Bioinformatics Analyst

The Bioinformatics Analyst is responsible for modifying and operating data analysis pipelines under direct supervision. Works closely with senior analysts and scientists to generate/provide analysis results and reports, project reports and perform requested custom analyses.

The Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Laboratory in the Department of Host-Microbe Interactions (HMI) at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital is looking for a Bioinformatics Analyst to develop tools and perform analysis of microbial and host omics data, with a significant focus on comparative analysis of bacterial, viral, and fungal pathogen genomic datasets.

The successful candidate will join a team of core Bioinformaticians to provide cutting-edge microbial genomics and bioinformatics support, helping researchers address biological research questions in the HMI department and the Center for Infectious Diseases Research (CIDR). As a Bioinformatics Analyst, you will perform data analysis and interpretation, 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, proposing solutions, and providing informative feedback, progress reports, and summaries to the line manager and principal investigators.

The Microbial Computational Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Laboratory will provide a highly collaborative and interactive environment that brings together researchers from 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 contribute to high-impact research and co-author publications. This position offers an excellent opportunity to join a bioinformatics core team conducting cutting-edge microbial omics and bioinformatics research and supporting researchers within the HMI department and CIDR, and contributing to the broader 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:

– Experience and keen interest in analyzing diverse microbial omics datasets, including whole genome sequencing, phylogenomic, transcriptomic, metagenomic, and transposon sequencing for microbial pathogens, especially bacteria, viruses, and fungal pathogens.

– 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, data visualization, scripting/programming languages, and database software, preferably in a Linux environment.

– Experience using HPC workload management software, including SLURM and LSF.

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

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

– Resilience, problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and ability to work collaboratively in a team environment under direction as well as 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, and flexible to provide support/expertise where needed.

Job Responsibilities:

• Evaluate data for quality assurance and mine relevant (e.g., bioinformatics, biomedical, cheminformatics) databases.
• Perform basic analysis, algorithm implementation, programming, and quality check on data to be loaded into biomedical database.
• Assist in adopting new and improved tools and web-based applications.
• Assist in the evaluation of products and solutions pertaining to St. Jude's technology needs, in maintaining databases or data warehouse and project reports.
• Work with stakeholder s(e.g., HPFC, IS, vendors) to ensure tools are up to date and maintain databases.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance.

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 preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum Requirement: 2+ years of relevant experience required.
• Experience Exception: Master's degree and no experience.
• 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 $65,520 - $114,400 per year for the role of Bioinformatics Analyst.

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