Research Support Associate 1, Bioinformatics

MIT • Cambridge, MA

6d • Hybrid

About The Position

This position is part of the NSF Science & Technology Center “Chemical Currencies of a Microbial Planet” (https://ccomp-stc.org/) and a new collaboration with researchers in the Mathematics Department at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). The project aims to use bioinformatics to understand the ecology and evolution of microbial metabolic pathways driving organic matter cycling across diverse ecosystems. The successful applicant will help develop and apply a novel metagenomic "biosensor" framework to investigate microbial carbon cycling in the ocean and translate this approach to studies of the gut microbiome in the context of colorectal cancer. Responsibilities will be adapted to the applicant's skills and interests and will evolve with the project. The position offers opportunities for publication in peer-reviewed research journals and engagement with the broader academic and research community, including at C-CoMP, MIT, and TMU. The candidate will be expected to meet regularly with supervisors and engage with the broader research community where appropriate.

Requirements

• High school education or equivalent
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong organizational and critical thinking skills

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Biology or Computer Science, or a related science/engineering discipline
• Familiarity with microbial bioinformatics
• General experience with scientific programming and data analysis (using e.g. Python, R, Bash/shell scripting)
• Experience with high performance compute clusters
• Experience with workflow management systems (e.g. snakemake)
• Experience with Github

Responsibilities

• Developing and improving bioinformatic workflows for metagenomic and comparative genomic analyses
• Analyzing next-generation sequencing data (e.g., PacBio, Illumina, and Oxford Nanopore)
• Reconstructing and analyzing phylogenetic trees
• Summarizing results for research papers and presentations

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED