The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is hiring a Lecturer in Bioinformatics in its School of Biomedical Sciences, part of the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine. This HKU Lecturer in Bioinformatics job is a full-time, teaching-focused post on a three-year fixed-term contract, with possible renewal, starting as soon as possible. The reference is 537614. HKU begins reviewing applications on 2 November 2026 and the advert closes on 30 November 2026 (Hong Kong time), or earlier if the post is filled.
You need a PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, biomedical data science or a related field, at least three years of relevant experience, and clear motivation for teaching. The application is short: an up-to-date CV and a teaching statement, uploaded online. HKU describes the salary as highly competitive but gives no figure. Here is what the job involves, what HKU’s benefits look like, and how to write a teaching statement that stands out.
HKU Lecturer in Bioinformatics job at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Job title | Lecturer in Bioinformatics in the School of Biomedical Sciences |
| Employer | The University of Hong Kong |
| Faculty | Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine |
| Location | Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong |
| Reference | 537614 |
| Contract | Full time, three-year fixed term, renewable |
| Start date | As soon as possible |
| Salary | Not published (“highly competitive”, based on qualifications and experience) |
| Documents | Up-to-date CV and teaching statement |
| Review starts | 2 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 30 November 2026, Hong Kong time |
Review starts 2 November
HKU starts looking at applications on 2 November 2026 and can close the post before 30 November if it finds the right person. Send your CV and teaching statement as early as you can.
What the Lecturer in Bioinformatics does
This is a teaching post. The advert lists the duties as:
- Teaching, running tutorials and demonstrations, supporting curriculum design and developing teaching materials.
- Contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in bioinformatics, biomedical sciences, biochemistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy.
- Working with a team on teaching innovation that improves student learning.
The spread of programmes is the point to notice. You would teach bioinformatics specialists, but also medical, nursing and pharmacy students who may never have written a line of code. Teaching a sequence alignment to a nursing class needs a different approach from teaching it to bioinformatics majors, and your teaching statement should show you can do both.
Where the post sits
HKU’s School of Biomedical Sciences directory listed 66 academic staff when I checked, including 15 Lecturers, 3 Principal Lecturers and 3 Assistant Lecturers alongside professors. So there is a clear teaching track in the school, and Lecturers are a large group in it. The advert doesn’t name a reporting line; in practice you would work within the school’s teaching team.
Requirements
The advert asks for:
- A PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, biomedical data science or a related discipline.
- At least three years of relevant experience.
- Demonstrated motivation for teaching and learning, especially in bioinformatics and related subjects.
- Strong communication and organisational skills.
- The ability to work independently and in a team, and to handle several tasks at once.
HKU does not split these into essential and desirable lists. Read “at least three years of relevant experience” broadly: postdoctoral work, teaching assistant roles and industry data work can all count, as long as you show how they relate to teaching bioinformatics.
Salary and benefits
HKU does not publish a salary for this post. The advert says the pay is highly competitive and depends on qualifications and experience. It also lists these benefits:
| Benefit | What the advert says |
|---|---|
| Leave | Annual leave |
| Health | Medical benefits |
| Tax | Salaries tax at current rates does not exceed 15% of gross income |
| End of contract | Contract-end gratuity plus University contribution to a retirement benefits scheme, together up to 15% of basic salary |
The tax point matters if you are coming from a high-tax country. At current rates your Hong Kong salaries tax cannot go above 15% of gross income. The gratuity is paid at the end of a satisfactory contract, so it works like a deferred bonus.
Visa sponsorship
The advert does not mention visas or right to work. If you are not a Hong Kong resident, ask HKU’s Human Resources how it handles employment visas for non-local staff once you are shortlisted, and check how long processing takes, since the start date is “as soon as possible”.
How to apply for the HKU Lecturer in Bioinformatics job
- Open the advert: go to the HKU listing (reference 537614) on HKU’s careers site or through the Times Higher Education Unijobs page.
- Create an account: HKU only takes online applications.
- Upload your CV: list teaching roles, courses, student numbers and any teaching awards alongside your research.
- Upload your teaching statement: see the structure below.
- Submit before review starts: aim for before 2 November 2026; the hard closing date is 30 November 2026.
No contact person is named in the advert, so use the HKU careers system for any questions.
About HKU and Pok Fu Lam
HKU is Hong Kong’s oldest university. Its main campus is in Pok Fu Lam, on the western side of Hong Kong Island.
| Ranking or fact | Figure |
|---|---|
| QS World University Rankings 2027 (published 18 June 2026) | 11th, the same as the year before |
| THE World University Rankings 2027 | 33rd |
| Students (THE data, 2027 edition) | 17,465 |
| International students (THE data) | 53% |
| Student-to-staff ratio (THE data) | 16.9 |
Hong Kong housing costs are the biggest item in any budget. The advert does not mention a housing allowance for this post, so ask about it at the offer stage. The low salaries tax helps balance the cost.
