Life at Earlham Institute
We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and we want you to have the freedom to achieve your very best work here.
Our research
Research strategy Accelerating life science research and delivering global societal impact.
Explore our research
National Bioscience Research Infrastructures Access cutting-edge tools, technology and expertise to support your research
Scientific Groups Our groups work at the forefront of life science, technology development, and innovation.
Technology platforms
High-Performance Sequencing Scalable short and long-read sequencing workflows by genomics experts
Single-cell and Spatial Analysis Platforms to support single- or multi-cell analysis, from cell isolation, to library preparation, sequencing and analysis.
Earlham Biofoundry Providing expertise in synthetic biology approaches and access to laboratory automation
Tools and resources Explore our software and datasets which enable the bioscience community to do better science.
Research e-Infrastructure Expertise and support for data intensive research across the life sciences, from cloud computing to research software engineering.
Engaging with Earlham Institute Discover what we have to offer and how you can work with us.
Training and events
Events Calendar Browse through our upcoming and past events.
About our training High-quality, specialist training and development for the research community.
Year in industry Supporting undergraduate students to develop skills and experience for future career development.
Internships and opportunities Opportunities for the next generation of scientists to develop their skills and knowledge in the life sciences.
Immersive visitors A bespoke, structured training programme, engaging with the faculty, expertise and facilities at the Earlham Institute.
Salary range: £47,450 - £58,000
You will need to download, save and complete a copy of the application form using Microsoft Word or prepare a copy of your CV that contains all the information requested in the application form.
Applications are invited for a Senior Developer to join the Research Faculty at the Earlham Institute, based in Norwich, UK.Background:
Help build the platform behind some of the largest biodiversity genomics programmes ever attempted.COPO (Collaborative OPen Omics) is a Django-based metadata brokering platform developed at the Earlham Institute. It helps researchers describe, manage and publish biological data in line with the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). COPO captures standards-compliant metadata and brokers submissions to public repositories including the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA), BioSamples, Zenodo and DataCite, and packages research outputs as RO-Crates.
COPO is the metadata backbone for projects of international scientific significance, including the Darwin Tree of Life programme and Biodiversity Genomics Europe, supporting the description and submission of samples, sequencing data and derived analyses from biodiversity genomics at scale.The role:
We are seeking a talented Senior Developer to deliver the next phase of COPO's evolution.
The work will evolve COPO's existing Python/Django codebase, establishing a cleaner, more maintainable architecture with improved APIs and user-facing components. You will enhance the platform's ability to support new use cases and integrations while preserving the metadata handling excellence that makes COPO invaluable to the research community.
Working across the full technology stack, you will develop dashboards, data portals, APIs and the services that support COPO's metadata validation, curation and submission workflows. Data visualisation and API design sit at the heart of the role, transforming complex, multi-source scientific metadata into clear, reliable and well-documented interfaces that researchers can depend on.Ideal candidate:
The ideal candidate will have a degree (or equivalent professional/practical experience) in computer science, software engineering, bioinformatics or a related discipline.
You will have experience delivering full-stack web applications using modern frontend and backend technologies, with a strong track record in designing, building and documenting RESTful APIs. Comfortable working in collaborative engineering environments, you will be confident with version control, code review practices, containerisation and CI/CD workflows.
The post holder will have a talent for turning complex or ambiguous requirements into intuitive, user-focused solutions, and an appreciation of FAIR data principles, ontologies or controlled vocabularies.
Experience with data visualisation and dashboard development, scientific data or metadata standards, cloud or research-computing environments, or domains such as genomics, biodiversity or ecology would be advantageous.Additional information:
Salary on appointment will be within the range £47,450 to £58,000 per annum depending on qualifications and experience. This is a full-time post for a contract until 31 August 2028.
This role does not meet the full salary requirements set by UKVI to allow for visa sponsorship. However, some individuals may still be eligible for visa sponsorship depending on their personal circumstances. If you require visa sponsorship, please click here to find out if you qualify before applying.
Please note, the occupation code for this role is 2134, which is not on the immigration salary list.
As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.The closing date for applications will be 5 August 2026.
We believe that our people are our greatest asset, and we want you to have the freedom to achieve your very best work here.
Norwich is a city of culture, with its rich history of art and writing, as well as a city of science - hosting some of the leading centres for life science research in the world.
The behaviours and communication skills we expect from candidates.