Institute Associate Scientist III Computational Genomics
- Requisition #: 173851
- Department: Traction
- Location: Houston, TX
- Posted Date: 3/18/2025
MD Anderson Therapeutics Discovery Division
Within The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center lies the Therapeutics Discovery Division (TDD), a powerful engine driving the future of new targeted, immune- and cell-based therapies. Therapeutics Discovery eliminates the bottlenecks that hamper traditional drug discovery by employing a multidisciplinary team of dedicated researchers, doctors, drug developers, and scientific experts working together to develop small-molecule drugs, biologics, and cellular therapies. Our unique structure and collaborative approach allow the team to work with agility, bringing novel medicines from concept to clinic quickly and efficiently - all under the same roof.
The TRACTION platform
The Translational Research to AdvanCe Therapeutics and Innovation in ONcology (TRACTION) platform is an industrialized translational research group that aligns world-class drug discovery and development with highly innovative the science and clinical care research, for which MD Anderson Cancer Center is known. Through an investment in patient-centric research, we have developed the infrastructure, platforms, and capabilities to enable transformative research. TRACTION's approach combines innovative cancer genetics, disruptive technologies, deep mechanistic biology, disease modeling, and pharmacology to accelerate the translation of novel discoveries into definitive clinical hypotheses. By partnering with the drug discovery engines within Therapeutics Discovery, we aim to advance a portfolio of small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies for our patients. We work in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment with a focus on team science and interdisciplinary research. Our unique approach has created a biotech-like engine within the walls of the nation's leading cancer center to bring life-saving medicines to our patients more quickly and effectively.
We work in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment with a focus on team science and interdisciplinary research. Our unique approach has created a biotech-like engine within the walls of the nation's leading cancer center to bring life-saving medicines to our patients more quickly and effectively. This model already has achieved results, with multiple programs currently in clinical and late-stage preclinical development.
We are currently seeking a highly motivated and talented Associate Scientist III of Discovery Data Science to join our Reverse Translation group. With the deployment of advanced analytics, the group leverages unprecedented large-scale data science to provide insights and hypothesis that are rapidly functionally validated. We combine disruptive technologies and disease modelling to guide highly innovative science that leads to novel therapeutics, drug repurposing, novel combination or biomarker strategies that are quickly evaluated in the clinic. With this systematic and rapid reverse translation engine, we accelerate the discovery of transformative therapies and fuel prospective clinical trials to change standard-of-care (SOC) for unmet medical needs.
The Associate Scientist III will be a key team member in the organization, supporting computational research efforts of developing data analytics and data integration for team-oriented projects that span early discovery to late-stage translation. The Associate Scientist III will be responsible for enabling efforts in computational modeling and methods development as well as quantitative experimental data to understand complex biological systems and translate this understanding to the development of transformative oncology therapeutics.
Building on our unique model of drug discovery, the Associate Scientist III will participate in cross-functional research to support the development and deployment of novel and cutting-edge computational tools and algorithms to integrate varied internal and public data assets to transform data into knowledge that enable the advancements of TRACTION pipeline projects.
By joining the TRACTION and the Therapeutics Discovery Division, you have the opportunity to use your talents to make a direct impact on the lives of our patients. Join us and lead our next program from concept to clinic.
KEY FUNCTIONS:
* Under minimal supervision, implement solutions to research projects and contribute to project goals through computational biology and statistical data-analysis efforts.
* Assists in the development of analytical strategies to inform on target discovery, target biology, mechanism of action, and biology of response for targets of interest.
* Deploy analytical workflows to support TRACTION pipeline and deliver data packages under defined timelines.
* Under minimal supervision, perform statistical analysis on biological datasets including parametric and non-parametric tests, data mining / machine learning algorithms.
* Aid in the utilization of software for interrogation, visualization, and communication of multidimensional datasets to enable hypothesis generation and to gain insight into cancer biology.
* Performs common computational biology workflows such as NGS data processing, quality control, data cleaning and exploration.
* Contributes to the optimization and benchmarking of novel computational tool sets and software.
