Bioinformatics Analyst I - POB in Bethesda, MD

Description

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Frederick National Laboratory is dedicated to improving human health through the discovery and innovation in the biomedical sciences, focusing on cancer, AIDS and emerging infectious diseases.

The Bioinformatics and Computational Science (BACS) Directorate works collaboratively and helps to fulfill the mission of Frederick National Laboratory in the areas of bioinformatics and computational science by developing and applying world-leading computing technologies to basic and applied biomedical research challenges, data science, supporting critical operations, developing and delivering national data resources, and utilizing leading-edge software.

The Advanced Biomedical and Computational Science (ABCS) group is a part of BACS and serves as a hub of translational scientists with expertise in machine learning applied to the interpretation of 2D and 3D biomedical images, clinical and genomics integration, computational chemistry, protein modeling, bioinformatic analysis of omics data, and other applications of computational and data science. ABCS develops state-of-the-art technologies in large-scale data modeling, analysis, and integration and supports the scientific research at the Frederick National Lab by helping translate scientific questions to technical solutions for cancer and biomedical research.

The Pediatric Oncology Branch (POB) in the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) is dedicated to improving outcomes for children and young adults with cancer and genetic tumor predisposition syndromes. They conduct translational research that spans basic science to clinical trials. The program has a need to hire a Bioinformatics Analyst for developing data analysis pipelines as well as to perform integrated analysis of both in-house and publicly available Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) datasets. This analyst will work in close collaboration with other POB investigators, POB scientists, other bioinformatics data analysts, and external collaborators.

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The Bioinformatics Analyst I is responsible for providing collaborative bioinformatics support to the investigators in the POB and MyPART program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Key responsibilities include:

• Develop, manage, and maintain Data Management pipelines for next-generation sequencing data generated by the program (eg. genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenetic data)
• Maintain detailed documentation of pipeline runs and validation/benchmarking projects
• Collect and review data from multiple sources; analyze and interpret data and results; provide reports based on analysis of scientific data, and report research outcomes to make recommendations for future work
• Develop novel methods to analyze and interpret “omics” data for endoRBD research
• Evaluate and optimize computational methods that will improve the analysis and interpretation of genomic data
• Develop databases for collecting in-house and publicly available datasets for endoRBD research
• Work in conjunction with the CCR Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (CCBR) and ABCS team to adopt best practices for analysis of various NGS data and customize existing workflows
• Work with staff on data visualization to support the preparation of presentations and manuscripts for submission to scientific journals
• Consult with members of POB/MyPART to guide experimental design, assist PIs in submitting data to public genomic databases, such as GEO, and dbGaP, in compliance with the NIH Genomic Data Sharing Policy
• Work with staff to utilize NIH Biowulf computer clusters to process data streamed off the next generation sequencers
• Train fellows and other staff to use NGS and other genomic analysis tools
• Attend branch and lab meetings, and provide guidance and inputs on expt. design and accurate statistical inference
• Other duties as required
• The Bioinformatics Analyst I is expected to work effectively as a member of a team; coordinate activities among other groups located at the Bethesda, Frederick, Rockville, and Gaithersburg NCI campuses; follow sound scientific practices and maintain effective documentation of activities and analyses. Majority of time will be spent on the main NIH campus in Bethesda.

BASIS QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered for this position, you must minimally meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below:

• Possession of Bachelor's degree from an accredited college/university according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or four (4) years relevant experience in lieu of degree. Foreign degrees must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency   
• No work experience required with a Bachelors degree
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration:

• Possession of a Masters' or PhD degree in any quantitative science is preferred
• Two (2) years of progressively responsible experience
• Commitment to solving biological problems and communicating these solutions
• Ability to multi-task across projects
• Experience in submitting data sets to public repositories
• Management of large genomic data sets including integration with data available from public sources
• Prior customer-facing role
• Record of scientific achievements including journal publications and conference presentations