Bioinformaticist

MPF Federal seeks a Bioinformaticist to support the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), Operational Infectious Diseases (OID) Directorate . This role will focus on the analysis of complex biological data to support research on infectious diseases impacting military personnel.

The OID Directorate conducts ongoing, laboratory-based surveillance of US military populations in unique environments to quantify and study the etiology of infectious illnesses. Test specimens are collected from ongoing surveillance programs and from special investigations of febrile illnesses and pneumonia among military personnel or civilians (recruits, forces afloat, deployed forces, outbreaks of concern, and border populations). In addition to the utilization of portable, rapid assay technologies to identify pathogens in the field, test specimens and limited epidemiologic data, when approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB), are provided to the NHRC laboratory where diagnostics and, in some instances, in-depth pathogen characterization is conducted. Results are provided to sponsors, the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center, local investigators and collaborators, and, when applicable, county health units to guide proper responses that ultimately affect both the readiness of US forces and the safety of public health. 

Compensation: $119,000 to $125,000

Responsibilities

Data Analysis & Interpretation

• Performs bioinformatics analyses on high-throughput data sets, including genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metagenomic data related to infectious diseases.
• Develops and applies computational algorithms, models, and pipelines for processing and interpreting large-scale biological data.
• Integrates and interprets multi-omic data to generate insights into pathogen evolution, host-pathogen interactions, and disease mechanisms.

Research Collaboration & Support

• Collaborates with research scientists, epidemiologists, and clinicians within the OID Directorate to design and execute bioinformatics components of research projects.
• Contributes to the design and development of new studies by providing bioinformatics expertise during the proposal and protocol development phases.
• Presents bioinformatics findings to multidisciplinary teams, including internal and external stakeholders, to facilitate decision-making and advance research goals.

Pipeline Development & Optimization

• Develops, maintains, and optimizes bioinformatics pipelines and workflows for analyzing next-generation sequencing (NGS) data and other high-throughput data sources.
• Implements quality control measures to ensure the accuracy, reproducibility, and integrity of bioinformatics analyses.
• Stays current with the latest bioinformatics tools, methodologies, and databases, incorporating them into research workflows.

Data Management & Integration

• Manages, organizes, and curates large-scale biological datasets, ensuring they are stored securely and efficiently.
• Develops tools and strategies for integrating diverse data types (e.g., genomic, clinical, environmental) to support complex research questions.
• Ensures compliance with data management and security protocols, especially with regard to sensitive military and public health information.

Scientific Writing & Reporting

• Prepares reports, manuscripts, and presentations summarizing bioinformatics findings for publication in peer-reviewed journals and presentations at scientific conferences.

Contributes to grant writing and funding proposals by providing bioinformatics expertise and data analysis plans.

Requirements

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, or a related field and 2+ years of relevant experience OR Master’s degree holder with 8+ years in Bioinformatics in bioinformatics or computational biology, particularly in infectious disease research.
• Proficiency in programming languages, such as Python, R, Perl, or similar, as well as experience with bioinformatics tools and platforms (e.g., BLAST, Bowtie, STAR, GATK).
• Strong experience with NGS data analysis, including variant calling, genome assembly, and transcriptome analysis.
• Familiarity with public biological databases (e.g., GenBank, ENA, GEO) and relevant bioinformatics software.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex biological data and present findings to diverse audiences.
• Experience with Research Proposal grant writing
• Predictive Modeling Experience
• Metagenomics experience; Host Depletion preferred
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• US Citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a T3/Secret Clearance
• Artificial Intelligence expertise on supervised and unsupervised modeling, deep learning including but not limited to convolutional neural network, recurrent neural network and anomaly detection based on AI algorithms

Some positions or sites may require that the incumbent be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and proof of vaccination may be required.

Benefits

MPF Federal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. We offer a competitive compensation package including a competitive salary, medical benefits, PTO, holiday pay and more.