Senior Bioinformatics Scientist

About Plasmidsaurus

Plasmidsaurus is on a mission to accelerate new cures and promote a healthier planet by unlocking a new level of productivity for scientists who use DNA tools to bring their ideas to life. Our DNA sequencing tools are used daily by thousands of innovators, including Nobel prize winners, dynamic biotech startups, research labs, and DIY biohackers. Our global network of labs operates day and night to enable world-changing discoveries. In 2024, we saved these scientists 2 million hours of time, radically accelerating their research. Every team member at Plasmidsaurus plays a crucial role in driving forward the future of biotech research.

Job Summary

As a Senior Bioinformatics Scientist on our energetic software team, you will bring your creative mind and passion to help us build incredible tools driving science forward world wide. You will use a deep scientific knowledge and engineering mindset to design, develop and improve sequence analysis workflows used to process thousands of samples per day. Working with a team of scientists, bioinformaticians, and software engineers you will collaborate to develop new products, improve existing processes, and provide leadership in a fun and creative environment. In this job you will:

• Build blazing fast, state-of-the-art bioinformatics workflows, fueling faster, smarter science with every run.

• Stay curious — explore cutting-edge bioinformatics tools, finding creative ways to make them shine in real-world workflows.

• Hunt down bugs, troubleshoot edge cases, and tame the chaos of real-world sequencing data — from tricky biological artifacts to unexpected platform quirks.

• Use your awesome engineering skills to make our pipelines stronger, faster, and smarter.

• Engage your product sense to turn raw bioinformatics outputs into clear actionable reports, data visualizations, and interactive web tools.

• Be a leader - bring your unique knowledge and skills, mentor team members, and grow your own skillset.

Qualifications

• Education and Experience: PhD in biological science, +8 years of developing production bioinformatics pipelines

• Required Qualifications:

  • Bioinformatics

    • Deep expertise analyzing bulk/single-cell RNAseq data, performing differential gene expression and similar with SOTA tools

    • Background in assay development, large scale genomics analysis, or quality control for high-throughput sequencing data

    • Significant experience developing production-level Snakemake (or Nextflow) bioinformatics pipelines, using local and cloud-base deployments.

    • Demonstrated knowledge of core bioinformatics principles and theory, particularly with sequence analysis such as alignment and assembly.

    • Strong understanding of molecular biology and sequencing technologies. Experience with Oxford Nanopore and Illumina sequencing

    • Experience with common public genomic data repositories

  • Software Development

    • Proficiency in Python, including familiarity with data analysis libraries (e.g., numpy, pandas, Jupyter notebooks, biopython) and package management tools like Conda

    • Docker / Apptainer / Singularity

    • Git + GitHub

    • Proficiency developing intuitive web tools for bioinformatics analysis/reporting (i.e. R shiny, Streamlit, etc.)

    • Linux shell scripting

    • Ability to write clean, maintainable, and production-ready code

    • Hands-on experience with large-scale genomic data processing and storage solutions

• Preferred Qualifications:

  • Developing performant software with a compiled language (C++, Rust, etc)

  • Strong interest in developing intuitive data visualizations

  • 1+ year of experience in molecular biology wetlab

  • Demonstrated ability of developing novel bioinformatics algorithms

Compensation & Benefits

• Employee Stock Options

• 4 Weeks Paid Time Off + 10 Paid Holidays

• Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance

• 401(k) with Matching

• Plus: Life Insurance, Mental Health Coverage, Health Advocate, and Gym Membership

Why Plasmidsaurus?

• IMPACT: Your work will directly contribute to accelerating biotech research. This research is one of humanity’s most powerful tools for stopping climate change and developing novel therapies.

• INNOVATION: Work on the cutting edge of biotech and software, introducing indispensable tools to top-tier researchers.

• COMMUNITY: Join a passionate, scrappy team that values close, interactive relationships with our customers and each other.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't perfectly align with the job description as we seek out diverse and creative perspectives. Team members who love to learn and collaborate in an inclusive environment will thrive with us. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please let us know at [email protected].