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Microbial Bioinformatics Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Microbial Bioinformatics information

What are some common challenges faced by professionals in microbial bioinformatics, and how can they be addressed?

Professionals in microbial bioinformatics often encounter challenges such as handling large, complex datasets, ensuring data quality, and keeping up with rapidly evolving bioinformatics tools and technologies. Collaborating closely with wet-lab scientists and other bioinformaticians is crucial to accurately interpret results and tailor analyses to specific research questions. Staying up to date through continued education and active participation in bioinformatics communities can help address these challenges and support career growth in this dynamic field.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Microbial Bioinformatician, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Microbial Bioinformatician, you need a solid background in microbiology, genomics, and computational biology, typically supported by an advanced degree in bioinformatics, microbiology, or a related field. Proficiency with programming languages (such as Python, R), bioinformatics tools (like QIIME, BLAST, or MEGA), and familiarity with high-throughput sequencing data analysis are essential. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you interpret complex data and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure accurate data analysis, meaningful biological insights, and successful project outcomes in microbial research.

What is the difference between Microbial Bioinformatics vs Microbial Genomics?

AspectMicrobial BioinformaticsMicrobial Genomics
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Bioinformatics, Biology, or related fields; proficiency in programmingBachelor's or Master's in Genomics, Molecular Biology, or related fields; laboratory experience
Work EnvironmentData analysis, computational labs, research institutionsLaboratories, research institutions, sequencing centers
Employer & Industry UsageBiotech, academia, healthcare, research institutesGenomics companies, biotech, academic research

Microbial Bioinformatics focuses on analyzing microbial genetic data using computational tools, while Microbial Genomics involves sequencing and studying microbial genomes in laboratory settings. Both roles often overlap but differ mainly in their emphasis on data analysis versus laboratory work.

What is microbial bioinformatics?

Microbial bioinformatics is a scientific field that combines biology, computer science, and statistics to analyze and interpret the genetic information of microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Specialists in microbial bioinformatics use computational tools to study microbial genomes, understand microbial diversity, and track the spread of pathogens. This field plays a vital role in medical research, public health, biotechnology, and environmental studies by enabling researchers to make sense of large-scale microbial data. It helps in identifying new species, understanding antibiotic resistance, and developing new diagnostics and treatments.
What are popular job titles related to Microbial Bioinformatics jobs in Washington? For Microbial Bioinformatics jobs in Washington, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Senior Software Developer (C++) in Bioinformatics and Big Data

Black Canyon Consulting LLC

Bethesda, MD • On-site

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 15 days ago


Job description

Senior Software Developer (C++) in Bioinformatics and Big Data

Black Canyon Consulting (BCC) is searching for a Sr. Software Developer in Bioinformatics and Big Data to support our work for the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute of the National Institutes of Health. This opportunity is full time and onsite at the NIH-NCBI in Bethesda, MD and/or remote work.

NCBI, the National Center for Biotechnology Information, the nation's premier biomedical resource, is seeking a software developer to help deliver biological sequence annotation and data curation infrastructure for the nation's foremost sequence and biomedical literature repositories. Sites at NCBI, a part of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), see four million daily users searching for gene sequence data, biomedical journal citations, and a wide array of other information that directly impacts biomedical research and public health. NCBI's annotation pipelines not only serve these diverse expert communities – they actually drive new life sciences discoveries, ranging from medical health (viruses and pandemics, genetic diseases, cancer) to public health (food safety monitoring, antimicrobial resistance, viral outbreaks), to basic research topics in computational biology, bioinformatics and microbial diversity, and many more.

On a technical level, NCBI's wide range of applications, platforms (e.g. node, Python, Django, C++), and applications and environments (petabyte-level big data, multiple cloud providers) serve more users than the US Postal Service and see more traffic than the IRS at tax time. We embrace FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and are on the cutting edge of civic tech and cloud computing.

This role calls for more than an expert coder and architect – someone who can work equally effectively with subject-matter experts, user researchers, designers, product managers, scientists, security and DevOps engineers, and more. Work with teams of dedicated, skilled developers, researchers, and product professionals as you build robust, flexible solutions serving dozens of production applications, APIs and services. Join us!

We attract the best people in the business with our competitive benefits package that includes medical, dental and vision coverage, 401k plan with employer contribution, paid holidays, vacation, and tuition reimbursement. If you enjoy being a part of a high performing, professional service and technology focused organization, please apply today!

Duties & Responsibilities:

  • Responsible for the development, implementation, testing, and continued maintenance of NCBI bioinformatics software and information retrieval systems
  • Work with a diverse group of scientists, bioinformaticians and other developers across the center to implement efficient bioinformatics algorithms
  • Learn new technologies, keep up with internal systems, and share your knowledge with the team

Required qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience handling large amounts of data or working in a distributed computing environment
  • Programming experience in a Linux environment
  • Proficiency in C++
  • Experience with MS SQL server and relational database design and optimization
  • Fluency in some scripting languages such as BASH, csh, Perl, or Python

Preferred qualifications:

  • 5+ years of working with genetic and biological data
  • Proficiency in Python and/or JavaScript and familiarity with their associated ecosystems
  • Experience with MongoDB or other NoSQL database technology
  • Experience with Docker or other containerization mechanisms
  • Experience with CI/CD pipelines, unit testing, integration and regression testing
  • Experience using GitHub
  • Experience with Cloud technologies a strong plus