Research Associate II

Title: Research Associate II
Duration: 12 Months
Location: Waltham, MA- Onsite
Pay Rate: $54

Manager Notes:

• RA to support next gen sequencing group. Some are in lab, some are writing codes and analytical pipelines, working withing client coding and development systems, collab with lab team, lots of coding, work with quality teams to ensure meeting metrics.
• Should have experience with at least one or two of the following. e.g., FastQC, Bowtie2, SAMtools, NCBI BLAST+, Nextflow, etc.).
• NGS pipeline development.
• A strong candidate would have Coding experience, papers published on coding, need next gen sequencing analysis, gene therapy group so if they have some exp in that or bio that would be a great advantage.
• Relevant experience is more important than degree for the role. Does not want to see anyone with zero coding experience.

Position Overview:

We are seeking a motivated Bioinformatics Research Associate II to join the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Core group to support genomic analyses of multiple therapeutic modalities within the Genomic Medicine Unit (GMU) CMC organization. The role is responsible for leading the analysis of gene therapy driven projects, interfaced within a cross-functional team, to develop and implement genomic analytical solutions for programs spanning precandidate selection through late phase clinical development. The ideal candidate will be expected to support end-to-end NGS analysis solutions, through analytical pipeline design and execution. Strong independent problem solving and troubleshooting skillsets are preferred.

Key Responsibilities:
Support computational needs for the development and validation of NGS-based assays.
Work closely with a multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers to implement genomic analytical solutions for programs spanning precandidate selection through late phase clinical development.
Develop, execute, and maintain NGS analysis pipelines for execution in cloud-based computational environments.
Keep records of development work and testing in a GxP environment utilizing electronic notebook solutions.
Represent the group at internal meetings.

Basic Qualifications:
Degree in a relevant computer science discipline with a minimum of 3 years of relevant industry experience.
Minimum of 1 year experience with NGS, spanning knowledge and hands-on dry-lab experience.
Expertise in bioinformatics with a working understanding of genomic analysis solutions (e.g., FastQC, Bowtie2, SAMtools, NCBI BLAST+, Nextflow, etc.).
Scripting experience in coding languages (e.g., bash, awk, Python, R, etc.).
Understanding of NGS platforms, specifically those utilizing the synthesis by sequencing technique (i.e., Illumina platforms).
Ability to work independently and adapt under aggressive and/or changing timelines.

Preferred Qualifications:
Familiarity with the software development lifecycle (e.g., Git).
Automated unit testing for test driven design (TDD).
Familiarity with basic molecular biology techniques (e.g., ligation, PCR, and qPCR) as well as nucleic acid extraction and analysis techniques (e.g., Nanodrop, DNA fragment analyzers, ddPCR, etc.).
Knowledge of and experience with other sequencing platforms (i.e., SMRT sequencing).
Prior experience in leading the internalization of custom NGS analysis pipelines is highly preferred.
Wet-lab method development experience to support NGS workflows.