* Assist in the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to enable systematic investigation into mechanisms of tumorigenesis and drug resistance.
* Leverage oncogenomic datasets to identify targets, biomarkers of response, and develop clinical path hypothesis.
* Integrates with cross-functional teams to present research findings, interpret data, report issues and develop solutions to facilitate data driven decisions on program advancement.
EDUCATION:
Required: Bachelor's degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Enzymology, Pharmacology, Chemistry or related field.
Preferred: Master's Level Degree in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Bioengineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
EXPERIENCE:
Required: Three years of relevant research experience in lab. With preferred degree, one year of required experience.
Preferred: With preferred degree, one year of required experience. industry R&D experience is preferred.
Background in genomics, bioinformatics, or biostatistics, mathematics or similar fields
Proficiency in statistical and computational programming languages preferably R or Python
Experience in scripting languages (bash), high-performance computing, code version control, and computational notebook tools
Knowledge of machine-learning and/or data mining algorithms (ie. Clustering, classification, etc.), and experience utilizing common parametric and non-parametric statistical tests (ie. T-test, ANOVA, Wilcoxon- signed-rank test, Fisher's exact test, etc.) for data analysis.
Experience working with large-scale genomics datasets (whole genome sequencing, ChIP, RNA sequencing; single cell or spatial transcriptomics datasets)
Ability to apply software tools to perform data analysis and interpret the biological significance from results in cancer research
Experience designing computational experiments and workflows, and interpreting results is expected, and demonstrated ability for critical thinking, troubleshooting and problem solving is a must.
Demonstrated ability to follow research plans and timelines.
Experience working in highly matrixed organization; a collaborative attitude is essential for this position.
Ability to work well under pressure and drive projects that impact critical timelines is essential.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html
Additional Information
#LI-Onsite
Within The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center lies the Therapeutics Discovery Division (TDD), a powerful engine driving the future of new targeted, immune- and cell-based therapies. Therapeutics Discovery eliminates the bottlenecks that hamper traditional drug discovery by employing a multidisciplinary team of dedicated researchers, doctors, drug developers, and scientific experts working together to develop small-molecule drugs, biologics, and cellular therapies. Our unique structure and collaborative approach allow the team to work with agility, bringing novel medicines from concept to clinic quickly and efficiently - all under the same roof.
The TRACTION platform
The Translational Research to AdvanCe Therapeutics and Innovation in ONcology (TRACTION) platform is an industrialized translational research group that aligns world-class drug discovery and development with highly innovative the science and clinical care research, for which MD Anderson Cancer Center is known. Through an investment in patient-centric research, we have developed the infrastructure, platforms, and capabilities to enable transformative research. TRACTION's approach combines innovative cancer genetics, disruptive technologies, deep mechanistic biology, disease modeling, and pharmacology to accelerate the translation of novel discoveries into definitive clinical hypotheses. By partnering with the drug discovery engines within Therapeutics Discovery, we aim to advance a portfolio of small molecules, biologics, and cell therapies for our patients. We work in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment with a focus on team science and interdisciplinary research. Our unique approach has created a biotech-like engine within the walls of the nation's leading cancer center to bring life-saving medicines to our patients more quickly and effectively.
We work in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment with a focus on team science and interdisciplinary research. Our unique approach has created a biotech-like engine within the walls of the nation's leading cancer center to bring life-saving medicines to our patients more quickly and effectively. This model already has achieved results, with multiple programs currently in clinical and late-stage preclinical development.
We are currently seeking a highly motivated and talented Associate Scientist III of Discovery Data Science to join our Reverse Translation group. With the deployment of advanced analytics, the group leverages unprecedented large-scale data science to provide insights and hypothesis that are rapidly functionally validated. We combine disruptive technologies and disease modelling to guide highly innovative science that leads to novel therapeutics, drug repurposing, novel combination or biomarker strategies that are quickly evaluated in the clinic. With this systematic and rapid reverse translation engine, we accelerate the discovery of transformative therapies and fuel prospective clinical trials to change standard-of-care (SOC) for unmet medical needs.
