Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist

St Jude Children's Research Hospital; Memphis (TN); On-site; USD 104,000 - 186,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis seeks a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist to advance data science projects in the Center for Pharmacogenomics, within the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The focus is on EHR-driven phenotyping to support pharmacogenomics discovery research. The successful candidate will develop informatics tools and resources to enhance phenotyping using terminology/ontology, NLP, and machine learning, and work with large external

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science, with a science background.
• Master's degree or PhD preferred.
• 7+ years of relevant post-degree experience (bioinformatics, cheminformatics, stats or CS).
• Strong experience with at least one programming language and one statistical package; R preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement new informatics tools to enable phenotyping from EHR data.
• Collaborate with clinicians and data scientists to co-develop phenotyping algorithms.
• Produce data files and document analytical processes; contribute to manuscripts.
• Evaluate new methods and technologies; propose improvements.
• Support high-throughput phenotyping and biobank data projects.
• Maintain regular attendance and participate in interdepartmental projects.

Skills

Programming languages

R

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

R

Job description

St. Jude is seeking a Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist for data science projects within the Center for Pharmacogenomics in the Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. In particular, this individual will focus on electronic health record (EHR)-driven phenotyping to support pharmacogenomics discovery research.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and implementing new informatics tools and resources to enhance phenotyping performance or enable deep phenotyping through terminology/ontology, natural language processing, and machine learning. The role involves working with large external biobank datasets such as All of US, eMERGE, TopMed, UK BioBank, as well internal EHR data.

This Bioinformatics Research Scientist will collaborate extensively with disease and/or drug experts (clinicians, clinician scientists, data scientists, and laboratory investigators) to co-develop phenotyping algorithms but is expected to serve as the domain expert in high-throughput phenotyping.

Demonstrated expertise in EHR-based phenotype extraction and curation are strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide research support and deliver high-quality results by formulating an efficient analytical approach with the available data.
• Deliver data files, and document the analytical process. May participate in manuscript preparation at project's conclusion.
• Assist with establishing and documenting protocols or best practices for common research tasks, and in the formulation of analytical plans that use the best approach to address challenging data analysis questions.
• Assist in the evaluation and testing of new methods and technologies.
• Contribute ideas to automate or improve existing analysis methods. Implement the improvement or work with others to do so.
• Participate in the department's developmental projects and interdepartmental team projects.

Qualifications

• Minimum Requirement: Bachelor's degree with 7+ years of relevant post-degree work experience in relevant area (e.g., bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science with a background in biological sciences or chemistry) (OR) Master's degree with 5+ years of relevant experience (OR) PhD with 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Significant experience in at least one programming or scripting language and at least one statistical package, with R preferred.

As one of the premier pediatric research institutions in the world, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital provides exceptional resources and a supportive environment for career development. In this position, the candidate will interact with leaders in pharmacogenomics and data science in general within and outside the institution and at national/international meetings. Innovation and independence are encouraged with the goal of providing flexibility and freedom in exploring new directions.

Job Responsibilities:

• Provide research support and deliver high-quality results by formulating an efficient analytical approach with the available data.
• Deliver data files, and document the analytical process. May participate in manuscript preparation at project's conclusion.
• Assist with establishing and documenting protocols or best practices for common research tasks, and in the formulation of analytical plans that use the best approach to address challenging data analysis questions.
• Assist in the evaluation and testing of new methods and technologies.
• Contribute ideas to automate or improve existing analysis methods. Implement the improvement or work with others to do so.
• Participate in the department's developmental projects and interdepartmental team projects.
• Perform other duties as assigned to meet the goals and objectives of the department and institution.
• Maintains regular and predictable attendance.
• Provide research support and deliver high-quality results by formulating an efficient analytical approach with the available data.
• Deliver data files, and document the analytical process. May participate in manuscript preparation at project's conclusion.
• Assist with establishing and documenting protocols or best practices for common research tasks, and in the formulation of analytical plans that use the best approach to address challenging data analysis questions.
• Assist in the evaluation and testing of new methods and technologies.
• Contribute ideas to automate or improve existing analysis methods. Implement the improvement or work with others to do so.
• Participate in the department's developmental projects and interdepartmental team projects.

Minimum Education and/or Training:

• Bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry) or related field.
• Master's degree or PhD preferred.

Minimum Experience:

• Minimum Requirement: Bachelor's degree with 7+ years of relevant post-degree work in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry).
• Experience Exception: Master's degree with 5+ years of relevant post-degree experience (OR) PhD with 2+ years of relevant post-degree experience.
• Significant experience in at least one programming or scripting language and at least one statistical package, with R preferred.

Compensation

In recognition of certain U.S. state and municipal pay transparency laws, St. Jude is including a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role. This is an estimate offered in good faith and a specific salary offer takes into account factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets, experience and training, licensure and certifications, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the salary range and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current salary range is $104,000 - $186,160 per year for the role of Senior Bioinformatics Research Scientist.

St. Jude is an Equal Opportunity Employer