Bioinformatics Analyst

The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital – one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals. We are proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. With more than 2,200 scientists, clinician investigators, trainees and staff, and total revenues of more than $120 million, we are one of the foremost Canadian hospital-based research institutes. Our research spans more than a hundred different diseases, conditions, and specialties with an overall focus on translating discoveries and knowledge into better health.

Job description

The Ottawa Bioinformatics Core Facility (OBCF) of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is located at the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital and provides Bioinformatics support to scientists from the University of Ottawa, the OHRI and external clients. We provide services to support research scientists at all phases of their research, including a wide range of specific analysis services. We develop custom analysis workflows for client projects as needed, often involving the integration and comparison of different data types or hypothesis testing based on public -omics data sets. We provide training courses based on client specific requirements and develop and deliver training courses for partners such as the Stem Cell Network, BioCanRx and the uOttawa Translation and Molecular Medicine department.

We are looking for an experienced bioinformatics analyst to grow our team. This position will be focused on providing support to a large and very active group of lab-based cancer researchers at the OHRI with a focus on projects for a newly recruited principal investigator studying non-coding repeat region RNA and protein expression focusing on mining endogenous retroelement reactivation and human satellite DNA expression in cancer and other diseases and developing new therapeutic targets. The primary qualities we are looking for in a candidate are high end bioinformatics skills, strong project management skills, and the ability to engage dynamically and constructively with researchers to integrate their skills into existing and new projects and mold these skills into these projects by willing to learn new applicable biological concepts and mechanisms. In addition, this new bioinformatic recruit will actively identify new tools to augment the efficiency and quality of existing data analysis workflows. Previous experience in cancer bioinformatics is an asset, but not essential. The position will involve both direct project support and indirect support via training of graduate students.
 

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Gathering requirements from clients and proposing analysis plans
• Implementing analyses, generating reports and figures for client use and publication.
• Maintaining and updating bioinformatics analysis pipelines.
• Assisting in the development and delivery of online and in-person training courses.

Although some virtual work will be supported, significant presence on-site at The Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, is required. Regular attendance at lab meetings (weekly) of the new PI recruit mentioned above is also required either in-person or virtually. 

Basic Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in bioinformatics, computer science, molecular biology, biochemistry, mathematics and/or physics with a minimum of 3 years of experience programming in R and/or Python (a combination of education and experience will be considered).
• A minimum of 3 years of experience in performing bioinformatics analysis.
• Demonstrated bioinformatics analysis experience with results published in peer reviewed journals.Linux system administration experience.
• Experience working with Illumina and Oxford Nanopore sequencing data.
• Experience with proteomics data analysis.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Ability to work on multiple long-term projects in a team environment.
   

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD or MSc preferred