Job Description

Closing Date 2025/12/21
Reference Number CAP251212-1
Job Title Bioinformatics Scientist
Site Doris Duke Medical Research Institute (DDMRI)
Job Type Classification 2 Year Fixed Term Contract
Location - Town / City Durban
Location - Province KwaZulu-Natal
Location - Country South Africa

CAPRISA is an award-winning global research organisation located on the campus of the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine in Durban, South Africa and undertakes research in HIV, TB and COVID at four clinical research sites in KwaZulu Natal.
CAPRISA's goal is to undertake globally relevant and locally responsive research that contributes to understanding HIV Vaccines and Pathogenesis, Prevention and Epidemiology, the links between Tuberculosis and AIDS treatment and COVID-19. CAPRISA is a UNAIDS Collaborating Centre for HIV Research and Policy and is recognised as a DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in HIV Prevention and hosts the SAMRC HIV-TB Pathogenesis and Treatment Research Unit.
CAPRISA is seeking to appoint an experienced Bioinformatics Scientist to lead and support high-impact research that underpins CAPRISA's clinical trial and translational research agenda. The successful candidate will be based at the CAPRISA Doris Duke Medical Research Institute in Durban and will play a central role in driving scientific discovery, supporting multi-omics research and ensuring high-quality data generation and analysis. This role requires scientific leadership, strong analytical skills and the ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.
Minimum Requirements

• PhD in Biological Sciences, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or a related field.
• Demonstrate expertise in genomics and bioinformatics experience at a PhD level.
• Strong background in viral, bacterial and human genome analysis, including familiarity with next-generation sequencing platforms and computational workflows.
• Advanced proficiency in data analysis using R, Phyton, JAVA or other biostatistical or programming languages.
• Proven publication record and experience contributing to or lead grant applications.
• Experience in supervising and/or mentoring postgraduate students and junior researchers.

Personal Qualities and Competencies

• Strong attention to detail with excellent analytical skills.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Capacity to work under pressure in a dynamic, changing environment.
• Proven ability to work independently and collaboratively across diverse teams and institutions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, as well as interpersonal skills.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development and execution of genomics and bioinformatics analyses supporting CAPRISA's clinical trials and cohort studies (including host, viral, bacterial, and metagenomic datasets).
• Ensure all analyses meet rigorous scientific, ethical, and data governance standards.
• Develop, optimise, and maintaiin computational pipelines for multi-omics data, including 16S/shotgun metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and viral genomics.
• Provide bioinformatics support for manuscript development, grant applications, proposal writing, and scientific presentations.
• Work collaboratively with laboratory scientists, clinicians, epidemiologists, and data science teams to generate integrated biological insights.
• Perform high-level data management, curation, QC, and statistical modelling using R, Python, Java, or similar analytical frameworks.
• Supervise, mentor and support postgraduate students and junior scientists in bioinformatics and computational biology.
• Contribute to scientific leadership withing CAPRISA, including participation iin working groups, capacity-building initiatives, and innovation platforms.

Skills Required