Bioinformaticist

A.I.S., Inc. (AIS) is a national scientific services firm supporting maritime activities requiring certification of compliance with environmental regulations as well as collecting data for use by Federal, State, Municipal, and other government agencies along the US coastline. AIS is looking for a Bioinformaticist to support SEFSC Marine Mammal & Turtle Division (MMTD).

Primary Function:

The Bioinformaticist will conduct and support research to improve laboratory and data analysis techniques to understand the distribution and abundance of marine and anadromous species at SEFSC MMTD. The role involves developing, refining, and utilizing molecular techniques to investigate marine organisms; analyzing genomic datasets including RADseq, WGS, population genomics, metabarcoding, and eDNA; and participating in the NMFS Omics network of bioinformaticists and Omics specialists across NMFS.

Duties / Responsibilities:

• Use statistical and computational approaches to assess data and results that influence fisheries management and conservation of marine and anadromous taxa.
• Continue development of robust data management planning and execution to meet all requirements of the Public Access to Research Results (PARR) Act.
• Collaborate with the program manager to identify research priorities and conduct project management to ensure efficient and accurate data delivery; construct and manage deadlines.
• Manage laboratory approaches including assisting with purchasing, inventory management, and training new employees.
• Occasionally participate in the collection and analysis of data on anadromous or marine organisms, including fieldwork (generally less than 1 week at sea).
• Establish and nurture effective partnerships with internal and external scientists and resource managers from NOAA offices, Federal and State agencies, academic institutions, and international institutions.
• Collaborate with internal and external groups to facilitate information sharing toward common objectives.
• Prepare management reports, information products, and presentations for both general and technical audiences.
• Participate in publishing research in scientific journals as lead or co-author; assist with development of reports, papers, presentations, and briefs on marine or fisheries-related information.
• Attend planning and coordination meetings with MMTD researchers virtually or in person.

Compensation:

Candidates will be paid an hourly rate to be negotiated, and total compensation will vary depending on candidates’ depth of experience. This is a full-time position. AIS benefits package includes health and dental insurance, vacation, sick and holiday benefits.

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS Degree in Marine Science or related field plus five years of relevant experience.
• Bioinformatics expertise, including experience with Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) data analysis (RNA-seq, exome-seq, whole-genome and targeted sequencing, methylation analysis).
• Strong knowledge of R/Bioconductor, Python, and other programming languages used in data science and bioinformatics.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, R) and knowledge of software engineering best practices.
• Experience with data visualization tools/libraries such as ggplot, heatmaps, or dimension reduction techniques.
• Ability to present and publish to peer-reviewed audiences and journals.
• Ability to go to sea (generally less than 1 week) and lead a small team.
• Working knowledge of marine mammal or marine science research activities.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS Degree (or higher) in Marine Science, Biology, Oceanography, Ecology, Statistics
• Experience with population genomics, landscape genetic analysis, source-sink dynamics, CKMR, and metabarcoding bioinformatics in marine fish and mammal species.
• Experience with analysis of eDNA data.

Travel:

• Travel is required. Field participation in MMTD marine mammal and turtle research; survey equipment logistics; meetings, workshops, and conferences.

Location:

• 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami FL 33149 (SEFSC Miami Laboratory)