Christoph Langer

Senior Bioinformatician & Tech Lead | Python, Rust, HPC | Scalable Genomic Systems & AI-Driven Image Analysis

Vienna, Vienna, Austria

About

I am a Senior Bioinformatician and Technical Lead dedicated to accelerating scientific discovery through high-performance software. With a dual foundation in Molecular Biology and Computer Science from the University of Vienna and early research experience at the Max Planck Institute in Munich, I bridge the gap between complex biological data and robust engineering. Currently, as the Senior Bioinformatician in the Gerlich Group at IMBA, I serve as the computational lead for a cross-functional team of 15. My work focuses on translating high-throughput genomics and microscopy data into biological insights by architecting advanced NGS and bioimage analysis frameworks. I am the lead developer of HiCognition, an interactive visualization and analysis engine for 3D genomics built for performance and scalability. Beyond core research, I bring robust industry experience in Software Architecture, DevOps, and AI Development. I am passionate about empowering researchers by teaching computational thinking and fostering analytical independence through modern software practices. Core Expertise: ⚙️ Engineering: Rust, Python, R, Software Architecture, DevOps 🧬 Domain: Genomics, 3D Genome Organization, Advanced Bioimage Analysis, Computer Vision ☁️ Infrastructure: High-Performance Computing (HPC), Linux, Scalable Data Systems 👥 Leadership: Agile/Scrum (PSM II Certified), Strategic Technical Direction, Mentorship Outside the lab, I am an active adventurer—you’ll often find me scuba diving, rock climbing, or ski touring. I also enjoy strategizing over complex board games, a passion I bring to solving technical challenges.

Experience

  • Senior Bioinformatician at IMBA - Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria
    Nov 2018 - Present · 7 yrs 8 mos

    • Serve as computational lead for a 15+ person research group, providing technical direction from experimental design to large-scale data analysis. • Architect and develop high-performance systems for genomic and bioimage data analysis using Python and Rust. • Design and maintain scalable HPC and cloud-based infrastructure (SLURM, Azure, JupyterHub) for large-scale biological data processing. • Co-developed HiCognition, a published interactive platform for 3D genomics data exploration and hypothesis testing. • Implement advanced image analysis and computer vision workflows for high-throughput microscopy data. • Introduced modern software engineering practices (Agile/Scrum, CI/CD, FAIR principles), improving reproducibility and code quality across the lab. • Designed and led internal training programs ("Python Club") to build computational skills across interdisciplinary teams.

  • Technical Consultant and AI Developer at MerchandAIse
    Apr 2024 - Dec 2024 · 9 mos

  • Research Software Engineer, System Admin & Teaching Assistant at University of Vienna
    Oct 2017 - Sep 2018 · 1 yr

  • Lead Backend Software Engineer at TXware Transaction Software GmbH
    Mar 2017 - Sep 2017 · 7 mos

  • Researcher at Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry
    Apr 2008 - Oct 2009 · 1 yr 7 mos