Overview
Senior Researcher (Bioinformatician) Jobs in Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa at Stellenbosch University
Title: Senior Researcher (Bioinformatician)
Company: Stellenbosch University
Location: Stellenbosch, Western Cape, South Africa
Department Description/Departement Beskrywing Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics
Senior Researcher (Bioinformatician) (Post Level 7)
(Tygerberg Campus)
Ref. TGB02/159/0626
We are seeking an exceptional candidate for the position of Senior Researcher in Bioinformatics to join our Bioinformatics Research Unit. The incumbent will contribute to teaching, research, and service within our dynamic Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU). This role offers a unique opportunity to develop innovative bioinformatics programmes and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams. We engage in a diverse range of bioinformatics research, including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and immunology. Research topics vary from tuberculosis (including pathogen-focused and human-focused research), trypanosomiasis and the human microbiome, to respiratory viruses and human genetic disorders. The Bioinformatics Research Unit assists researchers across these disciplines to plan projects and analyse complex data as well as undertaking some pure bioinformatics projects.
Duties/Pligte
- Teaching: Developing and teaching honours and masters courses in bioinformatics.
- Research: Conducting high-quality research in bioinformatics, securing external funding, publishing scholarly articles, and supervising postgraduate students up to PhD level.
- Service: Participating in departmental activities such as curriculum development, advising students, and serving on committees
Job Requirements/Pos Vereistes
- PhD in bioinformatics or a related field (e.g. computer science with a focus on biological applications).
- At least five years' post-PhD experience in the field of bioinformatics.
- Proven ability to teach bioinformatics courses effectively at postgraduate level.
- Experience of supervising postgraduate students for thesis projects.
- A strong record of peer-reviewed publications in top-tier journals related to bioinformatics or biomedical research.
- Demonstrated ability to secure external grants for research projects.
- Experience of working with researchers from diverse backgrounds (biology, computer science, statistics).
- Proficiency in programming languages such as Python or R.
- Strong background in statistical analysis techniques relevant to biological data interpretation.
- Proven experience in processing and analysing high-dimensional data.
- Non-South Africans must be able to obtain a valid work permit within a reasonable time.
Recommendation/Aanbeveling
- Familiarity with cloud computing platforms.
- Expertise in bacterial genetics.
- Expertise in human genetics.
- Experience of machine learning techniques applied to biological data.
- Experience in deep learning techniques.
How To Apply/Hoe Om Aansoek Te Doen
#PAS
The University is committed to employment equity (EE), and appointments will be made in line with the institutional EE Plan.
Stellenbosch University reserves the right not to make an appointment.
Your application, comprising a comprehensive curriculum vitae (including the names and email addresses of at least three references), must reach the University before or on the closing date in the advertisement.
Apply online at https://www.su.ac.za/en/careers-su by clicking "Apply now" at the top to the right of the page for the specific vacancy.
The University reserves the right to investigate qualifications and conduct background checks on all candidates.
If you have received no feedback from the University after four to six weeks of the closing date, kindly accept that your application was unsuccessful.
Enquiries/Navrae
Enquiries about this post: Prof Gian van der Spuy on 021 938 9949, or at [email protected]
Enquiries about remuneration/benefits and technical assistance with the electronic application process: Human Resources Client Services Centre, on 021 808 2753 (Stellenbosch), or 021 938 9636 (Tygerberg), or at [email protected]
CurrencyZAR Commencement Date01-Oct-2026 Closing Date22-Jul-2026 Amount of Travel Work At Home