How to write the teaching statement
The teaching statement is half of your application, so give it real effort. Two pages is a good length. A clear structure:
- Your teaching approach: two or three principles, each tied to a real example from your teaching.
- Teaching mixed audiences: how you teach computational ideas to medical, nursing and pharmacy students, compared with bioinformatics majors.
- Course design: a course you built or changed, what you changed and what happened to student results.
- Innovation: any work on active learning, online tools, or AI in teaching, since the advert mentions pedagogical innovation.
- Plans at HKU: one or two modules you could teach and one new idea.
A sample opening, for illustration only: “The first time I taught sequence alignment to second-year nursing students, half the class had never opened a terminal, so I rebuilt the session around one real patient’s variant report and let the code come second.”
The CV
Lead with teaching: courses taught, level, class sizes, feedback scores and any teaching qualifications such as a fellowship of a higher education academy. Then add your research and publications. For a teaching post, a reader should see your teaching record on page one.
What the selection process looks like
The advert does not give a timetable. Teaching posts at Hong Kong universities usually involve a shortlist, an interview with a panel and often a teaching demonstration or trial lecture. Prepare a 15 to 20 minute sample session on a core topic, such as sequence alignment or RNA-seq analysis, pitched at medical students.
Eligibility edge cases
A PhD in statistics or computer science
Yes, if your work was in biology or medicine. The advert accepts a PhD in “a related discipline”, so a statistics PhD on genome-wide association studies or a computer science PhD on protein structure prediction fits. Spell out the biological side in your CV, because the panel will be looking for it.
Counting postdoc years as experience
The advert says “relevant experience” without defining it. Postdoctoral research in bioinformatics is relevant, and so is teaching experience during or after the PhD. If you are close to three years, list the dates clearly so nobody has to guess.
Applying with no formal teaching role
It is harder. The advert asks for “demonstrated motivation” for teaching, so you need evidence: workshops you ran, students you supervised, a Software Carpentry course you taught, or online material you created. Without any of that, I would build some teaching record first.
Preparing for a trial lecture
If HKU asks you to teach a sample session, keep it to one idea and teach it properly. For a mixed medical audience, a good choice is “how we find a disease-causing variant in a patient’s genome”, working from a real (public) dataset. Show a short live demonstration, ask the audience one question, and finish with how students would practise it afterwards. Panels for teaching posts watch how you handle questions as much as the content itself.
Common mistakes
- Sending a research-heavy CV with teaching hidden on page three.
- Writing a teaching statement full of theory with no classroom examples.
- Ignoring the non-specialist students in medicine, nursing and pharmacy.
- Applying after review has started and the shortlist is already forming.
- Assuming this is a tenure-track post. It is a three-year contract with possible renewal.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you have a PhD in a bioinformatics-related field, three or more years of experience, and you enjoy teaching. Postdocs who have taught workshops, run tutorials or designed course material are a good fit, and so are teaching fellows elsewhere looking for a move to Asia.
I would not apply if you mainly want to run a research group, because the duties here are teaching and curriculum. If research is your priority, look at HKU’s tenure-track posts instead.
Similar lecturer jobs to compare
| Role | Institution | Location | Salary | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lecturer, Medical Sciences (Immunology/Bacteriology) | University of Sydney | Sydney, Australia | AUD 132,533 + 17% super | 9 November 2026 |
| Lecturer in Bioveterinary Sciences | University of Surrey | Guildford, UK | GBP 38,448 to 46,970 | 22 November 2026 |
| Lecturer in Mathematics | Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Not stated | 4 November 2026 |
| Clinical Assistant Professor, Orthopaedics | University of Hong Kong | Hong Kong | Competitive (no figure) | 8 April 2027 |
HKU Lecturer in Bioinformatics job: FAQs
What is the deadline for the HKU Lecturer in Bioinformatics job?
The advert closes on 30 November 2026, Hong Kong time, but review starts on 2 November 2026 and the post can be filled earlier.
What is the salary of a Lecturer at HKU?
HKU has not published a figure for this post. It says the salary is highly competitive and depends on experience, with a gratuity and retirement contribution of up to 15% of basic salary.
What documents do I need for the HKU bioinformatics lecturer application?
An up-to-date CV and a teaching statement, uploaded through HKU’s online system.
Is the HKU bioinformatics lecturer post permanent?
No. It is a three-year fixed-term appointment with the possibility of renewal.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing (job 416859) and the same advert on The Chronicle of Higher Education jobs site (HKU reference 537614, advertised 20 October 2026), HKU’s School of Biomedical Sciences academic staff directory, HKU’s news release on the QS World University Rankings 2027, and the THE World University Rankings profile for HKU. Apply through HKU’s careers site. We will update this page if HKU extends or closes the post early.
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