The postdoctoral fellow will have experience in microbial bioinformatics and will perform assigned activities including providing advanced bioinformatics support for the PI’s research program. This position will need a strong commitment to biomedical research and a strong background in NTM bioinformatics, computer science, computational biology, biostatistics, or in a similar field, and will contribute to studies that use microbial genomic data to explore pathogen virulence. Prior experience in bioinformatics is highly desired. A candidate with experience with ‘-omic’ platforms specifically high-throughput bulk and single-cell expression data to explore the host molecular pathways to infections to elucidate the genetic and functional basis of infectious disease-host interaction pathways will be very qualified for this position.

Major Responsibilities / Duties / Critical Tasks:

·         Proven experience writing custom scripts and using standard bioinformatics tools, packages, algorithms, and databases to analyze high-throughput genetic and genomic data.

• Experience analyzing data using high-performance computing.
• Demonstrates fluency in programming languages (e.g ., R, Python, Perl, Java, or similar).
• Familiarity with statistical analytical concepts and methods.
• Identify genetic variants (SNPs, insertions, deletions, copy number variants, structural variants) of bacteria (NTM) to study genetic causes of disease. NTM accessory and core genome comparisons. Map large volumes of sequence information to known genomes or de novo assembly of sequence reads for unknown genomes. Ability to annotate genomic variation, and then compute their contribution and association to the process of interest.
• Tractable experience in project development/management and ability to work on multiple projects concurrently, both in a collaborative team and independently.

Accompanying Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Competencies:

This position requires the ability to show concern for all aspects of the job including: following directions, maintaining confidentiality, demonstrating trustworthiness and high standards of rigor, orderliness, accuracy, and the ability to interact with co-workers, and visitors in a professional manner. The fellow will also cooperate with others within and across his/her department to achieve shared goals. Treats others with dignity and respect.

About the Lab:

This postdoctoral fellow will join the dynamic laboratory team of Associate Professor and microbiologist Jennifer R. Honda, PhD. The Honda lab is globally recognized for its dedication to learning about the environmental, host, and microbial factors driving the emergence and pathogenesis of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease. The major emphases of the lab include understanding the environmental factors that contribute to NTM persistence, the host immune responses to NTM infections, and elucidating the NTM-specific virulence factors that facilitate survival. For more information on the Honda Lab please visit https://medicine.uttyler.edu/honda-laboratory/

Required Education / Experience:

·         PhD in Computation Bioscience or similar

·         Candidates with experience in microbial next generation sequencing, bioinformatics, biostatistics or computational bioscience or related field are encouraged to apply.

·         Manages work and time effectively by creating project timelines and projects’ immediate priorities while showing adaptability to pivot when adjustments when needed.