Senior Research Scientist – Bioinformatics/Computational Genomics/Machine Learning

We are seeking a talented and a highly motivated senior research scientist in bioinformatics/statistical genomics/AI to join a large team of the Medical and Population Genomics Lab, Sidra Medicine, Qatar. Their role is to help drive translation-oriented research in the lab, focusing on unravelling the molecular underpinning of biological traits and diseases prevalent in the Middle East, notably pediatric neurological disorders, ultimately leading to drug target discovery and patient stratification. This will involve analysis of large-scale multi-modal datasets (genetic data including long read, multi-omic, imaging and EHRs) using state of the art computational, statistical methods and machine learning (AI).

The senior research scientist will be responsible for contributing to study design and execution, scientific presentation and publication in line with the department’s research program. Also, they will take part in lab management and wiring of research grants. They will be expected to be productive, interactive with other research personnel, and provide training to undergraduate and graduate students.

Organizational profile

Sidra Medicine is a relatively new state-of-the art academic medical center built to the highest international standards. Its clinical focus is on providing exceptional specialty care for women and children.

Sidra’s strategy is centered on Patients and Families, Health Education and Biomedical Discovery.

The Research branch at Sidra is home to hundreds of researchers working on many aspects of pediatric and maternal health. It covers basic, translational, clinical trials and biomedical informatics research. The branch comprises research space totaling 10,000 M² and numerous satellite laboratories and core facilities equipped with the latest research equipment, sequencing and deep phenotyping, imaging and biobanking.

Key roles and Responsibilities:

• Advance research in the lab by designing experiments, processing and analyzing data to the highest standards and writing high impact publications
• Design and implement bioinformatics and analytical pipelines as needed to achieve research outcomes, for various data types including genomic, imaging data and HER
• Participate in writing research grants and help catalyze novel ideas and directions to the research
• Participate in lab management and the mentoring of junior staff
• Collaborate closely with other lab members as well as clinical collaborators and end users
• Deliver oral presentation in meetings and conferences on research progress and outcomes
• Travels occasionally to collaborating institutions for the purpose of the research study
• Adheres to Sidra’s standards and policies.

Required experience/qualifications:

• PhD in relevant field, preferably bioinformatics, statistical genetics, computational biology or computer science
• Strong background in programming and algorithms such as Perl, Python, C, C++ or Java, and statistical languages such as R
• Experience in the use of machine learning and deep learning methods in biomedical research
• Familiarity with Linux environment, shell languages (e.g bash) and cluster computing (LSF, SGE)
• Experience using relational databases, SQL and / or structured data formats
• Web programming experience (PHP,  JavaScript, JSON, REST API) would be a plus
• Experience working with established computational methods for the analysis of high throughput technologies (covering as much techniques from sequencing such as Illumina, PacBio, ONT, human imaging)
• Track record of publications in high impact peer-reviewed journals and presenting at international conferences
• Outstanding knowledge in generic scientific methods, and high ability for critical evaluation of literature and data as well as learning new skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with a multi-disciplinary team
• Work experience in a clinical research laboratory setting/hospital-affiliated institution or in biotechnology industry is a plus
• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Interested persons should apply here as well as email their CV, statement of research interests and the names of three references to Mr Mohammad Baig   ([email protected]) and Mr Radi Farhad ([email protected]), including “SIDRA-09-2024 Senior research scientist – Bioinformatics/CG/AI” in the email subject.