Join the HJF Team!

HJF is seeking a Bioinformatics Research Associate III to serve the Student Bioinformatics Initiative (SBI), responsible for assisting students to implement and use bioinformatics analysis tools to complete research projects and class assignments involving genomics and other large- scale datasets.

This position will be in support of the Graduate student research and educational efforts at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD

The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing military medicine. We serve military, medical, academic and government clients by administering, managing and supporting preeminent scientific programs that benefit members of the armed forces and civilians alike. Since its founding in 1983, HJF has served as a vital link between the military medical community and its federal and private partners. HJF's support and administrative capabilities allow military medical researchers and clinicians to maintain their scientific focus and accomplish their research goals.

Responsibilities

• Assists graduate students and postdoctoral trainees with research projects requiring bioinformatics analyses of genomic/transcriptomic/proteomic data using cloud-based platforms (e.g. Collaboratory, Google Cloud Platform) and common R/Python-based software tools, including implementation of coding packages/pipelines and associated methodology description for manuscripts, presentations and grant applications.
• Assists graduate students with completion of assignments related to bioinformatics courses offered by the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences (FAES) at the National Institutes of Health.
• Provides small group training workshops, online tutorials, and/or one-on-one consultation to graduate students for R/Python-based bioinformatics tools.
• Maintains availability to graduate students and their advisors to consult on experimental design, execution and analysis of bioinformatics research projects.
• Works with staff in The American Genome Center (TAGC), the Center for Military Precision Health (CMPH) and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for transfer and management of sequencing data (e.g. WES/WGS, RNA-Seq, etc.) generated in support of student-led thesis projects.
• Prepares regular reports to the Graduate Education Office (GEO), OCIO, and School of Medicine leadership regarding progress on student research and education efforts in bioinformatics.
• Serves as main administrator of the SBI program and associated tasks (monitoring of user account usage, billing and GCP credit usage for data analysis/storage, etc.) in partnership with GEO and OCIO.
• Organizes the SBI seminar series at USU and maintains the SBI intranet site.
• Conducts regular meetings with the SBI team (including faculty advisors, bioinformaticians/biostatisticians and student liaisons)
• Contributes to nascent research and educational efforts associated with CMPH, a central hub for collaborative genomics research, education, and treatment in military medicine, based at USU in support of Department of Defense medical requirements and scholarship.
• Partner with other stakeholders at USU in development and support of new curriculum initiatives in bioinformatics.
• Assists with training other bioinformatics staff at USU as needed.
• May perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned or directed by the supervisor. This may include attendance of and participation in required training for role.

Education and Experience

• Master's Degree
• Minimum of 6-8 years' experience required

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Subject knowledge and expertise in relevant bioinformatics analysis platforms (Colaboratory, Galaxy, Google Cloud Platform) and software analysis tools/packages
  (e.g. FastQC, DESeq2, Nextflow, GSEA, clusterProfiler, Tophat2, Rstudio, Seurat, etc.).
• Coding experience in R/Python strongly preferred.
• Capable of working both independently and as a team player.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and capable of writing abstracts, manuscripts, and reports.
• Understanding of clinico-pathologic data is a plus.

Security Requirement

• Ability to obtain and maintain a T1 Public Trust background investigation.

Work Environment

• This position will take place primarily in a clinical setting.

Some HJF employees are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Proof of vaccination or an approved religious or medical accommodation will be required.

Employment with HJF is contingent upon successful completion of a background check, which may include, but is not limited to, contacting your professional references, verification of previous employment, education and credentials, a criminal background check, and a department of motor vehicle (DMV) check if applicable.

Any qualifications to be considered as equivalents, in lieu of stated minimums, require the prior approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

Any qualifications to be considered as equivalents, in lieu of stated minimums, require the prior approval of the Chief Human Resources Officer.