TLDR: 2 job descriptions and how to apply to join the link23 team between now and the spring can be found here
Our Genomics theme is currently setting up its first major project (link23) and we've been lucky enough to secure funding from the Alan Turing Institute to support in the set up, design and first phase of implementation.
We're looking to bring in 2 folks on a fixed-term, part-time, freelance basis between now and April/May.
But first! More information on our Genomics theme, and specifically what the link23 project is all about.
To date, studies of human genetics have largely focused on populations from European ancestries, which has contributed to a world where the benefits of genomic healthcare are not shared equally. The overrepresentation of populations from ‘WEIRD’ societies (Western, Education, Industrialised, Rich and Democratic) in genomic databases has resulted in the misdiagnosis of gene-disease relationships, limited the generalisability of findings from genomic research, and reduced the evidence base for translating these findings into clinical care for all populations.
To address this historical gap, we must all collaborate more effectively to work across the whole pipeline of genomic research and health care delivery, from the populations we work with and the data we collect, to the analyses we carry out and the availability of genetic testing. We expect this to increase our understanding of human history, biology, and health disparities, as well as discoveries relevant for health care delivery.
The Genomics theme in DSxHE is hosting link23, an initiative which will focus on ensuring best practice in improving genomic data diversity is being curated, developed and shared across the global genomic ecosystem. From developing sub-population reference genomes, to understanding how to best work with historically excluded communities to improve trust and encourage better engagement in sequencing initiatives. link23 wants to make genomic tools work for everyone.
Here's an overview of the 2 roles:
Open Source Tools Support (link)
Be the key technical and product support for link23 – www.link23.world as it gets up and running
Source and curate existing tools, software, handbooks by reviewing the literature, GitHub and websites
Oversee standards, quality, version control and approvals for all tools, products and handbooks contributed to the initiative
Champion, support and advise on open source, open licensing, open APIs and best practice
Set up mechanisms for supporting the development, maintenance, and adoption of open source solutions and practice in organisations across the global genomic ecosystem
Help make it easy for genomic, data, and healthcare organisations and institutions to implement reusable, open source solutions developed through the initiative by supporting in training and translation
Work with the initiative teams and contributors to publish and maintain code, ensure it is reproducible and ensure any process documents adhere to a standard
Foster a community of contributors and collaborators online to work on, improve and adopt openly available solutions
Work with the link23 Community Manager to foster effective, collaborative environments
Partnership & Community Support (link)
Support the link23 Community Manager to catalyse connections and collaboration between researchers, participants and community groups working on different areas. This could come in the form of synchronous regular meetings or it could occur asynchronously, for example, through active engagement on distributed communication channels such as Slack and the maintenance of public and private GitHub repositories to document the ongoing work within the projects and themes.
Be an active contributor to link23 by identifying gaps in the current material, writing new content, reviewing existing sections and contributing to the design of governance and decision making processes.
Help to implement policies and processes during the early stages of link23’s design, to ensure the genomic science communities demonstrate the highest standards of fair, ethical, inclusive and collaborative data science in their work.
Design, organise and facilitate innovative, inclusive events - remote and in person - for a broad range of community members and collaborators. These can range from small group focused meetings, through team 'coffee chats' to build community, informal mentorship and training, to collaborative contribution events such as hackathons, documentation sprints, or design scoping workshops.
Support in developing robust, meaningful partners (more information on what it means to be a partner can be found here) for link23, particularly identifying challenges to work on and collaboratively scoping these.
Please note, that Genomics England ltd will be the legal entity you will enter into a contract with.
Start date - ASAP! We'll be reviewing applications on a rolling basis.
Any questions, email the Genomics theme/link23 Community Manager - Marie Nugent at marie.nugent@genomicsengland.co.uk