Bioinformatics Scientist

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Job description

Sema4 is a patient-centered health intelligence company founded on the idea that more information, deeper analysis, and increased engagement will improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease. Sema4 is dedicated to transforming healthcare by building dynamic models of human health and defining optimal, individualized health trajectories, starting in the areas of reproductive health and oncology. Centrellis, our innovative health intelligence platform, is enabling us to generate a more complete understanding of disease and wellness and to provide science-driven solutions to the most pressing medical needs. Sema4 believes that patients should be treated as partners, and that data should be shared for the benefit of all.

The Production Bioinformatics Department seeks a talented, self-motivated Bioinformatics Scientist to join our Analysis and Methods team. This team develops the algorithms and analyzes the genomic and other data that underpin Sema4s clinical and nonclinical services. Team members work closely with the laboratory and clinical teams to refine, validate, and document our methods to ensure correct, consistent results.

Informatics Scientists usually start their career in either biology or in computer science. Somewhere along the way they bridge the gap and become able to work effectively at the intersection of the two fields. They have an analytical mindset and bring a rigorous and scientific methodology to their work. Graduate degrees are neither necessary, nor are they sufficient to demonstrate the combination of scientific and engineering skills needed for these roles.

RESPONSIBILITIES

* Perform quality assurance / quality control analyses on genomic and other data sets
* Analyze clinical test data to identify process deviations and clarify unexpected findings
* Curate, organize, QC, and deliver sets of nonclinical production data to customers
* Support the development of new assays and tests with custom analyses and visualizations.
* Follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) to analyze genomic and other laboratory data using both industry standard tools and Sema4s proprietary software
* Create and update SOPs and other process documents.
* Analyze and report on instrument equivalency and validation exercises
* Collaborate with teammates in the laboratory, operations, innovation, and clinical teams
* Create scripts, database queries, and visualizations to automate and improve our processes.

RESPONSIBILITIES

* Solid understanding of genomic biology including the mechanics of genome sequencing and modern bioinformatics tools
* Familiar enough with laboratory operations to be a good partner to a clinical lab. Direct laboratory experience is not required for this position.
* Demonstrated ability to operate Linux systems at the command line
* Demonstrated ability to author and maintain code in at least one scripting language (Python is preferred)
* Familiarity with version control systems (Git is preferred) and software issue tracking tools (Jira is preferred)
* Familiarity with relational databases (MySQL is preferred) to author, edit, and debug queries
* Familiarity with the fundamentals of cloud computing, including virtual servers, object storage, and serverless architectures (AWS is preferred). This position does not require extensive cloud experience, but a good baseline understanding will be quite helpful
* Self-motivated, able to prioritize and to manage multiple tasks
* Ability to solve problems independently

DESIRED/NOT NECESSARY

* Experience with clinical laboratory informatics including instrument equivalencies and validations.
* Experience with clinically validated software systems
* Demonstrated ability in technical writing and creating technical diagrams

This position will be set at a level appropriate to the candidate. A level I role is entry level and does not require prior experience. Level II has 3+ years of relevant experience and brings demonstrated professional maturity and experience. Level III is a mid-career professional with substantial abilities to work independently and to support less experienced team members.