Senior Computational Scientist

UNC-Chapel Hill • Chapel Hill, NC

1d

About The Position

The Senior Computational Scientist, Research Software & Data Platforms, builds and operates software used by the Initiative for Generative Immunotherapy at the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center to track, process, and share research data. The role focuses on automating data handling for sequencing analyses, building an internal system to track samples and data, and developing a public web portal through which researchers can browse and download Initiative data.

Data-handling work includes intake of data from sequencing cores and collaborators; checking files and metadata; managing storage and transfers; handing off WGS, WES, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell data to analysis pipelines; and cataloging and releasing pipeline outputs. The pipelines themselves are written and run by the Initiative’s bioinformatics staff and are outside this position’s scope.

The public portal will enable users to search and filter datasets and sample metadata, view summary plots, and download data in standard formats, individually or in bulk. The internal sample and data management system will link each biospecimen to clinical annotations, sequencing runs, files, and analysis results, enabling samples to be traced from collection through public release.

The role works with bioinformaticians, laboratory staff, and physicians to define requirements; ensures data sharing follows consent, privacy, and funder rules; and writes technical sections of grant proposals and papers describing the Initiative’s data resources.

Requirements

• Experience building web applications with a modern front-end framework such as React, Vue, or Svelte, with TypeScript, including interfaces for searching, filtering, and visualizing data.
• Experience automating data handling—including ingestion, validation, transfer, cataloging, and release—for large scientific or clinical datasets.
• Working knowledge of high-throughput sequencing data, including WGS, WES, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell data, and associated file formats and standards such as FASTQ, BAM/CRAM, VCF, h5ad/AnnData, and GA4GH, sufficient to work directly with bioinformaticians on pipeline inputs and outputs.
• Facility with modern AI methods and software process automation.
• Attention to detail and ability to work simultaneously on multiple priorities.
• Analytical capabilities, including critical and strategic thinking and the ability to propose and implement change.
• Excellent presentation, communication, management, and mentorship skills.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in Computer Science, Bioinformatics/Computational Biology, Data Science, or a similar discipline.
• Proficiency in Python and enough familiarity with workflow managers such as Nextflow or Snakemake to pass data to and collect results from pipelines run by bioinformatics staff.
• Experience building back-end services and APIs, such as with FastAPI, Django, or Node.js, using REST or GraphQL and relational databases such as PostgreSQL.
• Experience developing or administering sample tracking, LIMS, or research metadata management systems.
• Experience with data visualization libraries such as D3, Plotly, or Vega, and with building accessible user interfaces.
• Experience serving large files, such as through object storage with signed URLs, Globus, or Aspera.
• Experience with cloud platforms, containers, scheduled and event-driven jobs, and CI/CD.
• Familiarity with public genomic data portals and repositories such as NCI Genomic Data Commons, cBioPortal, CELLxGENE, GEO, SRA, and dbGaP, and with FAIR data principles.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate software for tracking, processing, and sharing research data.
• Automate data intake from sequencing cores and collaborators, file and metadata checks, storage, transfer, pipeline hand-off, and cataloging and release of pipeline outputs.
• Hand off WGS, WES, bulk RNA-seq, and single-cell data to analysis pipelines and collect their outputs; the bioinformatics staff write and run the pipelines.
• Build an internal sample and data management system linking biospecimens with clinical annotations, sequencing runs, files, and analysis results.
• Develop a public web portal that lets researchers search and filter datasets and sample metadata, view summary plots, and download data individually or in bulk.
• Work with bioinformaticians, laboratory staff, and physicians to define requirements.
• Ensure data sharing complies with consent, privacy, and funder rules.
• Write technical sections of grant proposals and papers describing the Initiative’s data resources.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed