The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics is an internationally recognized non-profit organization, dedicated to biological and biomedical data science. Its data scientists are passionate about creating knowledge and solving complex questions in many fields, from biodiversity and evolution to medicine. They provide essential databases and software platforms as well as bioinformatics expertise and services to academic, clinical, and industry groups. SIB federates the Swiss bioinformatics community of some 800 scientists, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing. The Institute contributes to keeping Switzerland at the forefront of innovation by fostering progress in biological research and enhancing health.
Curious? Please click here to learn more about working at SIB.
Curious? Please click here to learn more about working at SIB.
To reinforce our team in Basel, Switzerland, we are seeking a
(Senior) Semantic Data Specialist
Employer
SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics
Work Location
Basel, Switzerland
Employment fraction
80% - 100%
Type of contract
permanent
Job tasks
To leverage the potential of health data for better disease prevention, improved medical practice and personalized treatments, transdisciplinary scientific research, as well as specific infrastructural efforts, are necessary. With the overall goal of the Swiss Personalized Health Network (SPHN) initiative to make health data FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable, and re-usable) and foster use and exchange of health data for research, the SIB’s Personalized Health Informatics (PHI) Group is setting up infrastructures and innovative solutions to facilitate data linkage and analysis.
The SPHN Data Coordination Center, operated by SIB’s PHI Group, is at the core of the geographically dispersed partners in Swiss hospitals and research institutions. To strengthen our Data Interoperability Team, we are seeking an experienced and motivated (Senior) Semantic Data Specialist. The ideal candidate will have a strong focus on health and health-related data, with a deep understanding of health data standards, FAIR data principles, and data reuse for research.
As a Semantic Data Specialist, you will play a critical role in advancing the state-of-the-play in health data management in Switzerland. You will have the opportunity to:
- Drive the development of the Swiss core dataset for research, in particular the semantic determination of data concepts to be included in the interoperability framework.
- Serve as a subject matter expert and primary point of contact for research projects related to medical ontologies and terminology integration.
- Advise and support stakeholders in the efficient use of the interoperability framework and its application within SPHN-funded projects, but also more broadly (e.g., with regard to medical registry data, cohort data, or data from the Federal Statistical Office).
- Create and disseminate educational and documentation materials on best practice in semantic data management, standardization, harmonization and interoperability, including presentations, user manuals, fact-sheets, reports, and website content.
Profile requirements
- Master’s degree in Medicine/Medical Informatics, Information Science, Data Management or related field, and 3 – 5 years of relevant work experience, ideally in a medical, clinical research or biomedical setting.
- Demonstrable experience in the use/development of health data standards (e.g. FHIR), ontology engineering and controlled vocabularies (e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC, HPO).
- Experience using semantic tools and technologies (e.g., SPARQL, RDF/OWL) is an asset.
- Solid understanding of the FAIR principles.
- Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, demonstrable experience in building consensus among diverse stakeholders.
- Strong interpersonal skills are a must have for this position.
- Outstanding writing and communication skills in English and ideally in one Swiss national language.
SIB offers a flexible, dynamic working environment, personal and professional development opportunities, and an excellent work-life balance in return for your work. The place of work is in Basel, in close proximity to the SBB station. More information about the PHI Group and its activities is available at:
How to apply