Bioinformatics Research Scientist - Center of Excellence for Pediatric Immuno-Oncology

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital•Memphis, TN

21d•$86,320 - $154,960•Onsite

About The Position

The Center of Excellence in Pediatric Immuno-Oncology (CEPIO) at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is seeking a Bioinformatics Research Scientist to contribute to the Immuno-Oncology Target Identification via Systems Immunology (iTARGETS) initiative. This role is integrated within the lab of Hongbo Chi, PhD, chair of the department of Immunology, and involves collaboration with an interdisciplinary team. The successful candidate will develop innovative solutions for analyzing and visualizing omics data pertinent to immuno-oncology studies, working both independently and collaboratively. Key responsibilities include leading computational analyses of diverse omics datasets such as transcriptomics, proteomics, scRNA-seq, ATAC-seq, spatial omics, and CRISPR screens, while ensuring scientific rigor and accuracy of results. Candidates with a strong background in transcriptomics, proteomics, functional genomics, and/or spatial omics are encouraged to apply. Excellent critical thinking, problem-solving, data management skills, and attention to detail are essential. Familiarity with machine learning and artificial intelligence tools is considered a plus. St. Jude offers a unique environment where clinical and basic science investigators collaborate to translate discoveries into improved therapies for children. CEPIO, established in 2023, acts as a central hub for advancing and coordinating cross-disciplinary immuno-oncology research across St. Jude.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry) or related field.
Minimum 6+ years of relevant post-degree work in bioinformatics, cheminformatics, statistics/computer science (with a background in biological sciences or chemistry) if holding a Bachelor's degree.
Experience in at least one programming or scripting language and at least one statistical package, with R preferred.
Strong programming skills in R and Python with experience developing bioinformatics workflows and data analysis pipelines.
Hands-on experience using Linux operating systems and high-performance computing (HPC) environments for large-scale data processing.
Extensive experience analyzing and interpreting next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, including CRISPR screening, single-cell RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, ChIP-seq, and spatial transcriptomics.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or PhD preferred.
Master's degree with 4+ years of relevant post-degree experience.
PhD with no experience.
Knowledge of machine learning and artificial intelligence tools is a plus.
Candidates with a strong background in transcriptomics, proteomics, functional genomics and/or spatial omics are highly encouraged to apply.

Responsibilities

Independently perform basic and advanced level statistical analysis, algorithm implementation, programming from a variety of biotechnology platforms, and oversee quality check.
Design and prepare materials and courses for training on various bioinformatics software and databases, computing, data mining, and analysis.
Act as a liaison between end-users, software developers, system designers, and different departments.
Establish protocols or best practices for common research tasks and SOP, evaluate products and solutions to make recommendations, and integrate solutions.
Lead the development, implementation, installation, and maintenance of databases; coordinate data collection, database implementation, and usage and any hardware and software related to database collection.
Develop programs to assist in the analysis of data within the databases.
Assist in planning, coordinating, and organizing projects across departments and delegate tasks based on priority, expertise, and capacity.