Bioinformatics Analyst

Bioinformatics Analyst

Job ID: req2548
Employee Type: exempt full-time
Division: Bioinformatics and Computational Science
Facility: NIH
Location: NIH Campus 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA

The Frederick National Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.  The lab addresses some of the most urgent and intractable problems in the biomedical sciences in cancer and AIDS, drug development and first-in-human clinical trials, applications of nanotechnology in medicine, and rapid response to emerging threats of infectious diseases.

Accountability, Compassion, Collaboration, Dedication, Integrity and Versatility; it's the FNL way.

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 biomedical informatics and data science by developing and applying world leading data science and computing technologies to basic and applied biomedical research challenges, supporting critical operations, developing and delivering national data resources, and employing leading-edge software and data science. 

The Advanced Biomedical and Computational Science (ABCS) group is a part of BACS within Leidos Biomedical Research as a technological hub of translational scientists with expertise in structural biology, biology, chemistry, imaging, and informatics. 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 work for this position supports NCI/CCR’s Vaccine Branch. The Branch conducts a program of clinical and laboratory research designed to 1) elucidate basic mechanisms of immune response and molecular virology, and 2) apply these to the design and development of vaccines and immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment of cancer and AIDS, as well as viruses that cause cancer. 

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES   

This position may be filled by a Bioinformatics Analyst II/III: 

• Develop, manage and maintain Data Management pipelines for next-generation sequencing data generated across multiple labs within the Vaccine Branch (including but not limited to transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenetic data, microbiome 16S RNA) 
• Collect and review data; analyze and interpret data and results; provide reports based on analysis of scientific data, and reporting research outcomes to make recommendations for future work 
• Work in conjunction with the CCR Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource (CCBR) team to adopt best practices for analysis of various NGS data 
• Work with staff on data visualization to support the preparation of presentations and manuscripts for submission to scientific journals 
• Consult with members of the Vaccine Branch to guide experimental design, carrying out primary/secondary data analysis on generated data 
• Direct users to existing bioinformatics tools maintained or licensed by CCR 
• Liaison between the Vaccine Branch and CCR-IT to resolve network and other IT issues pertaining to the operational integrity of the Branch’s software and hardware 
• Assist PIs in submitting data to public genomic databases, such as GEO, 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 (NGS); process data in a batch mode 
• Perform biological sequence analysis/assembly and public genome databases 
• Train Postdocs and other staff to use NGS and other genomic analysis tools 
• Advise Vaccine Branch researchers about available data analysis pipelines 
• Attend branch and lab meetings, and provide guidance and inputs on expt. design and accurate statistical inference 

Candidates selected for interview will be requested to provide a GitHub repository or samples of code snippets for evaluation. The Bioinformatics Analyst II/ III 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.   

BASIC 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) in Computer Science, Math or Biomedical Science related field or four (4) years relevant experience in lieu of degree.  Foreign degrees must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency 

• Bioinformatics Analyst II - In addition to the education requirement, a minimum of two (2) years of progressively responsible experience  
• Bioinformatics Analyst III - In addition to the education requirement, a minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience 

• Experience in bioinformatics, computational biology or cancer genomics 
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance 

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS 

Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration:  

• Master’s or PhD in a Biomedical field 
• Research knowledge of immunology, virology, or related field 
• Leadership characteristics – Able to mentor and direct postdoctoral fellows and trainees in bioinformatics 

EXPECTED COMPETENCIES  

• Good understanding of Next Generation Sequencing Data Analysis 
• Good understanding of computer functionality and operation (PC/MAC and Linux) 
• Experience working in a Linux environment 
• Experience in at least two of the following areas: exome or panel sequencing, RNA-Seq, Whole genome sequencing, copy number analyses, gene expression data 
• Ability and experience in designing and creating bioinformatics pipelines for genomics analysis 
• Experience evaluating and comparing different computational pipelines for alignment, variant calling, and functional annotation 
• Strong communications skills, both oral and written 
• Excellent organizational and time management skills 
• Ability to work independently to achieve desired goals based on a broad description of the issues and clear definition of the required outcome 

Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE) | Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran (M/F/D/V) | Drug Free Workplace (DFW)

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