Big Data Computational Biologist/Bioinformaticist in Plants & Pathogens (Heilman)

Position Information

The North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station (ND AES) Big Data Pipeline Unit at North Dakota State University is seeking a highly motivated and independent Research Scientist to work in Bioinformatics applied to North Dakota crops and their pathogens. The incumbent will be responsible for building and adapting scripts into pipelines to analyze DNA and RNA sequence data generated by plant breeders, plant pathologists, and geneticists, while utilizing the appropriate statistical/genomic tools. This person will be a primary bioinformatics resource for other big data scientists and will be working in collaboration with other principal investigators, with the goal of building successful pipelines across different research programs. Experience working in a plant breeding program and/or a plant pathology program beyond the PhD is preferred.

Consulting with NDAES research teams to understand their bioinformatics needs, while assisting the Senior Pipeline Manager in creating a successful strategy and implementation of high-quality bioinformatics solutions that handle different genomic data sources.

Duties include:

• Build and perfect informatics pipeline for plant and pathogen genomics by working closely with plant breeders, plant pathologists, and data scientists to develop tools and workflows that support our research strategy.
• Build scripts that can be utilize in either Linux and Windows OS.
• Help managing genotyping breeding projects to accelerate the selection and development of cultivars.
• Create tools that include containerizing software such as docker, singularity, etc.
• Work closely with scientists in CCAST and identify high-throughput genomic solutions to speed up analyses.
• Support the analysis of large sequence and phenotypic data sets.
• Work collaboratively with external academic peers and contract research organizations.
• Collaborate with the members of the Big Data Pipeline Unit in developing tools that automate common data processing and visualization tasks associated with genomics projects.
• Handling sequencing data projects (Illumina, PacBio, Oxford Nanopore).
• This individual will be expected to have a track record of successfully performing appropriate bioinformatics sequence analyses for a range of projects. The incumbent will be involved in the whole experimental process, from the initial experimental concept to execution.
• Where there are no established methods yet, the incumbent will collaborate with PIs and grad students to explore how best to answer the biological questions posed and establish suitable analysis tools and workflows.
• Provide scientific and technical guidance and leadership for programs and design, execution, and completion of research projects.
• Mentor team members for success, including Bioinformatics Scientists at the junior level, and students and interns as assigned.
• Attend and present methods and results to both internal and external audiences as opportunities arise at conferences and scientific meetings.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. i n Plant Breeding, Plant Pathology, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Genomics, or related technical discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in plant sciences or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience building bioinformatic pipelines for sequence analysis.
• Experience in genome scaffolding (Hi-C based scaffolding), metagenome deconvolution, single cell genomics, and other genomics research.
• Experience in (Knowledge of) machine leaning methods in bioinformatics.

Advertised Salary: $70,000+/year

Screening will begin: Initial screening of applicants will begin on September 26, 2022 and continue until a suitable candidate is selected. Applications received by the screening date will be ensured full consideration.

Applicant Materials Required:

• Cover letter showing how all minimum qualifications are met and highlighting preferred qualifications that are met
• Resume/CV
• Unofficial transcripts of coursework for all university degrees
• Names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses for three professional references

Benefits:

NDSU offers a comprehensive benefits package wihich includes single or family health insurance coverage with premiums paid for by the university - with an effective date for new employees the first of the month following date of hire. Other benefits include, wellness benefits, basic life insurance, retirement plan, tuition waiver, annual leave, EAP, sick leave and holiday pay. Optional benefits include supplemental life, dental, vision, long-term care insurance, flexible spending account, and supplemental retirement plans.

North Dakota State University is distinctive as a student focused, land-grant, research university. Our main campus is located in Fargo, ND with Extension Service and Research Experiment Station locations across the entire state. NDSU has been listed in the Top 100 public research universities in the United States for research and development in agricultural sciences, psychology and social sciences, based on reported research expenditures.

NDSU is an exciting place to work offering a stimulating and diverse environment richly populated with people pursuing life-long learning and personal growth. Employees often attend on-campus cultural events, lectures, athletic events and enjoy walks through our beautiful campus.

NDSU employs over 6000 full-time and part-time employees across the state, making it the second largest employer in the community. NDSU is the best college in ND, according to Money Magazine (September 2018). NDSU was named a 2019 Best Value College by Forbes. Fargo made Livability.com's top 10 list of cities to find a job and ranked at #11 for best places to live overall.

NDSU offers a wide array of professional opportunities including faculty, executive, managerial, professional, technical, paraprofessional, office support, servers and crafts/trades. Like a small city, NDSU operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Full time employees are offered a superb benefit package to include 100% company paid health insurance premiums and tuition assistance for employees and immediate family members. All of us at NDSU play an important role in serving our students and public constituencies. We encourage motivated and talented team members that thrive in a higher-ed environment to join our university!

Mission

We provide transformational education, create knowledge through innovative research, and share knowledge through community engagement that meets the needs of North Dakota and the world.

No Smoking Notice:

As an employer, the State of North Dakota prohibits smoking in all places of state employment in accordance with N.D.C.C. § 23-12-10.

EO/AA Statement:

North Dakota State University is an Equal Opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, gender expression/identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, participation in lawful off-campus activity, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, public assistance status, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, spousal relationship to current employee, or veteran status, as applicable.

Veteran's Preference Notice:

This position is subject to North Dakota Veteran's Preference requirements.