Scientific Assistant- Bioinformatics

Online applications must be received before 11:59pm on:

If a date is not listed above, review the Applicant Instructions below for more details.

Available Title(s):

Business Title:

Employee Type:

Position Details:

The Opportunity:

Join a dynamic and collaborative research team where you will explore how the microbiome, host genetics, and immune system shape atopic diseases and related biological questions. As a Scientific Assistant specializing in computational biology, bioinformatics, and data analysis, you will play a central role as the lab’s bioinformatics expert, driving high-impact research through reproducible analyses, pipeline development, and organized data and code management. In this role, you will help maintain secure, well-documented research data systems, analyze sequencing and multi-omics datasets, and contribute to manuscripts and grant outputs. You will also support and mentor lab members by onboarding them to computational workflows and promoting best practices.

Additional Information:

This is a full-time (100% FTE), temporary position. This position is overtime eligible.

Temporary End Date: This is a temporary position expected to end on June 30, 2027. Renewal is dependent on the need for extension and/or if additional funding is secured to extend employment.
Monthly Salary: $3,750.85 - $5,397.56 | Commensurate with experience and qualifications
In accordance with RCW 49.58.110, the above salary reflects the full salary range for this position. Individual placement within the range is based on the candidate’s current experience, education, skills, and abilities related to the position.
Benefits: WSU offers a comprehensive benefits package which includes paid sick and vacation leave; paid holidays; medical, dental, life and disability insurance package for employees and dependents; retirement; deferred compensation, optional supplemental retirement accounts; training and development; and employee tuition waiver. For additional information, please review the detailed Summary of Benefits offered by WSU for AP staff and Total Compensation.
Required Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, microbiology, biology, statistics, computer science, data science, or engineering discipline or a related field and three (3) years of progressively responsible related professional research experience. Any combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis. A Master’s degree in an appropriate related scientific or engineering discipline may be substituted for up to one year of the required work experience. 

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, biological data analysis, or related research support.

• Demonstrated experience analyzing biological or biomedical datasets using R, Python, command-line tools, and/or other relevant computational platforms.

• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments and managing files, scripts, and analyses on shared computing systems or high-performance computing resources.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects, timelines, and data-analysis requests simultaneously.

• Ability to maintain clear documentation of code, analyses, workflows, data organization, and project decisions to support reproducible research.

• Ability to communicate computational methods, results, assumptions, and limitations clearly to both computational and non-computational collaborators.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively in a research environment.

• Commitment to responsible data handling, data security, and compliance with institutional policies for research data access and use. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in computational biology, bioinformatics, genomics, statistics, computer science, data science, microbiology, or a related field.

• Experience with next-generation sequencing data analysis, microbiome/metagenomic analysis, amplicon sequencing, shotgun metagenomics, genomics, transcriptomics, multi-omics integration, or related biological data types.

• Experience developing, maintaining, or applying reproducible workflows using workflow managers, structured pipeline frameworks, containers, or cloud/HPC environments.

• Experience with Git/GitHub or other version-control systems.

• Experience with statistical modeling, machine learning, data visualization, and/or multi-omics integration.

• Familiarity with human-subjects research data, controlled-access datasets, data-use agreements, or data security and access-control requirements.

• Experience mentoring, training, or onboarding students, junior staff, or collaborators in computational methods.

• Experience preparing figures, tables, methods text, technical documentation, or analysis reports for manuscripts, grants, or presentations. 

Position Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for work visa sponsorship
About Department/College/Area/ Campus - School of Molecular Biosciences
Area/College: College of Veterinary Medicine
Department Name: School of Molecular Biosciences
Location: WSU-Pullman
Application Instructions: Applicants must upload the following required documents to their online application. Application materials should clearly communicate how the applicant meets all required qualifications and additional requirements.
1) Resume
2) Cover Letter
External candidates, upload all documents in the “Application Document” section of your application.
Current WSU Employees (internal candidates), before starting your Workday application, please use these instructions to update your education and experience in your worker profile in Workday. Internal candidates, upload all documents in the “Resume/Cover Letter” section of your application.
Documents may be submitted as one file or separate files. Applicants are encouraged to upload as a PDF, if possible.
Reference contact information will be requested later in the recruitment process through Workday.
Background Check: This position has been designated by the department to require a background check because it requires access to children or vulnerable adults as defined by RCW 74.34, engages in law enforcement, requires security clearance, interacts with WSU students in a counseling or advising capacity, has access to personal identifying and/or financial information, unsupervised access to university buildings/property, or other business-related need. A background check will not be completed until an initial determination of qualification for employment has been made.

Time Type:

Position Term:

Washington State University encourages all qualified candidates to apply, including members of the military and veterans, and persons with disabilities.

WSU employs only U.S. citizens and lawfully authorized non-U.S. citizens. All new employees must show employment eligibility verification as required by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

WSU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact Human Resource Services: 509-335-4521 (v), Washington State TDD Relay Service: Voice Callers: 1-800-833-6384; TDD Callers: 1-800-833-6388, 509-335-1259(f), or [email protected].

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More information, resources, and contact information are available here: https://ccr.wsu.edu/notice-of-nondiscrimination/