We are currently looking for a highly skilled Bioinformatics Specialist to work on computational projects for Dr. Keiko Torii's lab at the University of Texas at Austin. The Torii lab has a long-standing interest to unravel how plant stem cells function and contribute to growth and development, with specific emphasis on signal transduction pathways and underpinning genomic/epigenomic mechanisms. In addition to harnessing chemical and synthetic biology, they are designing and building synthetic signal transduction circuits to control plant growth and development suited for a changing climate. More information about the lab can be found here: https://www.plant-stomata.org/
The ideal candidate will be an adaptable professional with strong technical skills and computational expertise who is excited to contribute to the research of a top-notch plant and developmental biology laboratory.
Essential Duties:
Perform pipelines for quality control, normalization and mapping NGS reads from RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, and/or ChIP-seq experiments. Perform basic characterization of DEGs (expression dynamics), GO-category representations, and related bioinformatic analyses. Work with experimenters in the Torii Lab group to customize and modify scripts/pipelines tailored for specific experiments.
Perform pipelines for sc-RNA-seq, sc-ATAC-seq experiments. Apply various dimensionality reduction techniques (such as UMAP), build trajectories, and visualize data.
Perform multiple complex statistical analyses of the above NGS data.
Visualization of complex dataset using R (ggplot2) or other programming languages. Modify scripts tailored for specific experiments.
Characterize expression dynamics of homeologs in polyploid plant species.
Perform de novo genome sequence assembly as collaboration.
Qualifications:
Education
A master’s degree in bioinformatics, computational biology, or a related discipline is required.
Experience
A minimum of 2+ years of related research experience in computational biology and bioinformatics is required.
Experience with R or similar programming language is required.
Experience with NGS analysis is required.
Skills and Abilities
Technical proficiency in current principles of database management and computational analysis, with ability to apply independent judgment to resolve problems and meet challenges.
In-depth knowledge of specific areas of computational analysis and of general underlying principles and concepts.
Ability to develop innovative processes to achieve goals.
Ability to initiate and compose communications for various purposes in an appropriate style.
Ability to review goals and determine which techniques and/or systems are required to meet them. Able to bring desired new database management and analytical capabilities to the lab with minimal supervision.
Ability to communicate with experimental biologists.
Ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a diverse population.
Ability to work well both independently and as part of a team.
Ability to remain technologically current within the scope of the role.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational, time management, and prioritization skills.
Strong attention to detail with a high degree of accuracy.