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As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Department of Genome Sciences (GS) has an outstanding opportunity for a Research Scientist/Engineer 2 to join their team

The Department of Genome Sciences (GS) is part of the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW SOM) and is comprised of 30 labs addressing leading edge questions in biology and medicine by developing and applying genetic, genomic and computational approaches taking advantage of genomic information now available for a host of species. GS is making major contributions in the application of genome science to understand the fundamentals of biology and to improve human health and wellbeing. Genome Sciences is a collaborative department supported by very different academic disciplines. We work with a multitude of Program Investigators (PIs) in departments both on the UW campus as well as worldwide. The department has gone through significant expansion since its beginning in 2001 with annual grant awards of $68.5M in FY21. The department has 62 training, teaching, and research faculty.

The Department of Genome Sciences is committed to creating an environment that is welcoming and inclusive. Our goal is to foster a place of learning and working where all members can thrive and where diversity is recognized and celebrated. At Genome Sciences, we aim to create supportive spaces for those who are marginalized in higher education or society. To achieve this, we recognize that it is our ongoing responsibility to understand, acknowledge, and challenge systems of privilege and disadvantage in higher education such as those based on race, color, creed, caste, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, or socioeconomic status.

POSITION PURPOSE
The Fowler lab currently has an outstanding opportunity for a Research Scientist/Engineer 2 for genomic data analysis and software development.  We are a diverse, driven group developing cutting-edge genomic technologies to quantify the effects of genetic variation at scale, engineer genomes, and understand cellular function. Understanding how changes in DNA sequence alter protein function can reveal how a protein works and can help better diagnose and treat disease. In the Fowler Lab, we combine novel genomic methods with computational analyses to measure the consequences of tens of thousands of DNA sequence alterations simultaneously. The resulting data enables us to learn about protein structure and mechanisms, as well as interpret variants found in the human genome

The successful candidate will become an integral part of the team. Working with Dr. Fowler, collaborators, and other members of the lab, they will support ongoing projects by developing software tools, databases and pipelines for analyzing data. We are strongly committed to equity and diversity. We strive to empower all lab members to realize their potential by learning, acquiring skills and taking on new challenges.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Bioinformatics software maintenance and development (60%)
Responsible for contributing to new and existing software tools based on the requirements of users in Fowler lab and the broader scientific community. Assist in developing and maintaining high-throughput data analysis pipelines and laboratory information management systems enabling production-scale functional genomics. Assist in developing and maintaining databases, associated APIs, vue.js-based websites, and web applications for sharing data.

Requirements gathering (15%)
Support management, researchers, and technical staff in gathering requirements for software improvements in terms of overall function, fit with laboratory processes, and data reporting and analysis needs. Collaborate with other developers and a diverse interdisciplinary team including faculty, staff, and outside project collaborators based in different home institutions to define the informatics needs of the Fowler lab and the external community. (15%)

Mutational Scanning Datasets (10%)
Curate mutational scanning literature, identifying, obtaining, reformatting and annotating datasets

Troubleshooting and analysis (5%)
Responsible for general troubleshooting alongside other researchers to keep analysis processes moving

Software documentation (5%)
Will be responsible for writing specifications and code documentation to ensure that others understand what each specific piece of code is doing in order to provide transparency in case another developer ends up being responsible for maintaining this developer's code or in the case of bug fixes that need to occur in the future

Software testing (5%)
Will be responsible for testing all new software modules prior to release to check for bugs or potentially undesirable side-effects of code interaction

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, bioinformatics, genetics, biology, chemistry, or related field.

Two years of experience in biology or genomic research

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

Demonstrated ability to learn new languages and programming paradigms

Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment.

Excellent written and communication skills

Ability to interact with staff, faculty, and students at all levels

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Working knowledge of biology, genetics, genomics, or DNA sequencing

Familiarity with versioning tools such as GitHub and SVN

Experience with data visualization

Proficiency in Django, Python, and R for data analytics

Experience with management of high-throughput data

Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

Application Process:   The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.