Research Assistant

GENERAL SUMMARY/OVERVIEW STATEMENT:

The Pinello Lab at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital/Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is looking for a Research Assistant excited about computational challenges in CRISPR genome editing, chromatin biology, and single-cell experiments.

This position will be research-based and a prime opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge scientific projects with multiple opportunities for publication. The ideal candidate is someone who is motivated to contribute to multiple bioinformatics projects, understand disease mechanism and applications, and effectively communicate with other bioinformaticians and experimentalists. This position would provide a useful background and experience for future pursuits in graduate or medical school.

One major focus will be to contribute to the recent NIH-funded Impact of Genomic Variation on Function (IGVF) consortium: www.genome.gov/Funded-Programs-Projects/Impact-of-Genomic-Variation-on-Function-Consortium. Our group was awarded funding to work with other investigators to understand how genomic variation alters human genome function, and how such variation influences human health and disease. We will leverage technological breakthroughs in precise genome editing and single cell genomics to unravel the functional impact of genetic variation on heart and blood disease risk.

More information about the laboratory can be found at https://main.pinellolab.partners.org/

Salary will be commensurate with experience and education.

Our lab is committed to diversity and equality; therefore, we encourage applications from underrepresented minorities.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

You will have weekly or biweekly meetings with the PI, Dr. Luca Pinello, and be directly supervised by one or more postdoctoral researchers.

The main responsibilities will include but not be limited to:

• Develop computational pipelines for CRISPR and single-cell genomics analysis using Python and Jupyter Notebooks on high-performance Linux cluster.
• Preparation of findings for lab meetings and publications.
• Work in close collaboration with bioinformaticians and experimentalists.

Additional responsibilities may include:

• Prepare and present results at conferences.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a life science or quantitative field (i.e. computer science, mathematics, statistics, physics, bioengineering).
• Excellent written, verbal, and communication skills.
• Must be able to thrive in a highly collaborative environment.

Preferred experience:

• Familiarity with data analysis related to single-cell genomics and CRISPR/Cas9 screens.
• Familiarity with molecular biology techniques and CRISPR/Cas9 biology.
• Experience working with NGS data (i.e. DNA-seq, RNA-seq, etc.)
• Software engineering and web-development skills for developing accessible bioinformatics applications.
• Strong knowledge in statistics and/or machine-learning for methods development.

Massachusetts General Hospital is an Affirmative Action Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.