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The Research Informatics (RI) Bioinformatics group within the University of Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI) is hiring a full-time Bioinformatics Analyst to support research for the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (MI) at the University of Minnesota. The analyst in this position will conduct cutting-edge bioinformatics analyses in close collaboration with a diverse set of labs within the MI department. The successful candidate will join the seventeen-person RI Bioinformatics group at MSI.

The candidate will work with researchers in MI on a variety of basic and translational research projects investigating topics including viral immunology, adaptive immune response, pathogen detection and the evolution of drug resistance. Many of these projects involve single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, so there is ample opportunity for the analyst to break new ground by exploring novel methods and tools.

MSI and MI have a strong commitment to the University’s goal of creating a positive and inclusive campus climate by advancing equity and diversity. We aim to hire high-potential people with varying identities and backgrounds. The analyst in this position must have excellent communication skills, strong analytical, computational, and life sciences training or experience, and be comfortable working independently and as part of an interdisciplinary research team on diverse projects.

The ideal candidate will have advanced knowledge of next generation sequencing technologies with demonstrated practical experience in developing and carrying out analytical strategies in the context of NGS applications of critical importance to microbiology and immunology research (e.g. bulk and single cell RNA-sequencing, allele-specific expression analysis, bulk and single-cell ATAC-seq, viral discovery, variant calling, genome assembly and annotation, metagenomics, etc.).

As part of an interdisciplinary team, successful candidates will have the responsibility to:

• Serve as a bioinformatics analyst and developer for research projects for the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (MI).
• Serve as a liaison between the MI Department and MSI.
• Consult with MI researchers on experimental design and planning.
• Design and implement appropriate informatics workflows.
• Identify and integrate new, cutting-edge molecular technologies and analysis methods as they become useful for research purposes (e.g., single cell/nucleus RNA-seq/ATAC-seq, spatial transcriptomics, machine learning, etc.).
• Appropriately document and present methods and results in both internal and external reports, publications, and presentations.

The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute (MSI) endorse a “work with flexibility” approach that offers a welcoming and flexible work environment where everyone is inspired to do their best. Work location options at the University of Minnesota include working fully remote, partially remote, or entirely in the office and are based on the work of the position. Some on-site work may be necessary for certain positions, even those designated as fully remote.

**This MSI position has responsibilities that will require on-site work at least 50% of the time, with options for management-approved flexible work arrangements. It is not eligible for 100% remote work.**
Offices for these staff positions are located in Walter Library on the Twin Cities, East Bank Campus.

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate in the life sciences, computer science, or engineering. Candidates must have significant bioinformatics experience.
• 3+ years of research experience in genomics, genetics, molecular biology, or computational biology.
• Hands-on experience in developing and carrying out data analytical strategies and pipelines for analyzing datasets from high-throughput platforms such as next generation sequencing.
• Experience/general proficiency with UNIX shell environment, a programming language (R and/or python), plus currently used tools (e.g. BWA, HISAT2, GATK, Seurat, etc.).
• Must be able to understand and translate life scientist researchers' scientific goals into analytical strategies and process requirements.
• Must be able to function as part of an interactive team while demonstrating self-initiative to achieve the project's goals and the group's mission.
• Critical and independent thinking.
• Excellent oral and written English communication and interpersonal skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Research background in microbiology and/or immunology is highly preferred.
• Significant experience with one or more of the following types of analysis is highly preferred: bulk and single cell transcriptomics, variant calling, genome assembly/annotation and epigenomics.
• Experience with version control (e.g. github).
• Advanced statistical, data modeling, and machine learning skills.

About University of Minnesota Twin Cities

The University of Minnesota, founded in the belief that all people are enriched by understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

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