Job Description: Data standards and object models are being developedfor a variety of functional genomics domains. Many of these objectmodels include a reference to an ontology concept in order to provide arich set of terms for annotation. Incorporation of ontologies in theexperimental annotations will provide semantics for these biologicalfeatures relevant to the interpretation and comparison of functionalgenomics investigations.
We are looking for an ontologist to participate in the development of aFunctional Genomics Ontology (FuGO), a large internationalcollaborative effort that builds on the MGED Ontology (MO) providingterms to be used for the microarray workflow. The post holder willgather, analyze and accurately categorize biological knowledge fromdiverse functional genomics investigations, contributing to thedevelopment of ontological structures to satisfy the generalrequirement of facilitating the high-level description of aninvestigation. In particular the post holder will lead the creation ofontological structures for metabolomics applications, as part of aBBSRC e-Science Programme grant. According to the post holder's skillsand interests, the project offers the opportunity to explore knowledgeelicitation methodologies, the use of text mining technologies andgroupware tools for maintain the ontology. The project is an excitingopportunity for the post holder to work closely with the groups fromthe MGED Society, HUPO-PSI and Metabolomics Society, as well asontology engineering experts of the Ontogenesis Network.

Qualifications & Experience: A PhD and a background inComputational Linguistics or Computer Science are required. Anadditional biological or bioinformatics qualification is desirable. Theideal candidate will have experience in developing and maintainingontology structures in a team setting. OWL language and Protege toolare required, and some knowledge of XML, Perl and/or Java would beadvantageous. The position also requires familiarity with web-relatedtechnologies as well as UML and object oriented design principles.Excellent oral and written communication skills are required, as thepost holder is required to communicate effectively with users andcollaborators as well as eliciting and accurately presentinginformation. Not only must the person be able to work on a project fromstart to finish independently as well as being a part of a team, butalso (s)he must be able to readjust priorities to meet deadlines.