Software Developer for Bio-Informatics Applications

About VIB

VIB is a leading life sciences research institute in Belgium supported by the Flemish government and embedded within Flemish universities. VIB brings together 2000 scientists and staff in 10 research centres combining pioneering fundamental research with a strong drive to translate discoveries into applications in health biotechnology and agriculture.

The VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (IRC) investigates the molecular and cellular mechanisms of inflammation including inter- and intracellular signaling immune cell biology barrier tissue function and the transition from homeostasis to disease.

About the role

We are seeking a motivated software developer who wants to join the Saeys lab within the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research to help develop maintain and extend open-source software packages and set up computational pipelines. As a bio-informatics research lab we publish software packages in Python and R for specific cutting-edge analysis of large-scale biological data. These packages are actively used throughout the VIB institute and by the broader research community as well. As a software developer you will be responsible for maintaining and implementing new features in these software packages and setting up new computational pipelines for large-scale automated data analysis making an essential contribution to our scientific research.

At Saeys lab you will be working closely together with PhD students and postdoctoral researchers coming from both computational and biological backgrounds. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of our lab we are looking for a team player who is open to learn about the newest technologies in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and flow cytometry.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with PhD students postdoctoral researchers and other developers
• Develop and maintain packages and pipelines mostly in Python and R
• Continuously track and adopt cutting-edge technological developments in cell biology
• Ensure reproducibility of computational pipelines and analyses
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in existing packages and pipelines
• Develop new visualizations of biological data for your colleagues and the community

Your profile

Essential

• Masters degree in informatics computer science bioinformatics or related
• Fluent in English for both written and oral communication
• Experience in Python and/or R
• Experience with Linux/bash
• Experience with Machine Learning
• Highly motivated to learn about biology and (the study of) biological data
• Enthusiastic team player

Desirable but not required

• Experience with single-cell omics data
• Experience with NextFlow
• Experience with data visualization

Key personal characteristics

• You are enthusiastic and curious about scientific research
• You like learning about new biological and computational techniques and want to stay at the technological forefront
• You can work well both in a team and independently
• You are accurate and critical of your work and its implementation
• You work efficiently are solution- and goal-oriented and able to set priorities
• You are respectful of others and their different ideas opinions and cultures
• You are flexible and can adapt well to changing priorities

Our offer

• Full or part-time (80%) appointment as a software developer at VIB a highly ranked research institute with a competitive pay scale and benefits (health insurance sports facilities)
• State-of-the-art infrastructure
• A varied work schedule with significant autonomy over how you plan your day
• An ability to progress in your work taking on more technical and challenging tasks as you grow in your role
• Job is available immediately starting date is negotiable
• Various training opportunities to broaden your skills
• This role is part of a 3-year project with the possibility of extension.

How to apply

Please complete the online application procedure ( and include a detailed CV a reference letter and a motivation letter.

For further information and questions please send an email to Yvan Saeys ().