Genetics Specialist, Translational Genomics and Precision Medicine

For over 100 years we have been driving change to defeat diabetes, but we know that what got us here today is not necessarily what will make us successful in the future. We are now transforming our business and taking our expertise into new territories including obesity and rare blood and endocrine diseases. 

Our story is one of incredible growth and success, which has culminated in receiving many prestigious awards, such as Best Places to Work and Vitality – Britain’s Healthiest Workplace.

The Position

We are looking for a highly skilled and motivated Specialist in Genetics to join us in our London office, to implement cutting-edge human genetics approaches to answer questions that will support genetics driven precision medicine across our therapeutic areas of interest (including Type 2 Diabetes, Obesity, cardiovascular disease, and rare endocrine and blood disorders) and improve clinical trial success. We welcome candidates with human genetics knowledge applied in a drug discovery or development setting to enhance our precision medicine efforts.

In this role you will:

• Design, execute and interpret genetics studies using large-scale genetics data from biobanks, clinical trials, and integration with other omics – to predict disease risk, understand disease pathways, and stratify patient populations.
• Contribute to the exploration of cutting-edge genetic technologies and methodologies to advance translational genomics and precision medicine efforts.
• Apply genetic methodologies to support the clinical development of novel therapeutic targets, identify populations that will respond best to the treatments developed by our scientists, and drive the identification of predictive and prognostic biomarkers essential for patient stratification and treatment efficacy optimization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate genetic insights into the development of novel treatments and therapeutic approaches.
• Communicate genetic insights effectively and provide leadership in translating genetic findings into actionable strategies.

The Human Genetics Centre of Excellence (CoE) is part of a collaborative endeavour where you will work alongside statistical geneticists, clinicians, and computational and laboratory scientists from across the organisation, and with external collaborators, to help get the right treatment to the right patient.

Qualifications

We are searching for a self-driven scientist who works well in interdisciplinary teams. The ideal candidate holds a Ph.D. in human genetics, statistical genetics, bioinformatics or other related fields, with at least a few years of relevant industry or postdoctoral experience.

Familiarity with high performance computing and cloud-based computing environments is a plus. A strong interest in AI methods, and experience with machine learning techniques applied to genomics data is highly desired.

You should have:

• Familiarity with databases that house genomics data (including but not limited to UK Biobank, All of Us, Genomics England, gnomAD, TOPmed). Hands on experience is strongly preferred
• Strong knowledge of genetics, genomics, and interest in the application of AI techniques in these fields
• Proven track record by publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or conference presentations
• Proficiency in programming languages, for analysis of large-scale datasets, e.g., R, Python, or similar, as well as experience with bioinformatics tools and databases
• Have experience of communicating insights and presenting complex scientific concepts to a diverse audience.

Preferred experience includes:

• Experience with population stratification, Mendelian randomization, polygenic risk score (PRS) analysis, and/or gene-environment interaction analysis is strongly preferred
• Understanding of multi-omics data (transcriptomic, proteomic, epigenomic etc.). Hands on experience is strongly preferred
• Experience with biomarker discovery

As a person, you have a good team ethic, pay close attention to detail, and enjoy a fast paced, dynamic environment where creative intellectual independence and knowledge sharing is actively encouraged. Most importantly, you must have a strong interest in applying your skills in the field of drug development.

About the Department

You will be a member of our Translational Genomics and Precision Medicine Department which is part of the Human Genetics CoE. The focus of the CoE is to use data science and human genetics to discover and develop new drug targets and biomarkers through a range of human centric approaches e.g., high-through put genetic discovery screens; Mendelian randomization; pLoF variant screens and precision medicine approaches relevant to type 2 diabetes, chronic 

kidney disease, CVD, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), obesity and rare endocrine and blood disorders.

The CoE is anchored in the recently established Digital Science & Innovation (DSI) organisation within Research & Early Development at Novo Nordisk. DSI is supporting the digital journey across all our therapy areas in R&ED. In DSI, we work in multidisciplinary teams in strong collaboration with all areas across R&ED and R&ED IT. We participate in drug development projects across the value chain, from early discovery to pre-clinical development. We engage in external collaborations to ensure access to the latest research and technology enablers, and we automate our labs and processes, and we focus on developing and retaining top talent.

Working at Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is its people. We know that life is anything but linear and balancing what is important at different stages of our career is never easy. That’s why we make room for diverse life situations, always putting people first. We value our employees for the unique skills they bring to the table, and we work continuously to bring out the best in them. Working at Novo Nordisk is working toward something bigger than ourselves, and it’s a collective effort. Together, we go further. Together, we’re life changing.

What We Offer

• Bonus: We do our best work to succeed together. When goals are reached, you’ll be rewarded through our bonus scheme.
• Your workplace: Our offices will be your primary workplace but with flexibility to work 2-3 days at home during your working week.
• Pension: a market leading pension scheme with generous employer contributions
• Wellness: We want you to be your best self, so you’ll have access to an award winning Wellness programme, including Private Medical Insurance.
• Insurances: All colleagues are covered by our private medical, life and disability insurance which provides protection and peace of mind.
• Inclusive culture: our culture is one of care, support and respect for our people.  We are committed to making your workplace safe and believe that a transparent, inclusive culture and leadership is the way to empower every individual to do their very best.

Application support

We are an equal opportunities employer, and we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants.  If you're a person with a disability, if you're neurodivergent, and need any adjustments to be made during the application and selection process, please send an email to akrw@novonordisk.com.  Please include your name, the role you are interested in and the type of adjustment you need. 

Contact

Please apply to the role via our careers site.

Deadline

Please apply by 2nd November 2024

We commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equality of opportunity for all our job applicants. 

At Novo Nordisk we recognize that it is no longer good enough to aspire to be the best company in the world. We need to aspire to be the best company for the world and we know that this is only possible with talented employees with diverse perspectives, backgrounds and cultures. We are therefore committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates the diversity of our employees, the patients we serve and communities we operate in. Together, we’re life changing.