General Information
Job Advert Title Translational Bioinformatics Scientist Location United Kingdom Function/Business Area Research Employment Class PermanentDescription
Translational Bioinformatics ScientistAbout Astellas:
At Astellas we are a progressive health partner, delivering value and outcomes where needed.
We pursue innovative science, focussing initially on the areas of greatest potential and then developing solutions where patient need is high, often in rare or under-served disease areas and in life-threatening or life-limiting diseases and conditions.
We work directly with patients, doctors and health care professionals on the front line to ensure patient and clinical needs are guiding our development activities at every stage.
Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division.
We work closely with regulatory authorities and payers to find new ways to ensure access to new therapies. We deliver the latest insights and real-world evidence to inform the best decisions for patients and their care-givers, to ensure the medicines we develop continue to provide meaningful outcomes.
Beyond medicines, we support our stakeholder communities to drive initiatives that improve awareness, education, access and ultimately standards of care.
The Opportunity:
You will be accountable for delivering computational biology and bioinformatics support across translational research, patient selection strategies, and clinical biomarker analysis for multiple drug discovery and development programs. This will involve developing computational tools, conducting hands-on data analysis, and preparing detailed analysis reports. You will also be responsible for building new bioinformatics and computational capabilities to support emerging therapeutic areas and novel modalities.
Hybrid Working:
At Astellas we recognise the importance of balancing your work and home life, so we offer a hybrid working solution allowing time to connect with colleagues in person at the office alongside the flexibility to work from home; optimising the most productive work environment for you to succeed and deliver.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborating with Global Translational Medicine Leads to design and execute analysis plans that address key translational research questions from asset teams, including indication and patient selection strategies, as well as the discovery of pharmacodynamic, prognostic, predictive, and disease biomarkers.
- Identifying and leveraging both public and proprietary datasets to support translational research objectives, while communicating key findings and insights clearly to cross-functional asset teams.
- Partnering with Global Translational Bioinformatics Leads to develop and implement novel analytical methods and platforms—such as spatial transcriptomics workflows and integrated data portals—that align with current and future portfolio needs and enable advanced translational research.
- Supporting the ingestion, curation, and long-term archiving of large-scale omics and imaging datasets generated through Astellas-sponsored clinical trials and academic collaborations.
Essential Knowledge & Experience:
- Exposure to deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and experience training or fine-tuning models on oncology imaging (H&E, IHC, mIF, etc) or omics data is a plus.
- Some experience in ophthalmic imaging analysis (OCT, FAF, etc.) is a plus but not required.
Preferred Experience:
- Extensive hands-on experience using Python, R, or other programming languages commonly applied in bioinformatics and image analysis.
- Proven expertise in analyzing multi-omics and clinical datasets to support research into disease mechanisms, patient stratification, and biomarker discovery.
- Background in at least one of the following areas: advanced spatial transcriptomics analytics in oncology, advanced imaging analytics in oncology, or clinical imaging biomarker analysis in ophthalmology.
- Strong problem-solving skills and a collaborative mindset, with experience working in cross-functional clinical research settings.
- Effective communicator, capable of clearly explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Motivated to learn new technologies, with a strong passion for translational and clinical research.
Education:
- PhD in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or other Biomedical Sciences with solid experience in applying bioinformatics or computational approaches to drug discovery/development, preferably in a biopharma setting or equivalent.
Additional information:
- The is a permanent full-time position based in the UK.
- This position follows our hybrid working model. Role requires a blend of home and a minimum of 1 day a quarter in our Addlestone office. Flexibility may be required in line with business need. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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