Director of Bioinformatics Platforms

02-Feb-2024

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

64942BR

Job Summary

The Harvard Chan Bioinformatics Core (HBC) is a center for bioinformatics research, services and training at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. We work closely with biomedical scientists across Harvard to implement approaches for analysis, interpretation, visualization, and dissemination of scientific discoveries using high-throughput omics data.

Our multidisciplinary team works with biomedical research groups in the Harvard, MIT and Broad communities, and at local hospitals and industry. Our core has a strong educational mission. Members of the core participate in training activities, with the goal to enable researchers to analyze their data independently. The HBC emphasizes teamwork and a supportive environment where we learn from each other.     

Position Description

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced computational biologist to join our team as the Director of Bioinformatics Platforms for our Bioinformatics Core. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in overseeing the development, maintenance, and optimization of bioinformatics pipelines, as well as spearheading the creation of a cutting-edge interactive visualization platform as part of the Skin PO1 program entitled “Multicomponent Therapy for Age-related Skin Stem Cell Deficiency” with collaborators at Mass General Brigham and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Bioinformatics Pipeline Management:

• Lead the design, development, and maintenance of bioinformatics pipelines for the analysis of genomic, transcriptomic, and other omics data.
• Ensure the reliability, efficiency, and scalability of existing pipelines while staying abreast of emerging technologies such as Nextflow to enhance the core's capabilities.

• Drive the development of a new interactive visualization platform as part of the Skin PO1 program, facilitating intuitive exploration, integration, and interpretation of complex biological data.
• Collaborate with software developers, bioinformaticians, and Skin PO1 investigators to implement innovative visualization solutions.
• Apply core structure to future projects.

• Manage and mentor our team of bioinformaticians, providing technical guidance, support, and professional development opportunities.
• Oversee a team of bioinformaticians and software developers to design and implement bioinformatics pipelines and visualization platforms.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative work environment, promoting a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
• Design the genomic platform strategy plan to be reproducible, sustainable, and scalable long-term, and contribute to the overall core vision.

• Engage with researchers, principal investigators, and external collaborators to understand their bioinformatics needs and provide consulting services.
• Collaborate on interdisciplinary projects, leveraging bioinformatics expertise to contribute to the success of research initiatives.

•  Implement and maintain rigorous quality control measures to ensure the accuracy and reliability of bioinformatics analyses.
• Develop comprehensive documentation for bioinformatics pipelines, workflows, and the interactive visualization platform.
• Use Git or other source code management tools to maintain and manage our code repositories.  

Basic Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience is required; progressive experience in the field of bionformatics is required.
• Experience using Python and/or R is required.
• Masters Degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field is required.
• Supervisory experience is required.

Additional Qualifications and Skills

The following job-specific skills and competencies are preferred:

          • Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or a related field is a plus

• Familiarity with skin-related disorders, immunology, or other disease-related research
• Experience with high performance computing environments including on-prem and cloud-based environments
• Track record of successful project management and delivery
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively in an interdisciplinary team
• Excellent time management skills
• Expertise in developing and optimizing bioinformatics pipelines for the analysis of genomic and transcriptomic data.
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python and R applied to data processing, integration, and visualization.
• Experience with the development of interactive visualization platforms and tools

• Awareness of and aptitude to appropriately and effectively understand, respect, and adapt to cultural and identity-based difference within group environments
• Knowledge of and commitment to concepts and issues tied to social justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Skills related to creating and supporting an environment that allows for inclusion, effective intercultural engagement, and personal humility and authenticity
• Experience fostering and reinforcing an environment that values unique experiences, cultures, backgrounds, and goals

Additional Information

Join the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health to support our mission of health research and education, and to be a part of the oldest institution of higher learning in the country!

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• The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health does not provide visa sponsorship, now or in the future, for staff positions.
• Harvard University requires pre-employment reference checks and background screenings.
• This position has a 180 day orientation and review period.

Work Format Details

This is a hybrid position that is based in Massachusetts. Additional details will be discussed during the interview process. All remote work must be performed within one of the Harvard Registered Payroll States, which currently includes Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Washington, and California (CA for exempt positions only). Certain visa types and funding sources may limit work location. Individuals must meet work location sponsorship requirements prior to employment.

Benefits

We invite you to visit Harvard's Total Rewards website (https://hr.harvard.edu/totalrewards ) to learn more about our outstanding benefits package, which may include:

• Paid Time Off: 3-4 weeks of accrued vacation time per year (3 weeks for support staff and 4 weeks for administrative/professional staff), 12 accrued sick days per year, 12.5 holidays plus a Winter Recess in December/January, 3 personal days per year (prorated based on date of hire), and up to 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents who are primary care givers.
• Health and Welfare: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, disability and life insurance programs, along with voluntary benefits. Most coverage begins as of your start date.
• Work/Life and Wellness: Child and elder/adult care resources including on campus childcare centers, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness programs related to stress management, nutrition, meditation, and more.
• Retirement: University-funded retirement plan with contributions from 5% to 15% of eligible compensation, based on age and earnings with full vesting after 3 years of service.
• Tuition Assistance Program: Competitive program including $40 per class at the Harvard Extension School and reduced tuition through other participating Harvard graduate schools.
• Tuition Reimbursement: Program that provides 75% to 90% reimbursement up to $5,250 per calendar year for eligible courses taken at other accredited institutions.
• Professional Development: Programs and classes at little or no cost, including through the Harvard Center for Workplace Development and LinkedIn Learning.
• Commuting and Transportation: Various commuter options handled through the Parking Office, including discounted parking, half-priced public transportation passes and pre-tax transit passes, biking benefits, and more.
• Harvard Facilities Access, Discounts and Perks: Access to Harvard athletic and fitness facilities, libraries, campus events, credit union, and more, as well as discounts to various types of services (legal, financial, etc.) and cultural and leisure activities throughout metro-Boston.

Department Office Location

USA - MA - Boston

Job Code

RS0359 Bioinformaticist Manager I

Work Format

Hybrid (partially on-site, partially remote)

Union

00 - Non Union, Exempt or Temporary

Pre-Employment Screening

Education, Identity

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging

At the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, we believe that diversity is integral to the Harvard experience and our mission of improving public health education, research and policy. Diversity of cultural backgrounds, identities, lived experiences, perspectives, and ways of understanding the world enriches our community and enables us to best meet the public health needs of the United States and the world. Ongoing learning and development related to diversity allows for both individual and institutional growth, and is necessary to foster and sustain a culture of inclusion. To achieve this, we are committed to ensuring equitable access to opportunities for learning, living, and working at the Harvard Chan School. We maintain an unwavering dedication to diversity, inclusion, and belonging as core to our institutional values and to actively counter, minimize, and address racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, gender bias, and all forms of discrimination.

Learn more about the School’s mission, objectives, and core values , our Principles of Citizenship , and our diversity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives.

EEO Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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