Bioinformatics Specialist/Data Science Specialist

Job Posting #914879

Position: Bioinformatics Specialist/Data Science Specialist

Site: Princess Margaret Cancer Centre

Department: Medical Oncology and Hematology

Reports to: Principal Investigator

Hours: 37.5 per week

Status: Permanent Full-time

University Health Network (UHN) is looking for an experienced professional to fill the key role of Bioinformatics Specialist in the Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology. 

Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning.

The University Health Network, where “above all else the needs of patients come first”, encompasses Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, and the Michener Institute of Education at UHN. The breadth of research, the complexity of the cases treated, and the magnitude of its educational enterprise has made UHN a national and international resource for patient care, research and education. With a long tradition of groundbreaking firsts and a purpose of “Transforming lives and communities through excellence in care, discovery and learning”, the University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest research teaching hospital, brings together over 16,000 employees, more than 1,200 physicians, 8,000+ students, and many volunteers. UHN is a caring, creative place where amazing people are amazing the world.

University Health Network (UHN) is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto and a member of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network. The scope of research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. Research across UHN’s five research institutes spans the full spectrum of diseases and disciplines, including cancer, cardiovascular sciences, transplantation, neural and sensory sciences, musculoskeletal health, rehabilitation sciences, and community and population health. Find out about our purpose, values and principles here.

The Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Health Network requires  Bioinformatics Specialist to work with its oncology and hematology clinical trial portfolio.  This division runs a broad spectrum of therapeutic trials across all types of malignant disease

Responsibilities:

• Establish NGS data analysis pipelines for variant calling, fusion detection, and differential gene expression analyses and evaluate their performances.
• Develop statistical models and NGS-based assays for measurable residual disease and risk stratification in leukemia from gene panel design to report generation
• Identify areas for improvement in NGS data processing/interpretation and propose and implement solutions.
• Explore public biological databases and open source bioinformatics tools, suggest integration approaches and build prototype models.
• Work closely with clinicians to provide technical support for scientific discoveries and model developments.
• Present data, proposals, and publish in conferences and journals.

Qualifications:

• At a minimum, a masters degree with degree in bioinformatics, computer science, or statistics/data science
• Minimum 6 plus years of practical and related experience
• A PHD with 4 years of post-graduate experience is an asset
• 1+ years of experience in genomics and NGS data workflow is required
• Experience with leukemia genomics, bioinformatics resources, databases, tools, and high performance computing
• Track record of publication and presentations in the field of hematology
• Demonstrated programming skills using R, Python, and Perl
• Working experience in analysing large NGS datasets
• Demonstrated ability to organize, document and communicate scientific data
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work independently on multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment
• Strong team player with a demonstrated track record of success in the team environment