Research Officer - Genome Data Curation (A*STAR BII)

A*STAR RESEARCH ENTITIES; Singapore; On-site; SGD 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading research organization in Singapore seeks a Research Officer to curate and annotate genomic sequences. This role plays a crucial part in ensuring data quality for a worldwide platform and involves collaboration with global teams to verify and improve data quality. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Life Sciences or a related field, understanding of genomics, and effective communication skills. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to global public health efforts.

Qualifications

• Degree in Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, or related field.
• Basic understanding of genomics and pathogen sequencing data.
• Familiarity with sequence formats and genome annotation processes.

Responsibilities

• Curate and annotate genomic and related metadata submissions.
• Review sequence data for completeness and accuracy.
• Liaise with data submitters to verify genome quality.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Effective written communication

Education

Bachelor or Master degree in Life Sciences or related field

Tools

Unix/Linux command line

Python

R

Job description

The Research Officer reports to the Genome Data Curation Lead and is responsible for contributing to the day to day curation of genomic sequences and associated metadata submitted to a globally recognized platform for pathogen genome sharing. The role plays a critical part in ensuring the timely, high quality annotation of genome data across all databases, with a particular focus on submissions from Asia and Oceania.

The curation process includes both automated and manual validation of data to ensure integrity, consistency, and completeness. This work is performed in close coordination with global teams to maintain continuous support and service for users worldwide.

Job Responsibilities

• Curate and annotate genomic and related metadata submissions to ensure data quality and usability across the global platform.
• Review sequence data for completeness, accuracy, and compliance with established guidelines.
• Liaise with data submitters across Asia and Oceania to verify and improve genome and metadata quality.
• Respond to routine user queries related to data submission, metadata updates, and platform usage.
• Collaborate with other curators across global time zones to support 24/7 curation operations.
• Assist in developing and refining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and internal documentation related to data curation workflows.
• Support the testing and documentation of new curation tools and platform features in coordination with the technical development team.
• Participate in internal meetings to ensure workflow alignment and timely data release.
• Provide support during curation workshops and training sessions as needed.
• Monitor and flag unusual data patterns or quality issues for further investigation by the lead curation team.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor or Master degree in Life Sciences, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Microbiology, or a related field.
• Basic understanding of genomics and pathogen sequencing data.
• Familiarity with sequence formats (e.g., FASTA), metadata standards, and genome annotation processes.
• Comfortable with Unix/Linux command line environments.
• Some experience or willingness to learn scripting in Python or R is preferred.
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills for reviewing large datasets.
• Ability to work both independently and in coordination with a global team.
• Effective written communication skills for professional correspondence with submitters and collaborators.
• Strong motivation to contribute to global public health data sharing and surveillance efforts.

The above eligibility criteria are not exhaustive. A*STAR may include additional selection criteria based on its prevailing recruitment policies. These policies may be amended from time to time without notice. We regret that only shortlisted candidates will be notified.