About the team

We are looking for a software developer to join the Functional Genomics team at EMBL-EBI. We develop and maintain Expression Atlas and Single Cell Expression Atlas, open science resources that give users a powerful way to find information about gene expression across species, tissues, and disease states.

We operate at the cutting edge of biological data. Our resources ingest data from thousands of experiments, ranging from traditional bulk sequencing to massive single-cell matrices. We are an interdisciplinary, agile team where developers, bioinformaticians and curators work closely together to deliver services that meet the needs of the global scientific community.

Your role 

We are looking for an experienced Full-Stack Software Engineer to help modernise and scale the Gene Expression Atlas (GXA), a globally used platform for exploring gene expression across species, tissues, and experimental conditions.

This is a production-first, impact-driven role. GXA is a mature system with an established user base and critical scientific workflows. Your focus will be on evolving the system safely and incrementally: improving performance, usability, scalability, and operability while maintaining continuity of service.

If you enjoy working on real systems with real users, where architectural decisions have long-term consequences, this role will suit you well.

Specific Responsibilities Include:

• Database Evolution: Contributing to the implementation of a secondary database using MongoDB to handle complex metadata and unstructured data more efficiently.

• Performance Engineering: Implementing Redis-based caching strategies to drastically improve query response times and reduce load on our primary data stores.

• Search Optimisation: Tuning Apache Solr and PostgreSQL configurations to handle large data matrices and improve page load speeds.

• System Modernisation: Collaborating with the Tech Lead to refactor legacy codebases and manage microservices within our Kubernetes cluster.

• Frontend Development: Implementing and updating React components and data visualisations (e.g., heatmaps using Highcharts/D3) to present complex biological data effectively.

• Evaluating the efficacy of the attempted solutions using real world measurements and adapting them accordingly.

You have 

• Technical Aptitude: A degree in Computer Science or related field, with a demonstrated ability to pick up new technologies quickly.

• Broad Tech Stack: We are currently working with Java, Spring, Postgres, Solr, React, planning to migrate some of those to meet our scaling requirements

• Database Awareness: Solid understanding of database design driven by application requirements.

• Frontend Skills: Proficiency in Javascript/TypeScript and experience with modern frameworks. We are using React.

• Agile Mindset: Enthusiasm for iterative development, code reviews, and working in a collaborative, cross-functional environment.

• User Awareness: the ability to analyse understand user needs and derive appropriate solutions

You may also have

• Advanced Data Engineering: Production experience designing and managing MongoDB clusters and implementing Redis caching patterns.

• Search Engine Expertise: Proven experience tuning Apache Solr or Elasticsearch for high-performance/high-volume scenarios.

• Architecture Experience: Experience designing microservices, handling data migration strategies, and managing state across distributed systems.

• DevOps Skills: Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Helm, and CI/CD pipelines (GitLab CI/Jenkins).

• Visualisation Depth: Deep knowledge of visualisation libraries (D3.js, Highcharts) and performance optimisation for rendering large datasets in the browser.

• Familiarity with SRE-style practices: SLIs/SLOs, capacity planning, incident response

• Experience with observability tooling (metrics, tracing, logging)

How we work

• Pragmatic, production-oriented engineering

• Strong preference for incremental improvement over large rewrites

• Decisions driven by data: latency, throughput, error rates, user behaviour

• Close collaboration between engineers, scientists, and product stakeholders

• Emphasis on clarity, documentation, and long-term maintainability

Contract length: 1 year (project based)

Salary: Grade 5 - 6 - monthly salary from £3,303 or 3,695 after tax plus generous benefits (excluding pension and insurance contributions)

Interviews: We plan to hold interviews at the end of February/early March 2026.

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.  Watch this video to see how EMBL-EBI makes an impact.

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 - including hybrid working patterns 

• 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 public 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 detailed information please visit our employee benefits page here. 

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Please take a look at our International Applicants page for further information.  

• EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

• Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. Applications will close at 23:59 CET on the date shown below. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date