Bioinformatics Analyst I/II - MoCha

Job ID: req3417
Employee Type: exempt full-time
Division: Clinical Research Program
Facility: Frederick: Ft Detrick
Location: PO Box B, Frederick, MD 21702 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 Molecular Characterization Laboratory (MoCha) is part of Leidos Biomedical Research’s Clinical Research Directorate (CRD) at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. The MoCha Laboratory is responsible for providing high-level research in support of the NCI-Cancer Diagnostics Program (CDP) within the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD). MoCha’s major activities include development and application of genomic assay platforms for use in DCTD-sponsored national clinical trials and preclinical studies.

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES

The Bioinformatics Analyst serves as the technical authority on computational issues related to the assigned projects/programs. In this role, he/she will validate and maintain genomic analysis pipelines for exome, whole genome and RNA-seq data generated from the MoCha lab and/or collaborator(s) and help provide biological interpretation of the genomic analysis to advance the understanding of cancer. This position will also be responsible for the organization and management of large genomic datasets, and the integration of data from multiple sources. He/She may supervise and collaborate with other bioinformatics team members to ensure the quality of work and the prioritization of projects to meet deadlines. This position interacts with management to define strategies for genomic data analysis including hypothesis generation and testing of predictive biomarkers of drug response. The position also interacts extensively with intramural laboratories at the NIH and extramural scientists. He/She is also responsible for generating scientific opinions, identifying potential resources or constraints, and proposing strategies for exploiting available databases and program data generated at the molecular and cellular levels.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered for this position, you must minimally meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below:

Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or four (4) years of experience in lieu of degree
Foreign degrees must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency
- Bioinformatics Analyst I: No experience is required beyond a Bachelor's degree
- Bioinformatics Analyst II: In addition to the education requirements, a minimum of two (2) years of related computational experience in a biological/medical research laboratory environment with a strong background in bioinformatics application development is required
Both levels require that the candidate possess experience in analysis of next generation sequencing (NGS) data (including quality metrics, mapping, variant calling, quantitation of gene expression and biological interpretation)
Familiarity with NGS workflow language (e.g., Snakemake, Nextflow, etc.)
Experience in analysis of large genomic data sets including integration with data available from public or private sources
Hands-on experience in data processing and analyzing sequencing and expression and other array data including quality and biological assessment
Experience in a computer cluster environment
Proficiency in bash shell scripting and in one or more of the programming languages such as R, C/C++, PYTHON, PERL, JAVA, SQL
Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills and experience or interest in working in a multidisciplinary team setting
Experience and demonstrated success in a team-oriented environment and excellent communication skills (written and oral)
This position is essential to the success of MoCha and on-site presence in Frederick, MD and occasionally in Shady Grove (Rockville, MD) is required
Must be able to obtainin a Public Trust Clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration:

Experience in algorithm development for NGS data analysis
Familiarity with publicly available Bioinformatics tools, algorithms and databases
In-depth understanding of molecular biology techniques, oncology and clinical research
Experience in data integration, database construction, application development and visualization

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

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