Shilo Titus

· Manage a staff of three Research Assistants and one consultant Bioinformatician to supply state of the art sequencing services to advance research conducted by investigators both within and external to the Department of Biochemistry.

· Lead and co-ordinate scientific staff and/or support staff within the Sequencing Facility.

· Encourage professional development of Sequencing Facility team members through the promotion of self-learning, formal courses, and broadening skill sets through hands-on experience.

· Lead and co-ordinate projects where appropriate.

· Ensure appropriate compliance with University guidelines and standards for the provision of services.

· Participate in the provision of appropriate statistical and management information.

· Participate in local and national professional training and take part in continual education.

· Recruitment, including shortlisting, interviewing and selection of Facility staff.

· Maintain web-based databases for managing and tracking ongoing and new projects and staff holidays.

· Maintain current excellent service quality and rapid turnaround times, troubleshoot all strategic, scientific and operational issues.

· Produce three-year Facility review progress report and service plan for presentation to the Departmental Strategy committee.

· Chair the Facility’s Network User Group to help develop the long-term operational direction of the Facility, and keep the Facility's marketing strategy and customer base under review.

· Develop and introduce new ideas and methods according to service requirements.

· Attend conferences/user meetings to establish new contacts and stay abreast of new developments.

· Set costings for the service portfolio.

· Negotiate all new equipment purchases and service contracts on both new and existing platforms.

· Ensure all customers (internal and external) are aware of VAT requirements and that project quotations are issued as required.

· Develop and maintain appropriate targets for quality of service provided, turnaround times and equipment.

• Significant experience of DNA sequencing operations in a sequencing facility and/or delivering data for high profile projects.
• Competent in the operation and data management requirements of both Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing platforms.
• Experience of project planning, delivery and budgeting and the successful delivery of sequencing projects for facility users.
• Specialist knowledge of a cost-recovery service operation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience in working as part of a senior team and in managing teams of staff undertaking specialist tasks.
• Able to communicate, influence and work cooperatively with scientists from a range of disciplines and at multiple levels.
• Negotiation and mediation skills.
• Experience of dealing with customer feedback.
• Excellent organization and time management skills.
• Superior verbal and written communications skills.

· Managing Next-Generation DNA sequencing projects, liaising with and advising customers both academic and from industry including initial project design, library preparation and sequencing to data analysis and advice upon completion.

· Running Roche/454 GS FLX+ and Roche/454 Junior instruments, extensive Shotgun and Long Paired End Library preparation and sequencing experience.

· Extensive use of GS DeNovoAssembler and GS Amplicon Variant Analysis software.

· Running Illumina MiSeq and Illumina NextSeq500 instruments, extensive Nextera, Nextera Mate-Pair, TruSeq Nano, TruSeq PCR-Free and TruSeq Stranded RNA Library preparation and sequencing experience.

· Extensive use of Illumina's BaseSpace, MiSeq Reporter and Bcl2FASTQ software.

· Analysis and interpretation of all sequencing data from various projects including DNA-Seq, RNA-Seq, Methyl-Seq, metagenomic and cosmid sequencing and the assembly of sequencing results after shotgun sequencing using specialized Linux computer programmes, DNAStar, PhredPhrap, Consed as well as in-house developed NGS Data analysis tools, with particular experience of Actinomycete genome assemblies.

· Experience using liquid handling automation (Perkin-Elmer NGS-Express) with three different NGS assays.

· Responsible for NGS Sequencing instrument and run performance troubleshooting as well as reagent ordering and stock level maintenance.

· 4.5 years experience managing technical staff.

· Creation and maintenance of the Leadlay Research Group’s web site and local intranet.

• Maintain Streptomyces and E. coli bacterial strain collection for the Leadlay research group.
• Respond to requests from external researchers for strain collection samples, provide viable lyophilised samples along with all relevant information regarding reculturing and maintenance.
• Maintain relevant lab supplies and ensure lab is clean and orderly.
  Provide chemical- and electro-competent cells for the Leadlay group.
• Respond to lab member requests for antibiotic and specialised growth media and plates.
• Ensure lab members adhere to relevant safety guidelines.