RISE Bioinformatician or Computational Biologist

at  Penn State University

JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

The Institute for Computational and Data Sciences (ICDS) at Penn State is seeking a Bioinformatician or Computational Biologist for their Research Innovations with Scientists and Engineers (RISE) Engagement team. You will be an integral contributor to a fast-paced and growing team of specialists supported by an exciting, ongoing $125 million Penn State investment in ICDS cyber-ecosystem, called “Roar”. With ICDS, our RISE team members have the unique opportunity to support and participate in groundbreaking academic research at Penn State. This position will primarily focus on supporting a new interdisciplinary center, which sits at the intersection of Data Sciences and Molecular and Cellular Sciences. The center will serve as a leader in integrating various publicly accessible data sets, which diverse teams of scientists will synthesize to answer cutting-edge questions.
Work Arrangement: This position has the potential to be a hybrid of remote and on-site work, with a minimum of 3 days per week on-site. This position may not be supportive of 100% remote work.
This is a limited-term position funded for 3 years from the start date, with excellent chances of renewal.

As a RISE Bioinformatician or Computational Biologist, you would have the following responsibilities :

• Provide technical expertise in the wrangling, harmonizing, and standardizing of existing biological datasets. Implement comprehensive quality control measures to ensure data accuracy and consistency.
• Formulate and define the scope, objectives, and detailed specifications for bioinformatics projects. Collaborate with researchers to understand their data requirements and design custom solutions.
• Offer guidance and support on the selection and application of bioinformatics and computational biology tools and pipelines for data analysis that follow open and reproducible science best practices. Develop and maintain quality assurance protocols for workflows to guarantee the reliability and reproducibility of results.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in bioinformatics, computational biology, and available biological datasets.
• Work with the center project manager, scientific working groups, and graduate students to deliver work products on time and to predefined specifications.
• Project manage graduate students who will work with you to support data science efforts.

Education and Experience: This position will be filled at an Intermediate or Advanced Professional level, depending on the successful candidate’s experience and education or an equivalent combination.

• Minimum education and experience are a Bachelor’s degree in Computational Biology or Bioinformatics, and 1+ years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Candidates with a PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related discipline and 3+ years of experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience are strongly preferred.
• Advanced expertise in Python and/or R for complex data analysis, scripting, and statistical modeling. Additional proficiency in languages like Perl or C++ is beneficial for systems-level bioinformatics applications.
• Mastery in using bioinformatics or computational biology software (like BLAST, GATK, Bioconductor).
• Experience in working with large-scale biological databases using SQL or NoSQL, with strong skills in big data analytics, ETL processes, and the ability to extract meaningful insights from complex datasets.
• Understanding of genetic principles, molecular biology techniques, and genomic databases.
• Familiarity with next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, its analysis, and interpretation.
• Practical experience with any of the following datasets: XL-MS (PRIDE), AlphaFold (EBI), M.S.A., DMS (MAVE), P.P.I. (STRINGS), Metabolic networks (KEGG), Expression (GEO, SRA), Seq-methods (e.g., Hi-C, CRISPRi, etc.)

IN ADDITION, OUR DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO THE FOLLOWING:

• Proven track record of publications in peer-reviewed journals and/or conference proceedings, demonstrating significant contributions to the field.
• Expertise in machine learning algorithms for pattern recognition and predictive modeling in biological data.
• Experience developing new bioinformatics tools as dictated by research needs.
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) environments, parallel computing, and cloud-based computational resources.
• Experience with software containerization, workflow management systems, and adherence to open and reproducible science practices.
• Proficiency in creating sophisticated data visualizations to represent complex biological data and trends.
  Candidates must also have impeccable ethics and integrity with a strong work ethic, strong interpersonal and written skills, and the ability to work well in a team environment.

• Provide technical expertise in the wrangling, harmonizing, and standardizing of existing biological datasets. Implement comprehensive quality control measures to ensure data accuracy and consistency.
• Formulate and define the scope, objectives, and detailed specifications for bioinformatics projects. Collaborate with researchers to understand their data requirements and design custom solutions.
• Offer guidance and support on the selection and application of bioinformatics and computational biology tools and pipelines for data analysis that follow open and reproducible science best practices. Develop and maintain quality assurance protocols for workflows to guarantee the reliability and reproducibility of results.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in bioinformatics, computational biology, and available biological datasets.
• Work with the center project manager, scientific working groups, and graduate students to deliver work products on time and to predefined specifications.
• Project manage graduate students who will work with you to support data science efforts