Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist – Microbial Genomics

The Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist performs data analysis, data visualization, statistical analysis, experimental design, database development, mathematical modeling, and novel method development. Provides bioinformatics analysis for investigators and communicates analytical process and results.

The recently established Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory in the new Department of Host-Microbe Interactions (HMI) at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital is looking for a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist to work on the analysis of microbial and host omics datasets, with a significant focus on comparative analysis of bacterial and viral genomic datasets.

The Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory provides HMI and Center for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR) faculty with top-notch computational biology core support for omics projects and analyses, especially genomics and transcriptomics. Our team collaborates with and provides support to researchers within the HMI and other departments, including Infectious Diseases, through CIDR to provide study design and analysis support at different stages of their research, from study conception and design, data analysis and interpretation for dissemination via talks and manuscripts, and contributing to grant proposals and manuscripts as authors or co-authors. We aim to become a leading team conducting cutting-edge microbial omics and bioinformatics research and supporting researchers within HMI, CIDR, and beyond. The laboratory is a significant initiative backed by substantial support as a part of our institutional strategic plan. The team is fully integrated in research in microbial evolution, microbial pathogenesis, virology, the microbiome, computational biology, and data sciences at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The successful candidate will join a team of Bioinformaticians and will work with other groups at St. Jude, including clinicians, basic scientists, and data scientists, to establish pipelines, analytical approaches, and best practices to facilitate data processing and analysis of microbial and host omics datasets. As a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist, you will perform data analysis, develop bioinformatics pipelines and analytical solutions, and play an integral role in research partnerships to explore the application of bioinformatics to omics datasets to support the needs of researchers in the HMI department, the CIDR, within the wider St Jude community, and with external collaborators beyond St Jude. The candidate will be required to follow and adhere to best practices in project management through efficient planning of projects and formulating specific milestones of research goals, monitoring of progress, anticipating and identifying barriers to success and proposing solutions, and providing informative feedback, progress reports, and summaries to the Director of the Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory and principal investigators within HMI and CIDR. The position will report to the Director of the Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory.

The Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory will provide a highly collaborative and interactive environment with researchers within HMI, CIDR, and beyond. The successful candidate will have access to the state-of-the-art St Jude high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure, cloud computing, and innovative tools and datasets. There will be opportunities to advance scientifically through authorships of high-profile papers depending on their specific intellectual contributions. This is an excellent position to join a newly established laboratory core team to conduct cutting-edge microbial omics and bioinformatics research and support researchers within HMI, CIDR, and St Jude to contribute to the mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to advance cures and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.

The ideal candidate should have:

– A PhD and extensive experience in microbial bioinformatics, computational biology, and data science, with practical experience working with microbial omics datasets and familiarity with the basic biology of microbial pathogens, especially bacteria and viruses.

– A CV with a strong publication record in bioinformatics, computational biology, and data science, mainly focusing on microbial pathogens.

– Experience and keen interest in analyzing diverse and large-scale datasets, including whole genome sequencing, phylogenomics, transcriptomics (bulk and single-cell), metagenomics (16S rRNA and shotgun sequencing), transposon sequencing (Tn-seq), and metatranscriptomics using short and long-read sequencing data.

– Knowledge of other bioinformatics skills such as genome annotation, DNA methylation analysis, protein structure modeling, metabolomics, and proteomic data analysis will be an added advantage.

– Proficient in statistical analysis and working with statistical software (e.g., R), data visualization (e.g., using ggplot2, Matplotlib/Seaborn, and R Shiny), programming languages (e.g., Python), and database software (SQL or NoSQL) preferably in a Linux environment.

– Experience using High-Performance Computing (HPC) workload management software, including SLURM and LSF.

– Knowledge of software tool development and version control software, such as GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Mercurial, and Mercurial.

– A keen interest in generating reproducible code and software using workflow management systems such as Nextflow and Snakemake.

– Resilient, problem-solver, critical thinker, and able to work collaboratively in a team environment under direction and with minimal supervision.

– Excellent communication and presentation skills in biological research and bioinformatic methodology.

– Demonstrated ability to be a fast learner, motivated to continuously advance professionally and stay up-to-date with recent advances in the bioinformatics field, flexible and adaptable to change, move between projects easily, and provide support/expertise where needed.

– Previous experience working in the field of infectious diseases is preferred.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry) or related field.
• Master's degree or PhD preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum Requirement: Bachelor's degree with 7+ years of relevant post-degree work in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry).
• Experience Exception: Master's degree with 5+ years of relevant post-degree experience (OR) PhD with 2+ years of relevant post-degree experience.
• Significant experience in at least one programming or scripting language and at least one statistical package, with R preferred.

Compensation

In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $104,000 - $186,160 per year for the role of Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist – Microbial Genomics.

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St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has a diverse, global patient population and workforce, built on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our founder Danny Thomas envisioned a hospital that would treat children of the world—regardless of race, religion or a family’s ability to pay. Learn more about our history and commitment.

Today, we continue the mission to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. As we accelerate this progress globally, we believe our legacy of diversity, equity and inclusion is foundational to success. With the commitment of leaders at all levels of the organization, we strive to ensure the St. Jude culture, leadership approaches and talent processes are equitable and culturally responsive. View our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Report to learn about the hospital’s roots in diversity, equity and inclusion, where we are today and our aspirations for an even better future.

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