Overview
Cures Start Here.At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, home to three Nobel laureates, interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists seek new and innovative ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. Fred Hutch’s pioneering work in bone marrow transplantation led to the development of immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to treat cancer. An independent, nonprofit research institute based in Seattle, Fred Hutch houses the nation’s first cancer prevention research program, as well as the clinical coordinating center of the Women’s Health Initiative and the international headquarters of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network.Careers Start Here.
At Fred Hutch, we believe that the innovation, collaboration, and rigor that result from diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission of eliminating cancer and related diseases. We seek employees who bring different and innovative ways of seeing the world and solving problems. Fred Hutch is in pursuit of becoming an antiracist organization. We are committed to ensuring that all candidates hired share our commitment to diversity, antiracism, and inclusion.
A Computational Biologist/Bioinformatics Analyst position in the laboratory of Dr. Erick Matsen and the Computational Biology Program is available immediately. The position is to develop novel variational Bayes approaches to phylogenetics.
Responsibilities
We will work together to develop and implement new algorithms in our C++ library, as well as maintain/refactor our codebase as it evolves in response to what we learn in our research. We will collaborate with research groups across the world, including:
Marc Suchard, a leading biostatistician especially known for his work in “phylodynamics”: the intersection of phylogenetics, immunology, and epidemiology
Mathieu Fourment, who has led the development of fixed-tree variational inference for time-tree models
Cheng Zhang (??), who has led the development of flexible-tree variational inference
Qualifications
This position has no formal education or academic publication requirements. We welcome people to apply whatever their background. This position is budgeted for a junior-level programmer, but more experienced developers are encouraged to get in touch and we will see what we can do.
Minimum qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in the quantitative or physical sciences, or equivalent experience
2-4 years of experience with scientific computing, ideally in the domain of biomedical/scientific research and genomics/proteomics
2+ years of experience programming in R and/or Python, ideally both
2+ years of experience with high-performance computing (i.e., the development of multi-core or multi-threaded computational jobs)
Strong analytical abilities and problem-solving skills
Experience in data management and developing data-processing pipelines
Knowledge of databases, including relational databases and no-SQL databases, e.g., MongoDB
A solid understanding of high-level programming concepts, data structures and algorithms
Familiarity with inferential statistics and machine learning
Familiarity with software development best practices (e.g., unit testing, version control)
Excellent written and oral communication skills
Essential skills
demonstrated coding ability
desire to produce clean (clear, factored, and tested) code
motivation to learn new topics and dive into a complex programming language (C++17)
ability to work in a team and communicate
ability to find solutions independently
Additional helpful skills
experience with C++, and with modern C++ idioms
background in probability and Bayesian inference
experience with Python
experience with a modern git-based workflow
experience with PyTorch or TensorFlow
experience with Docker and continuous integration
experience developing in a Linux environment
Application instructions
If you are interested in this position, please submit the following materials:
A code sample showing work that you are proud of. This has to be nontrivial, but doesn’t have to be long. Ideally it would be publicly accessible, e.g. on GitHub, but if that’s not possible an emailed attachment is fine too.
A CV summarizing your work experience so far
The names and email addresses of three references
A statement describing your commitment and contributions toward greater diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in your career or that will be made through work at Fred Hutch is requested of all finalists.
Our Commitment to Diversity
We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) Employer. We are committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability (physical or mental), marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We are an Affirmative Action employer. We encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply and desire priority referrals of protected veterans. If due to a disability you need assistance/and or a reasonable accommodation during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to our Employee Services Center at ********** or by calling 206-667-4700.
