*Please send your application to jobs@funga.earth with the subject line "[Your Name] - Bioinformatician". Please include a CV, a one-page cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in this position, and the names of 2-3 professional references.
See also: https://www.funga.earth/bioinformatician
**Applications will be open until November 17th, 2023 with an anticipated start date as soon as December 2023.**
Reports to: Head of Data Science
Location: Austin, TX (preferred) or remote within Continental US
About Funga
Funga is a public benefit corporation harnessing forest fungal networks to address the climate crisis. We develop fungal biotechnology to accelerate healthy tree growth and carbon capture, while building more biodiverse and resilient belowground fungal networks. We do this by combining DNA sequencing and machine learning technology to link molecular scale variation in soil fungal communities to emergent forest properties.
About the Role
We are currently seeking a Bioinformatician to join our dynamic team. This role is instrumental in advancing our mission to revolutionize forestry practice and environmental sustainability. As a Bioinformatician at Funga, you will play a pivotal role in the analysis and interpretation of genomic and metagenomic data related to soil fungal communities, assisting in the development of novel strategies for sustainable forestry.
We are a small team, and each of us operates beyond our roles on a daily basis. We are looking for someone excited to implement new approaches, problem solve and think creatively. This role is an opportunity to develop a novel forest fungal inoculation program and address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.
If you are excited about starting new things, learning as you go, and being hands-on in applying your work to the private sector, you will dig working with us. We encourage you to apply even if only some of the criteria below are met - just tell us why you’re excited about Funga!
In This Role, You Will:
- Use and develop bioinformatics approaches to analyze soil fungal DNA sequence data.
- Manage relationships with sequencing centers and/or in-house processing of soil sample data in collaboration with our lead forester and microbiome scientist.
- Use machine learning and traditional statistical methods to extract insights from DNA sequence and forest health data.
- Collaborate with our lead data scientist to align sequencing pipeline outputs with research objectives.
- Participate in company strategy for experimental and data collection design.
- Travel up to 10% of the time to quarterly team offsite events and other meetings as needed.
Our Ideal Candidate Will Have:
- Ph.D. or equivalent technical experience in bioinformatics, computational biology, genomics, or a related field.
- Research experience in fungal biology and ecology.
- Proficiency in programming languages commonly used in bioinformatics (e.g., Python, R), cloud computing, and version control (Docker and git).
- Demonstrated experience building reproducible pipelines for sequence data processing and analysis with detail-oriented data organization.
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently as well as part of a collaborative team.
- Flexibility in assisting the team with other computational tasks as needed related to forest health information.
- Passion for ecological research, biodiversity, and addressing climate change.
Why Join Funga:
- Make a meaningful impact: Contribute to innovative solutions addressing one of the most pressing global challenges - climate change.
- Collaborative environment: Work closely with a diverse team of scientists, foresters, and data experts who share a common passion for sustainability.
- Career growth: Be part of a pioneering company with opportunities for professional development and leadership within bioinformatics.
- Hands-on experience: Apply your bioinformatics skills directly to environmental conservation and forest management.
- Participate in comprehensive healthcare benefits and employee equity programs.
If you are enthusiastic about leveraging bioinformatics to transform forestry practices, eager to learn, and excited to collaborate on groundbreaking research, we encourage you to apply, even if you do not meet all of the criteria listed above.
Salary and Benefits
The expected salary range for this role is $65,000 - $85,000 USD, with actual salary based on qualifications and experience.
Funga offers a competitive benefits package including equity in our fast-growing startup; a flexible time off policy; medical, dental, and vision benefits; and a wellness reimbursement program. Our team is in a dynamic growth phase. By joining us at this stage, you can shape our benefits and culture!
How to Apply:
Please send your application to jobs@funga.earth with the subject line "[Your Name] - Bioinformatician". Please include a CV, a one-page cover letter describing your qualifications and interest in this position, and the names of 2-3 professional references.
