Postdoctoral Fellow

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Fellow to join the Martin group at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, working towards understanding the genetic basis of early-life traits and conditions, and/or to develop biomarkers for pregnancy complications and neonatal diseases.

About the Group

The Martin group works on the genetic basis of rare and common disease, using large-scale human genetic datasets with rich linkage to electronic health records and questionnaires. Over the last few years, we have had a particular emphasis on the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders and related traits, the genetics of complex disease in populations with high levels of consanguinity, and factors influencing germline mutation rates. Recent work from the group has appeared in Nature, Cell, Nature Genetics, and Nature Human Behavior. A full list of our recent papers can be found here: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/group/martin-group/. The group is now opening new research directions involving genomics and multi-omics in very early life. Most conditions in the earliest stages of life remain untouched by large-scale genomics, and molecular predictors that could guide clinical management are urgently needed. We are building a programme spanning a clinical continuum from pregnancy loss, through fetal growth restriction, to complications of premature birth. This includes large-scale sequencing of birth cohorts to study the genetic basis of perinatal and early-life traits and conditions, genetic and multi-omic studies of neonatal conditions using nationwide Scandinavian dried blood spots, and large-scale sequencing of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pregnant mothers.

What you'll be doing

We are seeking a highly motivated postdoc to work on one or more of the following projects:

• Analysis of large-scale proteomic data from nationwide Scandinavian dried blood spots, in order to develop biomarkers for understudied neonatal conditions that are common in premature babies. These samples are collected before disease onset and linked to rich registry data, which opens up questions about molecular subtypes, prediction and aetiology that have not previously been tractable. There may also be the opportunity to analyse largescale genetic datasets from these same blood spots, to carry out the first well-powered genetic studies of these neonatal conditions.
• Analysis of new sequence and genotype data from over 110,000 individuals across four birth cohorts, including the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa), to explore genetic influences on neurodevelopmental and perinatal traits. This is one of the world’s largest family-based sequence datasets. Questions here could include:  - Disentangling direct from indirect genetic effects using new methods. Exploring time-varying effects of genetics using longitudinal phenotype data.
• Exploring the factors influencing penetrance of variants associated with rare neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Studying how genetic architecture of different traits varies across the phenotype distribution.

• Developing biomarkers for pregnancy complications from methylation-aware whole-genome sequence data on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pregnant women, including methods development to incorporate both epigenetic and genetic information in the same assay.

Questions here could include

• Disentangling direct from indirect genetic effects using new methods. Exploring time-varying effects of genetics using longitudinal phenotype data.
• Exploring the factors influencing penetrance of variants associated with rare neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Studying how genetic architecture of different traits varies across the phenotype distribution.
• Developing biomarkers for pregnancy complications from methylation-aware wholegenome sequence data on cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from pregnant women, including methods development to incorporate both epigenetic and genetic information in the same assay.

This project is also listed in the parallel advert for our cfDNA-focused postdoctoral position, and could be taken forward from either post. The project can be tailored around the postdoc's interests and expertise. The work will be done in collaboration with groups in the UK, Scandinavia and elsewhere, as well as with other groups at the Sanger Institute.

About you

This role would suit someone with experience in statistical analyses of large-scale human genetic or other omic datasets, particularly on DNA sequence data, methylation data and/or with high-throughput proteomic data. You will be based at the Wellcome Sanger Institute on the Wellcome Genome Campus near Cambridge, with access to world-leading sequencing capacity and computational infrastructure, and to a large community of statistical and computational geneticists. You will join the Postdoctoral Fellow community and be able to take part in training, networking opportunities. Prospective candidates are welcome to contact hcm@sanger.ac.uk with informal queries before deciding whether to apply.

Essential Skills

• PhD in a relevant area (statistics, statistical genetics, genetics, genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics or similar)
• Experience analysing large-scale high-throughput human genetic and/or epigenetic and/or proteomic data, including quality control and normalization where relevant
• Knowledge of statistical methods appropriate for large-scale omics research
• Full working proficiency in Python and/or R, and Unix/Linux
• Experience or enthusiasm for using AI tools to improve productivity in scientific research
• Previous experience writing highly reproducible code with github, Snakemake/Nextflow, RMarkdown or similar
• Creativity and original scientific ideas
• Enthusiasm and commitment
• Attention to detail
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Ability to communicate ideas and results effectively both verbally and in writing
• Ability to prioritise, work independently and organise own workload
• Ability to collaborate effectively with and independently supervise less experienced scientists

Other information

Salary per annum (dependent upon skills and experience): £38,570-£49,893

Application Process

Please apply with your CV and a Cover letter outlining how you meet the criteria set out above and in the role profile.

Contract duration: 3 years

Closing Date: 10th November 2026

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks: LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability, Gender Equity and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We believe people do their best work when they can be their authentic selves. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018.  The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.