible for:
- Implementing and testing fixes and enhancements and deploying them to production.
- Resolving data load related problems which can range from data errors to server infrastructure errors.
- Taking part in design and architecture discussions for evolving the Ontology Tools.
- Responding to user queries verbally or in writing.
Closing date: 10 September 2023
- Contract duration: 3 years
- Grading: Grade 6 (monthly salary starting at £3,456) + other paid benefits
- Reference number: EBI02133
Related
You have
- A Bachelor’s degree in either computer science or bioinformatics.
- 5 years full stack software development experience across the full SDLC in a production environment.
- Strong Java coding skills and can easily work with different versions (8 to latest) of Java.
- Strong frontend development skills using JavaScript & TypeScript, React, Redux and Tailwind.
- Strong Docker and Kubernetes knowledge and Linux scripting experience.
- Experience:
- working with Apache Maven and know how to resolve dependency conflicts.
- using version control software such as Git.
- with the Spring framework.
- working with a wide range of databases besides RDBMS. In particular, Neo4J and Solr.
- You have a strong appreciation of testing and frequently write unit tests for your code and/or do manual testing to verify your implementations.
- Even though you may not have substantial on-the- job experience of Semantic Web technologies, you are keenly interested in learning about semantics, knowledge graphs, ontologies and the semantic web.
- You communicate easily and effectively both verbally and in writing.
- You have a strong ability to multitask and re-prioritise based on new information.
- You are self-motivated and a self-starter that can work independently.
- You are willing to travel internationally to present our work at hackathons/workshops/conferences
You might also have
- Knowledge of Semantic Web technologies such as knowledge graphs, ontologies, RDF, OWL, SPARQL, the OWLAPI, Apache Jena and RDF triple stores like Virtuoso and GraphDB.
- Big data processing experience using Apache Spark or Hadoop.
- Experience with other programming besides Java, like Scala or Python.
Why join us
Do something meaningful
At EMBL-EBI you can apply your talent and passion to accelerate science and tackle some of humankind’s greatest challenges. EMBL-EBI, part of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a worldwide leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. We provide the global research community with access to publicly available databases and tools which are crucial for the advancement of healthcare, food security, and biodiversity.
Join a culture of innovation
We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus, alongside other prominent research and biotech organisations, and surrounded by beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside. This is a highly collaborative and inclusive community where our employees enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. We are committed to ensuring our employees feel valued, supported and empowered to reach their professional potential.
Enjoy lots of benefits:
- Financial incentives: Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
- Flexible working arrangements
- Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
- Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to eight bank holidays
- Relocation package including installation grant (if required)
- Campus life: Free shuttle bus to and from work, on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
- Family benefits: On-site nursery, 10 days of child sick leave, generous parental leave, holiday clubs on campus and monthly family and child allowances
- Benefits for non-UK residents: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.
For more details please see our employee benefits page.
Developers at EMBL-EBI
What it is like to be a developer at EMBL-EBI?
Ken Hawkins, Web Designer
What else you need to know
- Contract duration: This position is a 3 year fixed-term contract.
- International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Read more on our page for international applicants.
- Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL-EBI, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ and individuals from all nationalities.
- EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we implement best practices in research assessment in our recruitment processes here.
- Job location: This role is based in Hinxton, near Cambridge, UK. You will be required to relocate if you are based overseas and you will receive a generous relocation package to support you.
- How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.