BioInformatics Research Officer, College of Medicine

BioInformatics Research Officer, College of Medicine

Primary Purpose

The Bioinformatics Research Officer provides advanced scientific and technical expertise in bioinformatics, computational biology, and genomic data analysis to support research activities within the College of Medicine and affiliated research programs. The position is responsible for the development, implementation, maintenance, and optimization of bioinformatics pipelines and computational workflows related to genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and other biological datasets, such as publicly available data.

This role serves as a key collaborator to researchers, clinicians, trainees, and external partners by providing analytical expertise, interpreting complex biological data, supporting grant development, and ensuring research data integrity, reproducibility, and compliance with institutional and regulatory standards.

The position combines scientific leadership, computational analysis, research collaboration, and operational oversight in a highly specialized and evolving research environment.

Nature of Work

Reporting to the Vice Dean Research - Biomedical, this position operates with a high degree of independence and professional judgment. The Bioinformatics Research Officer supports multiple concurrent research projects across departments and research programs and collaborates closely with investigators, clinicians, statisticians, laboratory scientists, and external collaborators to analyze investigator generated or publicly available data sets and assist in generation of outputs in the form of figures, tables, and reports which are to be used for peer-reviewed publications, grant applications, or other academic related research outputs.

The position requires advanced expertise in bioinformatics methodologies, next-generation sequencing (NGS), computational pipeline development, data management, and statistical analysis. The role requires balancing competing priorities, troubleshooting complex analytical issues, and translating computational findings into meaningful biological and clinical insights.

The incumbent is expected to maintain current knowledge of emerging bioinformatics tools, genomic technologies, best practices in reproducible research, and evolving data governance and privacy standards. The position may also contribute to strategic planning related to institutional research infrastructure, computational capacity, and data science initiatives.

The work environment is fast-paced, highly collaborative, and research-intensive, requiring strong communication skills, adaptability, and the ability to support users with varying levels of computational expertise.

Accountabilities

Bioinformatics Analysis & Pipeline Development

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Develop, implement, optimize, and maintain bioinformatics workflows and analysis pipelines for next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, including but not limited to:
• Launch, monitor, troubleshoot, and automate computational pipelines using high-performance computing (HPC) environments and cloud-based platforms where appropriate
• Ensure quality control, reproducibility, and validation of computational analyses
• Integrate and analyze large-scale multi-omics datasets
• Conduct statistical and computational analyses to identify biologically and clinically relevant findings
• Optimize computational workflows for efficiency, scalability, and reproducibility
• Maintain version control and standardized documentation for analytical workflows and software tools

Software Development & Computational Tool Creation

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Develop custom scripts, algorithms, and software tools to support research objectives and analytical needs
• Utilize programming languages such as Python, R, Bash, SQL, or related languages for data processing and analysis
• Implement workflow management systems and automation tools where appropriate
• Evaluate, test, and integrate emerging bioinformatics tools and methodologies
• Contribute to the development of standardized analytical frameworks and institutional best practices
• Support reproducible research practices through structured coding, documentation, and containerized workflows where appropriate

Database & Data Management

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Design, develop, maintain, and secure databases and data management systems for genomic and molecular research data
• Ensure compliance with institutional, provincial, federal, and sponsor requirements related to data privacy, security, retention, and sharing
• Develop systems for efficient storage, retrieval, organization, and archiving of research data
• Implement data governance and quality assurance processes
• Support data integration across research platforms and systems

Research Collaboration & Scientific Support

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Collaborate with researchers, clinicians, trainees, and research staff to develop analytical approaches and interpret results.
• Provide consultation and scientific expertise related to study design, sequencing strategies, and data interpretation.
• Participate in multidisciplinary research initiatives and collaborative projects.
• Assist investigators with grant applications, methodology development, technical specifications, and research proposals.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation, data visualization, presentations, and scientific publications.
• Provide technical training and mentorship to trainees, students, and research personnel.

Reporting, Documentation & Knowledge Translation

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Prepare detailed analytical reports, visualizations, summaries, and presentations for researchers, collaborators, and stakeholders
• Document analytical methods, software workflows, standard operating procedures, and validation processes
• Develop clear and accessible summaries of complex computational findings for scientific and non-technical audiences
• Maintain accurate records of computational analyses, data processing activities, and project outcomes

Strategic & Operational Support

The Bioinformatics Research Officer will:

• Contribute to strategic planning related to computational biology and bioinformatics infrastructure within the College of Medicine
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend enhancements to analytical capabilities and computational resources
• Assist with development of sustainability plans, service models, and operational processes for bioinformatics support services
• Participate in institutional committees, working groups, and research initiatives as required
• Maintain awareness of advancements in bioinformatics, genomics, artificial intelligence, and data science relevant to biomedical research

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Computer Science, Biostatistics, Molecular Biology, or a related field
• Several years of related experience in bioinformatics and genomic data analysis in a research-intensive environment
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing NGS analysis pipelines and large-scale biological datasets
• Strong programming and scripting skills (, Python, R, Bash, SQL)
• Experience working within Linux/Unix and high-performance computing environments
• Experience with workflow management systems, version control, and reproducible research practices
• Knowledge of statistical methodologies relevant to genomics and computational biology
• Experience with biological databases, data visualization tools, and cloud-based computing platforms is considered an asset
• Excellent analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to work independently while managing multiple complex projects and competing deadlines
• Ability to collaborate effectively with interdisciplinary teams and support users with varying levels of technical expertise