Job offer

We are seeking to recruit a Project Support Technician for the project 'Understanding the intermediate biological pathways that orchestrate the impact of environmental/genetic factors on brain development, and mental health trajectories' within the BITAL research group, which is part of the UOC eHealth Centre - Planetary and Human Health Research Centre of the UOC.

The mission of this role will be to identify placental DNAm patterns associated with early neurodevelopmental and mental health outcomes, as well as to develop DNAm-based predictors to detect newborns at risk of neurodevelopmental complications. As a complementary objective, we will also explore how prenatal environmental factors may be related to these placental molecular profiles. We will use high-quality placental DNAm profiles and longitudinal neurodevelopmental and mental health assessments of 480 children from the BiSC birth cohort in Barcelona, integrating comprehensive developmental evaluations between 6 and 48 months.

Responsibilities

• Data management: Collecting, versioning, and cleaning neuropsychological variables (including the refinement of new scales). Covariate integration: Merging DNA methylation data with clinical and sociodemographic factors, as well as test results, preparing datasets stratified by sex, ancestry, and socioeconomic status.

• Statistical analysis: Implementing new pipelines to detect the CpGs with the highest predictive value, applying 'stability selection' and 'lasso regression' methodologies, building GAM models and evaluating them (R², MAD); validating them internally and in an external cohort.

• Dissemination: Generating figures and tables for manuscripts, drafting methods, and preparing data packages for repositories.

• Coordination: Providing technical support to the multidisciplinary team, participating in weekly meetings, and ensuring ethical compliance (data protection).

Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field Biological sciences

Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent, Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field Medical sciences

Education Level Bachelor Degree or equivalent

Research Field Other

Education Level Master Degree or equivalent, * Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in Health Sciences (Biomedicine, Medicine, Pharmacy, Health Biology), Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Statistics/Mathematics with a biomedical orientation, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field.

• Postgraduate training or a Master's degree in Bioinformatics.
• A minimum of 2 years' experience carrying out similar duties in research or biomedical/healthcare settings.
• Knowledge of statistical analysis of biomedical data.
• Experience in the management, cleaning, and integration of complex data (clinical and/or omics).
• Basic knowledge of statistical and/or predictive models applied to health data.
• Knowledge of best practices in data management and scientific reproducibility.
• Experience in data analysis using R (intermediate level or above).
• Basic programming skills in Python or other equivalent languages.
• Experience in data management and manipulation (databases, data structuring, and cleaning).
• Familiarity with scientific computing environments and command-line tools (e.g., Linux/Unix).
• Basic knowledge of genomic/omics data analysis and the use of public databases.
• Fluent in Catalan and Spanish (spoken and written). Intermediate level of English (B1-B2), with the ability to understand scientific literature and basic writing skills.
• Ability to work in a team within multidisciplinary environments.
• Strong organisational and multitasking skills.
• Autonomy and proactivity in problem-solving.
• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to learn and adapt to new methodologies.
• Rigour in data handling and compliance with data protection regulations.

Also of interest:

• Previous experience with birth cohorts (data management of omics and demographic/clinical cohort data).
• Knowledge of the UOC's educational model, structure, systems and processes.

Languages ENGLISH

The successful candidate will be awarded a temporary full-time contract lasting 4 months. The scheduled start date is immediate., * You'll be joining an organization with an open working model that combines teleworking with working on site.

• You'll be working in an environment where everyone has equal opportunities and equal access to resources and people, regardless of their location or teleworking choices.
• You'll be provided with the computer equipment and ergonomic material you need to work both from home and on site at the UOC.
• You'll have training possibilities to continue your professional development.
• You'll finish work early on Fridays.
• You'll have 24 days of vacation, 9 personal leave days and 4 UOC holidays.
• You'll be able to work reduced summer hours (35 hours a week), subject to organizational requirements.
• You'll have well-being benefits such as activities to look after your health, a medical service, a physiotherapy service and, if required, assessment and adaptation of your workplace.

Selection process

For work on-site, the principal location will be the UOC Campus, at Rambla del Poblenou 154-156, Barcelona. At the UOC, we work with an open working model that combines remote working with work on-site, according to organizational needs and the nature of the tasks involved. About the UOC A leader in e-learning, our pioneering university is a digital native with global reach and a mandate for public service. We've been providing accredited, high-quality online education for the last 30 years, and our mission is lifelong development of people's talent. We conduct research with a transformative approach to generate social and economic impact. At the UOC, we're not all the same. And this works very much in our favour. The differences between who we are and what our experiences and ideas are make us stronger. In our mission to work with the best talent, we do all we can to ensure equal opportunities, ignoring aspects such as gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or any other physical, personal or social aspect other than merit and abilities. Likewise, we will assess any reasonable adjustments that candidates require in order to put themselves forward for the position. Contact us at seleccio@uoc.edu if, at any stage of the selection process, you need some form of adaptation. The UOC's recruitment and selection processes are based on the principles of Open, Transparent and Merit-based Recruitment (OTM-R).