Bioinformatics Scientist – HIV-SOMAL

Axle; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO & Holidays

401K match 5%

Educational benefits

Employee referral bonus

Healthcare FSA

Parking reimbursement

Dependent care program

Transportation reimbursement

Job summary

Axle in Bethesda is seeking a Bioinformatics Scientist to support HIV-focused research within NIAID's DIR/IDSS. You will analyze genomic and clinical data, develop scalable pipelines, and contribute to publications and data sharing with investigators.

The role emphasizes producing robust computational tools, validating analyses, and collaborating with laboratory and clinical teams to accelerate discoveries in translational bioinformatics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field required; advanced degrees preferred.
• Minimum of 4 years in bioinformatics with 2+ years building production pipelines.
• Expert-level proficiency in two of: Python, R, C/C++, sh/bash.
• Experience with containerization and HPC environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide scientific consultation and design experiments for high-throughput data analysis.
• Support bioinformatics pipelines and data analysis across genomic and clinical datasets.
• Develop and maintain scalable production pipelines and reproducible workflows.
• Provide programming support and troubleshooting for RTB and collaborating institutes.
• Collaborate with staff on experimental design and publication efforts.
• Contribute to and co-author scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals.
• Develop scalable resources for NIAID scientists and investigators.

Skills

Python

R

C/C++

Shell scripting

Bioinformatics

HPC

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master’s degree preferred

Tools

Docker

Singularity/Apptainer

Snakemake

Nextflow

CWL/WDL

Job description

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in translational research, biomedical informatics, and data science applications to research centers and healthcare organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in biomedical science, software engineering, and program management, we focus on developing and applying research tools and techniques to empower decision-making and accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the top research organizations and facilities in the country including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Benefits We Offer:

• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Flexible Spending Accounts:
  • Healthcare (FSA)
  • Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
  • Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
  • Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

Position Overview

The Bioinformatics Scientist will address the bioinformatics, scientific computing, and data analysis needs of investigators within the NIAID Division of Intramural Research (DIR) and their collaborators, as part of the Integrated Data Sciences Section (IDSS) within the Research Technologies Branch (RTB), with particular emphasis on HIV research. The incumbent will provide analysis support across genomic and clinical research data — including viral sequence, host–pathogen, and immunologic datasets generated by HIV studies — develop and maintain production pipelines, and contribute to a scalable resource supporting NIAID scientists. A substantial portion of the work will directly support HIV investigators and their laboratory and clinical research teams. The successful candidate will be highly motivated, adaptable, structured, and detail-oriented.

Key Responsibilities

Scientific consultation. Address the bioinformatics, scientific computing, and data analysis needs of users within the NIAID Division of Intramural Research and their collaborators, providing expertise in the statistical design of biological experiments involving high-throughput genome-scale technologies, data mining and knowledge discovery techniques, automated workflow development, and experimental design consultation.

Bioinformatics support. Provide support spanning somatic and germline variant calling and analysis, single-cell and bulk gene expression analysis, de novo assembly of genomes and transcriptomes, comparative genomics of model and non-model organisms, proteomics, ChIP-seq, and ATAC-seq, including development of high-throughput pipelines for these data modalities.

Programming support. Provide programming and troubleshooting support to the Research Technologies Branch and collaborating Institutes in the dissemination of research data.

Data analysis. Perform computational data analysis on genomic and clinical research data, and provide statistical support and analysis on research data.

Collaboration. Work with staff on scientific programming and experimental design.

Publication. Contribute to and co-author scientific publications in leading peer-reviewed journals.

Resource development. Contribute to the development of a scalable and flexible resource providing next-generation sequencing bioinformatics, structural and computational biology, and machine learning data support to NIAID scientists and investigators.

Required Qualifications

Clearance. Ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust security clearance.

Education. Minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related field; master’s degree or doctorate preferred.

Experience. Four or more years of experience in bioinformatics, including two or more years developing and maintaining production bioinformatics pipelines.

Programming languages. Expert-level proficiency in two of the following: Python, R, C/C++, sh/bash.

Containerization. Experience building images using one of the following: Docker, Podman, Singularity/Apptainer.

Pipeline frameworks. Expert-level proficiency in one pipeline framework: Snakemake, Nextflow, or CWL/WDL.

Documentation. Demonstrated expertise building technical and user documentation for tools, pipelines, and applications.

Infrastructure. Experience building pipelines on-premises using available high-performance computing infrastructure.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting HIV research, including the analysis of HIV sequence data — for example viral genome assembly, phylogenetic and quasi-species analysis, drug-resistance profiling, or characterization of the latent reservoir.

Familiarity with HIV and infectious disease data resources and host–pathogen study designs, including integration of viral sequence data with host genomic, transcriptomic, or immunologic datasets.

Experience building pipelines or applications in the cloud using AWS, GCP, or Azure.

Experience building applications using one of the following frameworks: Django, Flask, RShiny, Electron, Flutter, or React.

Experience working in a laboratory setting.

Disclaimer:

The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation, status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: [e-mail]

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.

Salary Range: $105,000 USD - $130,000 USD