Scientific Assistant - Bioinformatics

Responsibilities

• Serve as the lab's bioinformatics expert, driving research through reproducible analyses and pipeline development
• Analyze sequencing and multi-omics datasets to explore the microbiome, host genetics, and immune system
• Maintain secure, well-documented research data systems and organized code management
• Support and mentor lab members by onboarding them to computational workflows and best practices
• Contribute to the preparation of manuscripts, grant outputs, and technical documentation

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, microbiology, biology, statistics, computer science, data science, or engineering
• Minimum of 3 years of professional research experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, or related fields
• Proficiency in R and Python for analyzing biological or biomedical datasets
• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments and managing files on shared computing or HPC systems
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to maintain clear documentation for reproducible research
• Ability to communicate computational methods and results to both technical and non-technical collaborators

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant scientific or engineering discipline
• Experience with next-generation sequencing (NGS), microbiome/metagenomic analysis, or multi-omics integration
• Experience using workflow managers, containers, or cloud/HPC environments to develop reproducible pipelines
• Proficiency with Git/GitHub or other version-control systems
• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, or data visualization
• Experience mentoring students or junior staff in computational methods

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, life, and disability insurance
• Paid sick and vacation leave, plus paid holidays
• Retirement and deferred compensation options
• Employee tuition waiver and training/development opportunities

About the Company

Washington State University is a premier land-grant research institution. The School of Molecular Biosciences within the College of Veterinary Medicine conducts innovative research to serve the state, nation, and world.