The Associate Scientist III will be a key team member in the organization, supporting computational research efforts of developing data analytics and data integration for team-oriented projects that span early discovery to late-stage translation. The Associate Scientist III will be responsible for enabling efforts in computational modeling and methods development as well as quantitative experimental data to understand complex biological systems and translate this understanding to the development of transformative oncology therapeutics.
Building on our unique model of drug discovery, the Associate Scientist III will participate in cross-functional research to support the development and deployment of novel and cutting-edge computational tools and algorithms to integrate varied internal and public data assets to transform data into knowledge that enable the advancements of TRACTION pipeline projects.
By joining the TRACTION and the Therapeutics Discovery Division, you have the opportunity to use your talents to make a direct impact on the lives of our patients. Join us and lead our next program from concept to clinic.
KEY FUNCTIONS:
* Under minimal supervision, implement solutions to research projects and contribute to project goals through computational biology and statistical data-analysis efforts.
* Assists in the development of analytical strategies to inform on target discovery, target biology, mechanism of action, and biology of response for targets of interest.
* Deploy analytical workflows to support TRACTION pipeline and deliver data packages under defined timelines.
* Under minimal supervision, perform statistical analysis on biological datasets including parametric and non-parametric tests, data mining / machine learning algorithms.
* Aid in the utilization of software for interrogation, visualization, and communication of multidimensional datasets to enable hypothesis generation and to gain insight into cancer biology.
* Performs common computational biology workflows such as NGS data processing, quality control, data cleaning and exploration.
* Contributes to the optimization and benchmarking of novel computational tool sets and software.
* Assist in the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence approaches to enable systematic investigation into mechanisms of tumorigenesis and drug resistance.
* Leverage oncogenomic datasets to identify targets, biomarkers of response, and develop clinical path hypothesis.
* Integrates with cross-functional teams to present research findings, interpret data, report issues and develop solutions to facilitate data driven decisions on program advancement.
EDUCATION:
Required: Bachelor's degree in Biology, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Enzymology, Pharmacology, Chemistry or related field.
Preferred: Master's Level Degree in Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Bioengineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
EXPERIENCE:
Required: Three years of relevant research experience in lab. With preferred degree, one year of required experience.
Preferred: With preferred degree, one year of required experience. industry R&D experience is preferred.
Background in genomics, bioinformatics, or biostatistics, mathematics or similar fields
Proficiency in statistical and computational programming languages preferably R or Python
Experience in scripting languages (bash), high-performance computing, code version control, and computational notebook tools
Knowledge of machine-learning and/or data mining algorithms (ie. Clustering, classification, etc.), and experience utilizing common parametric and non-parametric statistical tests (ie. T-test, ANOVA, Wilcoxon- signed-rank test, Fisher's exact test, etc.) for data analysis.
Experience working with large-scale genomics datasets (whole genome sequencing, ChIP, RNA sequencing; single cell or spatial transcriptomics datasets)
Ability to apply software tools to perform data analysis and interpret the biological significance from results in cancer research
Experience designing computational experiments and workflows, and interpreting results is expected, and demonstrated ability for critical thinking, troubleshooting and problem solving is a must.
Demonstrated ability to follow research plans and timelines.
Experience working in highly matrixed organization; a collaborative attitude is essential for this position.
Ability to work well under pressure and drive projects that impact critical timelines is essential.
It is the policy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to provide equal employment opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. http://www.mdanderson.org/about-us/legal-and-policy/legal-statements/eeo-affirmative-action.html
Additional Information
- Requisition ID: 173851
- Employment Status: Full-Time
- Employee Status: Regular
- Work Week: Days
- Minimum Salary: US Dollar (USD) 76,650
- Midpoint Salary: US Dollar (USD) 95,300
- Maximum Salary : US Dollar (USD) 114,975
- FLSA: exempt and not eligible for overtime pay
- Fund Type: Soft
- Work Location: Onsite
- Pivotal Position: Yes
- Referral Bonus Available?: Yes
- Relocation Assistance Available?: Yes
- Science Jobs: Yes
#LI-Onsite
