Computational Biologist - Fully Remote | Up to $110/hr

Mercor; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Mercor is seeking a capable bioinformatics researcher to perform realistic, multi-step data-analysis tasks on sequencing and omics data. You will curate public or private datasets for model analysis and craft exact, objective questions and answers to advance scientific understanding.

Success depends on hands-on experience with CLI tools, Python or R, and the ability to develop reproducible analyses and a validating Jupyter notebook that demonstrates your results with clear communication of

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, statistical genetics or related field.
• Hands-on experience analyzing sequencing and omics data from raw reads to interpretation.
• Experience with command-line tools and scripting in Python or R for reproducible analyses.
• Ability to write and run Jupyter notebooks that reproduce analyses and results.
• Clear scientific writing and ability to communicate uncertainty and conclusions.

Responsibilities

• Complete realistic, multi-step scientific data-analysis tasks in bioinformatics.
• Write original bioinformatics questions with exact, objective answers.
• Select and anonymize data from public archives or private datasets for modeling.
• Use scientific software, code, and CLI tools to generate reproducible analyses and outputs.
• Develop a Jupyter validation notebook in Python or R that reproduces correct answers.
• Interpret results within the biological or translational question context and communicate assumptions clearly.

Skills

Bioinformatics experience

Scientific writing

Jupyter notebooks

Data interpretation

Education

Master's or PhD in bioinformatics or related field

Tools

samtools

bcftools

bedtools

BWA

Bowtie2

BLAST

Python

Biopython

pysam

R/Bioconductor

DESeq2

edgeR

limma

GenomicRanges

Job description

What you'll do:

• Complete realistic, multi-step scientific data-analysis tasks in bioinformatics

• Write original bioinformatics questions where each answer is exact and objective

• Choose and anonymize data (e.g. from public archives such as GEO, SRA/ENA, ArrayExpress, PRIDE, PDB, MGnify or from your own unpublished lab data) for the model to analyze

• Use scientific software, code, and command-line tools to generate reproducible analyses and structured final outputs

• Develop a Jupyter validation notebook, analyzing the data in Python or R, which reproduces the correct answer to your question

• Interpret results in the context of the underlying biological or translational question, clearly communicating assumptions, uncertainty, and conclusions

Who we’re looking for:

• Masters or PhD (or equivalent research experience) in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, statistical genetics, quantitative biology or a closely related field

• Hands-on experience analyzing sequencing and omics data (bulk or single-cell RNA-seq, WGS/WES, variant calling, metagenomics, proteomics or similar), from raw reads to interpretation

• Experience with one or more of the following tools: samtools, bcftools, bedtools, BWA, Bowtie2, BLAST, plus Python (pandas, Biopython, pysam) or R/Bioconductor (DESeq2, edgeR, limma, GenomicRanges)

• Able to write and run Jupyter notebooks that reproduce your work exactly

• Clear, precise scientific writing

• Access to unpublished or private datasets you have the right to share is a strong plus

• Deep knowledge of at least one niche area, such as a non-model organism, an unusual assay, or a specialized area of genomic interpretation is a strong plus