The Plesa research lab is seeking a research assistant/associate specializing in bioinformatics or computational biology to join the lab. This position will include:
• Analysis of NGS data from multiplex functional assays (developing, testing, and optimizing analytical pipelines)
• Analysis of large-scale datasets of protein function
• Improvement of design software for gene synthesis and oligo design
• Algorithm development for large-scale protein engineering
• Developing software for sequence optimization and new molecular biology methods
• Developing regression and classification models for high-dimensional data
This position will work closely with other lab researchers (students, postdocs, and technicians) and with Dr. Plesa. The position will be given a level of independence depending on the level of candidate experience.
The Plesa lab aims to accelerate the pace at which we understand and engineer biological systems, particularly proteins. We are interested in uncovering the rules for the engineering of novel protein function, particularly in the areas of sensing and interfacing with engineering. Towards this end, we develop new technologies for gene synthesis, multiplex functional assays, in-vivo mutagenesis, and genotype-phenotype linkages. These allow us to both access the huge sequence diversity present in natural systems as well as carry out testing of rationally designed hypotheses encoded onto DNA at much larger scales than previously possible. Using these approaches, we aim to quickly characterize and engineer entire protein families, rather than focusing on individual proteins. Our work is highly interdisciplinary and touches on aspects from many fields including bioengineering, protein engineering, biochemistry, synthetic biology, molecular biology, microbiology, structural biology, genetics, bioinformatics, and quantitative biology.
Minimum Requirements
Research Assistant:
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Statistics, Mathematics, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Biology, Biophysics, Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines
• Five years’ experience in computational biology / bioinformatics / software development
Research Associate:
• Terminal degree in Computer Science, Bioinformatics, Statistics, Mathematics, Bioengineering, Biochemistry, Biology, Biophysics, Physics, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related disciplines
Professional Competencies
• High proficiency with Python and R scientific programming languages
• Familiarity with command-line Linux
• Strong understanding of modern scientific computing and data science tools, including high-performance computing environments.
• Expertise in the analysis of next-gen sequencing data
• Strong grasp of relevant biology, molecular biology, and statistics concepts
• Excellent organizational, written, and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work both independently, in a small group setting, and one-on-one with students, other staff, and collaborators in a positive and productive manner
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in algorithm development, data mining, and statistical analysis of large datasets
• Familiarity of sequence-based analysis of proteins (phylogenetic tree generation, multiple sequence alignment, BLAST, pfam, etc.)
• Python software development
Please apply at careers.uoregon.edu, careers.uoregon.edu/en-us/job/527812/bioinformatician-research-assistantassociate-plesa-lab