AddressAn excellent opportunity is available for a Research Assistant in Bioinformatics to join the Advanced Technology and Biology Division at Australia's pre-eminent biomedical research institute.
About the position
The Advanced Genomics Facility forms the nexus for the flow of biological sequence data at WEHI, undertaking a range of sophisticated genomics applications including transcriptomics, functional genomics, single-cell (10x, CEL-Seq2) and spatial (Visium, BGI STOmics, MERSCOPE, and more) analyses run on Illumina, MGI and Nanopore sequencing platforms. We are looking for a graduate Research Assistant with strong programming skills to run, maintain and build pipelines to process Nanopore, Illumina and other sequencing data. This job provides an unparalleled opportunity for someone with a background in computing or the analytical sciences to learn about molecular biology and gain direct experience with the technologies underlying many of the most exciting opportunities in data science.
Key responsibilities
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- Running/maintaining/testing and developing pipelines for processing genomic data.
- Following/implementing best practices for data provenance, management and reproducibility.
- Developing integrations to streamline and automate workflows.
- Assisting researchers with varying levels of technical expertise to troubleshoot and run their own pipelines.
Selection Criteria
- Tertiary qualification in Bioinformatics/computer science/software engineering (or other relevant discipline) with an interest in biomedical research. Research experience is advantageous.
- Demonstratable knowledge and experience at programming language (preferably Python). Additional experience with a workflow framework (particularly Nextflow) is highly desirable.
- Strong understanding and expertise with the Unix command line. Experience with a computer cluster job-manager (such as SLURM) is desirable. Ability to work independently and in a multi-disciplinary team.
- Effective time management skills and ability to work on several projects in parallel.
- Strong communication skills, written and oral, and an ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical researchers.
- An ability to learn technical concepts quickly in areas such as sequencing technology, High Performance Computing, workflow frameworks and APIs.
- Comfortable with a continuous-improvement culture, including being open, honest, and identifying mistakes so that they can be corrected as soon as possible.
- A basic understanding of molecular biology and sequencing is desirable.
Terms of Appointment
This position is available for an initial term of 1 year in a full-time or near-full-time capacity. Salary is Research Support Employee Level 5-6 ($76,566-$96,133) subject to experience. Up to 17% superannuation and very attractive salary packaging options are available.
Enquiries about the position may be directed to Rory Bowden (********@wehi.edu.au) or Marek Cmero (********@wehi.edu.au)
A position description is available here.
How to Apply
Please apply by uploading your CV, cover letter and a document addressing the key selection criteria in pdf format.
Application Closing Date: 26 June 2024
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