Population Genomics Program Lead

Population Genomics Program Lead

The Centre for Population Genomics (CPG) is a joint initiative of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI). Our mission is to harness largescale genomic andmultiomicdata to improve diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease for all Australians. We work at the intersection of academic discovery and translational genomics and focus on projects with direct pathways to clinical adoption. Weoperateunder alongtermremotefirstmodel, with afiftypersonteam distributed across Australia and New Zealand, and a culture that optimises for technical excellence andequitablerealworldimpact.

The Centre has already generated several of the largest sets of genomic and clinical data ever assembled in Australia, and has built a team of software engineers, data scientists, and specialists in community engagement and project management to drive projects focused on generating real-world scientific and clinical impact.

CPGoperatesat the interface ofcutting-edgeacademic research and industry translation. We have highly productive research partnerships with technology companies (Microsoft, Google), global pharma/biotech consortia (Open Targets, Genes & Health), and healthcare providers (e.g. the Victorian Clinical Genetics Service), with over AU$7M in industry support to date.

Our work spans three major programs:

• Rare Disease: CPG applies novel genomic and analysis methods to improve diagnosis for a national cohort of >8,000 individuals from families affected by undiagnosed geneticconditions, andhas returned >450 diagnoses to date.

• OurDNA: Community-led and grounded in deep community engagement, we are recruiting 8,000+ participants from Pacific, Southeast Asian,MiddleEasternand EastAfrican ancestries, collecting DNA, blood cells, and clinical data to build a diverse biobank and a range of large-scale, representative genomics resources.

• Population Genomics: In addition to analysis ofOurDNA, we drive genetic analysis for the TenK10K project, the world’s largest cohort with bothwholegenomeequencingandsinglecelldata, which will grow to ~10,000 individuals in 2026.

THE OPPORTUNITY

We are seeking an established scientific leader to head our Population Genomics Program. You will drive the analysis ofmultiomicdatasets fromnearly 20,000individuals (TenK10K andOurDNA) and contribute to scientific design and fund-raising for a proposed National Genomic Medicine Cohort spanning >100,000 participants. As part of CPG’s leadershipteamyou will shape strategy, influence nationalpolicyand build ahighperforming,impactfocusedculture.

This is an opportunity to take on an organisational leadership role and manage a high-performing scientific team. Further, the role is uniquely positioned to enable integration of our community engagement approach and scientific work, a critical factor to our success. You will contribute to developing, publishing, and presenting world-class genomic research while enjoying freedom from teaching loads and chasing your own grants.

This role reports directly to CPG Director Daniel MacArthur, who previously led a research team at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard in Boston, USA. This team built the largest accessible dataset of human genetic variation, the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD), which is now used by clinical labs around the world to improve the diagnosis of families affected by severe genetic disease.

Salary:$200,000-$220,000+ 12% superannuation + salary packaging (depending on experience)

Employment Type: 2-year fixed-term

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS

• Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)

• Ample opportunitiesfor on-going training and development

• Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment

• Flexible work arrangements e.g. start / finish times

• 18 weeks paid parental leave for both parents including paid superannuation

• A range ofadditionalleave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, communityserviceand study leave

• Discounted Health Insurance

• Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Set the scientific vision and roadmap forpopulationscalegenomic andmultiomicanalyses across CPG programs, including theOurDNAprogram led by CPG, and the TenK10K collaboration with Joseph Powell’s team.

• Lead and mentor a distributed computational team, starting with 7–10 seniorcomputational biologists, bioinformaticians, and data managers; champion professional growth and an inclusive team culture.

• Own delivery of the geneticcomponentof the TenK10K project (10 K genomes + 10 K matched single cell transcriptomes) and multipleOurDNAmulti-omicdatasets, ensuring robust pipelines, QC, variant interpretation, andpublicationreadyresults.

• Work with theOurDNAprogram team to integrate community priorities into scientific planning and delivery, ensuring the impact ofOurDNAreflects a participatory, and co-designed approach centred aroundequitablepartnerships.

• Contribute to design, fund-raising, and launch of a new Australian National Genomic Medicine Cohort in partnership with research teams, healthcare groups, communityrepresentatives, industry partners, and national funding bodies.

• Forge external collaborations with academic, clinical, industry and Indigenous partners; represent CPG at national and international fora.

• Contribute to organisational leadership through the leadership team, contributing to strategy, budgeting, hiring, andculturesetting.

• Ensurebestpracticegovernance for data security, privacy, ethics, Indigenous data sovereignty, and work health and safety.

• Comply withGarvan’s and MCRI’s Work Health & Safety (WHS) Policy and workin accordance withthe WHS management system at all times.

• Perform other duties aligned with the scope and classification of the role asrequired.

ABOUT YOU

KNOWLEDGE,SKILLSAND QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

The key skills and experience include:

• 10+ years of experience in population genetics, statistical genetics, largescalegenomicsor a related field, including a PhD or equivalent years of experience in academia or industry.

• 5+ years leadership experience managing scientific or technical teams; able to inspire, delegate and develop talent in a remote setting.

• A genuine passion and enthusiasm for the Centre’s mission.

• Proventrack recorddeliveringhighimpactanalyses of large genomic ormultiomicdatasets (>10,000 samples).

• Proven experience bridging academic and industry environments, e.g. leading multi-partner consortia,CDx/biomarker programs, or public-private partnerships.

• Deep familiarity with modern cloud genomics workflows, opensource tools (e.g. Hail,Nextflow,Pangeo) and reproducible research practices.

• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills; able to translate complex genomic insights for clinicians, policymakers and lay audiences.

• Ability to thrive in an interdisciplinary team setting including biologists, data scientists, software engineers, community engagement specialists,operationsand project management staff.

• Ability to make strategic decisions andoperatewith substantial autonomy in complex, fastmoving environments.

• Comfortoperatingin a long-term remote-first working model, requiring a strong emphasis on strategic clarity and proactive written communication.

EXCITING PROGRAMS AND PLANS AHEAD

• TenK10K: leading the genetic analysis of a landmark dataset integratingwholegenome,wholetranscriptome, epigenomic and deep phenotype data from 10,000 Australians.

• OurDNA: building the largest nationally representative genomic cohort in Australia, spanning >8,000 individuals from under-represented Australian communities, driving new scientific discovery and contributing to moreequitablegenomic medicine.

• Rare Disease: our Rare Disease Program has assembled the largest collection of genomic data from undiagnosed genetic disease patients inAustralia, andhas applied novel genomic and analysis approaches to return more than 450 diagnoses to date. We recently secured an $8M grant to develop AI approaches to improve the accuracy and efficiency of genomic diagnosis.

• National Genomic Medicine Cohort: (pending funding) designing and building a comprehensive resource of linked genetic, multi-omic, and clinical data spanning >100,000 diverse Australians.

• Ongoing methods development in rare variant discovery,multiomicdata integration, AI-based variant interpretation, and large-scale data sharing.

CPG CULTURE

The more these values sound like you, the more likely you are to thrive at CPG:

• We remember that our data comes from people.

• We do things that matter, even if they are hard.

• We celebrate our differences.

• We support each other.

• We share accountability.

We also embrace the values of the Garvan Institute and MCRI, including innovation, collaboration, integrity, and bravery.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this position, pleasesubmityour application with a CV and cover letter as one document,statingwhy you are interested in this role including examples of impactful projects and leadership roles. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Short-listed candidates will be invited toan initialvideo interview.

We strongly encourage applications from candidates of all genders, cultures, abilities, sexualorientationsand career paths. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Māori and Pasifika candidates are especially encouraged to apply.