Senior Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scientist in Lewisville, TX at Quest Diagnostics

Job Description

Look for more than answers.

At Quest, we are on a continuous journey of discovery and development. It’s this attitude that has made us an industry leader and the #1 Diagnostic Lab in the US. For those joining us, we offer exciting and fast-moving career opportunities where you can affect change at a rate unheard of in many organizations of our size and scope. While we invest in and develop technology to drive our innovations, our ongoing success relies on our people.

As a Senior Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scientist, you will work for the world leader in the industry, with a career where you will have the opportunity to collaborate and affect change while expanding your leadership skills and technical knowledge. You can make a real impact in a market that is growing and developing.

This is an on-site position based in Lewisville, TX.

Senior Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scientist – the role

The Senior Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scientist will evaluate, develop, validate, implement and support new next-generation sequencing (NGS) data analysis technology and technology enhancements, including bioinformatics analysis pipelines, algorithms, testing/validation scripts, and other tools related to genetic diagnostics. This professional will consult on process and technology improvements within R&D, Operations, Quality Assurance and IT departments, and will participate in resolution of support requests where computational biology tools are used.

Med Fusion is a Quest Diagnostics Precision Oncology Center of Excellence and a full-service laboratory and clinical trials service organization. Our core oncology products provide specific answers that clinicians need to deliver the appropriate diagnostic and/or prognostic care to oncology patients throughout the United States.

As a member of the med fusion/Quest Diagnostics Bioinformatics team, you will focus on general bioinformatics/computational biological needs of the company, interfacing with both R&D and clinical operations. On the R&D side, your projects will revolve around new product development that require massive data profiling and use these features to generate standardized data sets. Standardized data sets are crucial for rapid pipeline development, timely product releases, and reduced validation costs. On the clinical side, you will support Technical and Scientific Directors to resolve challenging cases, provide ad hoc data queries and troubleshoot issues arising with our clinical workflows when needed.

In addition, the Senior Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Scientist will:

• Work in collaboration with key scientific personnel and the Bioinformatics Engineers to build, test, adapt, support and validate clinical-grade variant analysis pipelines
• Profile NGS data (Illumina/ThermoFisher) for platform-specific patterns and synthetic data modeling
• Create standardized NGS datasets to be used throughout testing and validation of our ever-expanding clinical-grade pipelines across multiple sites
• Support R&D and clinical operations with ad hoc data queries, troubleshooting database and data-flow issues
• Generation of reports (operational support, experimental QC review, client-delivered clinical reports, etc.)
• Aid in the design and implementation of bioinformatic databases
• Regularly reports progress and prepares data analyses for internal review
• Exercises technical leadership in devising approaches to meet project objectives
• Prepares reports and analysis of results as related to product/process development and improvement
• Guides and mentors other scientists and project team members to accomplish project objectives
• Interprets results of analyses and recommends alternative analyses
• Provides leadership in technical decisions affecting product development issues. Identifies problems, investigates alternatives and recommends possible courses of action
• Prepares and/or contributes to articles for publication. Presents information at project meetings, scientific meetings or to customers. Attends technical conferences or seminars

To qualify, the ideal candidate will have the following skills and experience:

• B.S. degree (+6 years), M.S. degree (+4 years) or Ph.D. (+2 years) in advanced science, engineering, or computer science degree
• Demonstrated proficiency in algorithm development for the analysis of large NGS datasets
• Demonstrated proficiency in programming for compiled languages (C/C++, D, Java) and/or scripting languages (Perl, Python, R, JavaScript, etc.)
• Demonstrated proficiency in presenting massive amounts of data in a clean and functional way
• Demonstrated proficiency in manipulating large NGS datasets: data transformation, read trimming, alignment, variant calling, and data store migration
• Proficiency working in Unix/Linux operating systems required; Cloud, and/or HPC environment strongly preferred
• Proficiency in commonly used command-line NGS tools (BWA, SAMTools, Bowtie2, Picard, PINDEL, GATK, etc.)
• Ability to understand and communicate statistical measures for interrogating the quality of data manipulation
• Demonstrated ability to communicate efficiently and work effectively with a team of scientists
• Demonstrated capacity for innovation
• Knowledge of SQL database development a plus
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required
• Project management and/or support experience a plus

Apply Today

Join us for competitive benefits and development opportunities in a progressive and supportive environment. Help us improve our service, and the experiences of our patients and colleagues. Work with us and together we can be better.

Your Quest career. Seek it out.

All requirements are subject to possible modifications to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Quest Diagnostics is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Women / Minorities / Veterans / Disabled / Sexual Orientation / Gender Identity or Citizenship.