Computational Scientist - Bioinformatics

Department
 

Provost Research Computing Center

About the Department
 

The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC), a unit in the Office of Research, provides high-end research computing resources to researchers at the University of Chicago. It is dedicated to enabling research by providing access to centrally managed High-Performance Computing (HPC), storage, and visualization resources. These resources include hardware, software, high-level scientific and technical user support, and the education and training required to help researchers make full use of modern HPC technology and local and national supercomputing resources. The Office of Research oversees the conduct of sponsored research, research program development, and contract management functions.

Job Summary
 

The job administers programs and support all phases of bioinformatics activities by helping devise or modify procedures to solve complex problems.

Responsibilities

• Develop, apply, document, and maintain computational tools, both for own use and to support analysis by biologist colleagues without formal computational training. Critically evaluate computational solutions.

• Develop customized computational solutions supporting new kinds of assays and experiments. Understand the analytical needs of new experiments, working closely with wet-lab experimental biologists.

• Implement and optimize successful algorithms and methods to be shared for use by the broader community.

• Develop figures and reports, which provide transparency into the data quality and characteristics, and automate the production of such reports as routine components of computational analysis pipelines.

• Reports data to supervisor and team, attends team meetings to share results, plan projects and experiments, and to ensure that projects support current team goals.

• Maintain and organize computational infrastructure and resources.

• Contribute to generation of protocols, publications, and intellectual property.

• Participates in creating data algorithms and specialized computer software to identify and classify components of a biological system (i.e. DNA and protein sequences).

• Applies basic application of computational tools and information technology to gather, analyze, and visualize data in biology and biomedical research.

• Interprets data analysis of high throughput genomics, proteomics and genetic data.

• Perform other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• PhD degree in computer science, computational biology, bioinformatics, quantitative science or related field.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Must possess practical experience in data analysis, preferably in an independent project in an academic research laboratory setting.

• Fluency in Unix, standard bioinformatics tools (Python, R, or equivalent), and a programming language (C/C++, Java).

• Background in statistics and machine learning strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of SLURM or other job scheduler, and/or bioinformatics tools strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of biology or immunology is preferred. Inclination to acquire such knowledge.

Preferred Competencies

• Ability to understand and translate researchers' scientific goals into computational requirements.

• Ability to work well with faculty and researchers.

• Ability to identify and gain expertise in appropriate new technologies and/or software tools.

• Ability to function as part of an interactive team while demonstrating self-initiative to achieve project's goals and Research Computing Center's mission.

• Strong analytical skills and problem-solving ability.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to interact professionally with all levels of staff and with external contacts in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent organization and time management skills.

    

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)

• Cover letter (strongly preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Research

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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