Bioinformatics Research Scientist, SOM, Internal Medicine, SSLI

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Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) School of Medicine is a premier academic medical center located in the heart of Richmond. Accounting for almost half of VCU’s sponsored research, the School of Medicine is internationally recognized for patient care and education. All full-time university staff are eligible for our generous benefits package that includes choices for health, vision, and dental coverage, life-insurance, short and long-term disability coverage, retirement planning, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, flexible spending accounts, tuition benefits, significant paid-time off, 12 paid holidays, and more.  Explore our benefits further here: https://hr.vcu.edu/current-employees/benefits/university-and-academic-professional-benefits/

The Stravitz‐Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic
Health (SSI) is recruiting a highly motivated bioinformatics
research scientist to join our team. The scientist will be responsible for a
wide range of scientific activities, including data analysis, data
visualization, statistical analysis, experimental design, database development,
mathematical modeling, and developing new methodologies. This role entails
providing bioinformatics analysis support to various research projects and
effectively communicating the analytical processes and outcomes.

You
will work alongside luminaires and key opinion leaders in the fields of liver
and metabolic health. You will engage in collaborative projects across multiple
stages, from experimental design through to the dissemination of findings,
including support for presentations, grant applications, and publication. The
successful candidate will develop and apply innovative analytical techniques
for interpreting complex multi-omic data derived from clinical and basic
research studies, which may include diverse profiling such as bulk tissue,
single-cell, and spatial omics.

These
activities are critical for advancing our understanding of complex diseases.
Responsibilities also include establishing and refining analytical pipelines,
managing projects transparently, setting specific research milestones, and
providing detailed reports to stakeholders. There is a high potential for
significant professional growth and contribution to high-impact research.

Core Responsibilities:

-Design and implement analytical strategies for multi-omics data to deliver high-quality research support.
-Collaborate with researchers, clinicians, and other stakeholders to interpret results and ensure analyses are aligned with scientific and clinical goals.
-Communicate analysis results effectively through presentations, reports, and visualizations for both technical and non-technical audiences.
-Ensure the reproducibility and robustness of data analyses through validation, quality assurance processes, and rigorous testing of methods.
-Produce and manage data following best practices, document all processes, and contribute to manuscript preparation.
-Monitor and evaluate new technological and methodological developments in biomedical data science and strategically implement them to support the Institute’s goals.
-Contribute to and maintain a shared codebase, adhering to good software engineering practices, and collaborate with software development teams to integrate tools into larger systems.
-Develop, refine, and document protocols and best practices for research methodologies.
-Innovate and enhance analysis methods and automate processes where possible.

-Foster a collaborative inclusive and team-oriented workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued.

Hiring Standards:
Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, computer science (with a biological emphasis), or a related field. Plus, at least five years of experience. Demonstrated proficiency in programming, statistical analysis, and multi-omics data analysis. 

Preferred Candidate Profile:

-Master’s degree or PhD with substantial post-graduate experience in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related field.
-Experienced with a variety of multi-omics data such as whole-genome/exome sequencing, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, and similar technologies.
-Skilled in programming languages like R and Python and experience working in high-performance computing environments.
-Proficient in the use of workflow management and version control systems to ensure reproducibility of results.
-Has a strong background in developing new tools and methodologies, with documented examples in public repositories.
-Expert in integrating and harmonizing complex datasets.
-Possesses excellent problem-solving abilities, works well in a team, and can adapt to a fast-paced research environment.
-Excellent communication and presentation skills are essential.

Additional Information:
ORP Eligible: – YES
Hours / weeks – 40 hours weekly 
Title Details: Bioinformatics
Research Scientist
University Title: Senior Scientist, RS 1-3 (33244Y-33246Y)
University Code: (33244Y-33246Y)
University Job Family: Research & Innovation

Virginia Commonwealth University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action university providing access to education and employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, political affiliation, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or disability. 

Please note that if you are employed as a university employee working in any of the health system’s facilities, you will need to follow VCU Health System policies, which will include but will not be limited to, vaccination requirements.

The School of Medicine continuously strives for our workplace and learning environment to reflect the demographic and social milieu of the communities we serve.  All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Demetria Patterson
demetria.patterson1@vcuhealth.org