Computational Scientist and Bioinformatician

IFOM is an internationally recognized non-profit cancer research institute supported by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), based in Milan within a highly dynamic urban environment.

IFOM's continued success is ensured by the recruitment of highly selected undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate researchers from over 24 countries worldwide.

IFOM is hosted within a research campus shared with the European Institute of Oncology and the Italian Institute of Technology.

IFOM is committed to creating a safe and inclusive environment, based on mutual respect and the enhancement of diversity, offering equal job opportunities to all qualified candidates.

We seek for our Institute: Computational Scientist and Bioinformatician

The successful candidate will join the Computational Oncology and Bioinformatics Unit and report directly to the Head of the Unit. This is a permanent, full-time position with a central role in delivering bioinformatics and computational analyses across strategically relevant institutional, translational and collaborative research programmes at IFOM.

The Unit coordinates bioinformatics and computational medicine activities, promotes the development of advanced analytical platforms, integrates molecular and clinical data, and implements innovative research projects in collaboration with IFOM research groups and external clinical, academic and industrial partners.

The Unit operates as a research and development structure rather than a task-based facility. The candidate will therefore contribute as an integrated scientific partner throughout the research process, from study design and analytical planning to biological interpretation, dissemination and publication.

The Unit aims to generate clinically relevant knowledge and novel therapeutic opportunities by:

• integrating genomic, transcriptomic and other molecular data with clinical and phenotypic information;
• characterizing tumour evolution, heterogeneity, cellular plasticity, treatment response and resistance;
• developing and validating computational methods and reproducible analytical platforms for tissue- and liquid-biopsy studies;
• supporting high-priority institutional programmes and collaborative projects with robust, innovative and quantitatively sound analyses.

We are looking for a scientist with at least 3 years of relevant experience in bioinformatics, computational biology or biomedical data science, including doctoral research where applicable.

The candidate will be responsible for:

• Designing, implementing and interpreting bioinformatics analyses of next-generation sequencing and multi-omic datasets, including WES/WGS, targeted sequencing, RNA sequencing and liquid-biopsy data.
• Developing, validating and maintaining reproducible analytical pipelines, standard operating procedures and documentation, with appropriate QA/QC, version control and testing.
• Integrating molecular data with clinical and experimental variables to generate biologically and clinically meaningful results.
• Contributing to study design, analytical strategy, statistical planning and the definition of computational endpoints for preclinical, translational and clinical research projects.
• Working closely with wet-lab scientists, clinicians, computational researchers and external partners to translate scientific questions into effective analytical solutions.

About the position

• Coordinating computational activities across multiple projects, managing priorities, milestones, deliverables and dependencies in agreement with the Head of the Unit.
• Communicating analytical approaches and results clearly through technical reports, project meetings, presentations, manuscripts, grant applications and institutional deliverables.
• Contributing to the management, optimization and responsible use of servers, HPC resources and data storage in coordination with IFOM IT, RCDS unit and infrastructure teams.
• Ensuring secure and compliant handling of research and clinical data in accordance with institutional data-governance policies, GDPR requirements and research ethics.
• Providing technical guidance and contributing to the training and mentoring of junior researchers and students.
• Developing independent methodological contributions and actively supporting the scientific growth and visibility of the Unit.

Qualification

• Strong background in cancer biology and/or computational sciences, with demonstrated experience in translational, biomedical or clinically oriented research contexts.
• Solid knowledge of statistics, quantitative methods and sound principles of experimental and observational data analysis.
• Demonstrated experience in the analysis of NGS and/or multi-omic data and in the biological interpretation of complex datasets.
• Programming skills in Bash, Python and/or R; experience with C, C++ or comparable languages is considered an advantage.
• High confidence in Linux-based systems and command-line environments.
• Experience with computational infrastructures, including servers and/or HPC environments, job schedulers, resource management and storage systems.
• Experience with reproducible research practices, including workflow automation, version control, code documentation, software testing and containerized environments.
• Basic to intermediate knowledge of IT infrastructure and information-security best practices, including user and access management, data protection, backup principles and compliance with data-governance policies.
• Proven ability to manage computational analyses across multiple projects, exercise independent scientific judgement and take ownership of technical deliverables.
• Ability to communicate analytical choices and results clearly and to work constructively within multidisciplinary teams spanning biology, computation and clinical research.
• Flexible, reliable and problem-solving-oriented approach, with the ability to adapt to evolving scientific and project requirements.
• Experience with LLM is a plus.

Education

Candidates with a PhD in biology or another life-science discipline will also be considered when supported by a strong and demonstrable computational profile.

PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, computer science, applied mathematics, statistics or biostatistics, data science, computer or biomedical engineering, or a closely related quantitative discipline.

Languages

• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English, sufficient to work effectively in an international scientific environment and communicate technical results.
• Experience with C, C++ or comparable languages is considered an advantage.
• Knowledge of Italian is not required but will be considered an advantage.

Soft skills

• Scientific curiosity and a rigorous, solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to collaborative research.
• Clear and pragmatic communication with colleagues from different scientific and professional backgrounds.
• Strong organization, reliability, adaptability and attention to the quality and reproducibility of results.
• The ideal candidate should be rigorous and uncompromising when it comes to data quality, while remaining respectful, constructive, and collaborative with colleagues.

What we offer

• An international and highly collaborative research environment, continuous training and flexible working time.
• Relocation-cost support and a guest house within the campus.
• Support for candidates and their families, including housing, schooling, registration with the Italian National Health Service and work-permit procedures, through the IFOM Welcome Office.
• Campus facilities and benefits, including a bar and canteen, lunch benefit, company nursery, medical service, laptop, CAF tax-declaration service and agreements with local gyms, pharmacies, psychological services and shops.
• Access to Lab G, a laboratory specifically designed for pregnant or breastfeeding researchers.

Contract

Permanent contract, full time.

Location

Milan - Scalo di Porta Romana area

Contact Details

If you are interested in this opportunity, please submit your CV and a letter of interest to recruitment@ifom.eu and giovanni.crisafulli@ifom.eu.