Senior Bioinformaticist (Hybrid) - Neurology

Scheduled Hours
40

Position Summary
As a Senior Bioinformaticist at Washington University, you will play a key role in advancing cutting-edge spatial biology and multi-omics research within the Department of Neurology and the Tracy Family SILQ Center. You will lead the development and implementation of computational pipelines to analyze high-dimensional datasets, including spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, and multimodal imaging data. This role will involve close collaboration with experimental scientists to support quantitative tissue biology, multimodal data integration, and biomarker discovery in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders. Your work will help establish scalable analytical frameworks and reproducible workflows that accelerate discovery and enable new grant-funded and collaborative research programs.

Job Description

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Independently develop a wide variety of computer programs to meet the needs of data collection, quality control, analysis and report generation.

• Lead and manage research projects and work together with junior members to complete data processing and analysis following specific timelines.

• Lead complex data analysis and writes interpretative reports for Principal investigators.

• Lead and collaborate within cross-functional teams.

• Lead analytical support for internal projects and external collaborations.

• Supervise database structure: includes updating, validating, curating and harmonizing longitudinal, cross-sectional data from different sources.

• Provide a centralized, confidential and secure access to phenotypic data to Principal investigators.

• Lead the response to data queries from Principal Investigators and external collaborators.

• Create reports and prepare highly technical presentations.

• Write manuscripts and communications for conference presentations.

• Present data in meetings and conferences.

• Other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:
Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment

Physical Effort

• Typically sitting at a desk or table

Equipment

• Office equipment

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor’s degree or combination of education and/or experience may substitute for minimum education.

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Relevant Experience (12 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong background in PLINK, QC, IBD, PCA.

• Knowledge of association analyses, PRSice, MAGENTA, Mendelian Randomization, MANTRA, Coloc, QTL and Unix/Linux.

• Experience analyzing omics datasets and high-dimensional tissue imaging or spatial profiling data (e.g., multiplex immunofluorescence, spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics).

• Familiarity with analysis tools commonly used in single-cell and spatial omics (e.g., Seurat, Scanpy, Squidpy, Napari, Cirro, Cellpose, CellProfiler, QuPath), or demonstrated ability to quickly learn new analytical frameworks.

• Experience integrating multi-modal datasets (e.g., transcriptomics + proteomics + imaging; serial-section alignment; cross-platform integration).

• Strong statistical skills, including differential expression/abundance modeling, mixed-effects models, multiple-testing correction, and experience working with nested or hierarchical experimental designs.

• Experience developing reproducible computational workflows using best practices

• Experience working in high-performance computing (HPC) or cloud environments for large-scale data analysis.

• Prior experience supporting academic research programs, including contributions to manuscripts, grant applications, and collaborative team science projects.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree, Ph.D. - Doctor of Philosophy

Certifications/Professional Licenses:

No additional certification/professional licenses unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Work Experience:

No additional work experience unless stated elsewhere in the job posting.

Skills:

Association Analysis, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Docker (Software), Java, Linux, Linux Bash, Microsoft Excel, Perl Programming, PLINK (Software), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Python (Programming Language), Quality Control Tools, R Programming, Scientific Programming Language, Statistical Analysis Software (SAS), Statistical Genetics, Structured Query Language (SQL), Unix

Grade
R13

Salary Range
$72,900.00 - $132,200.00 / Annually

The salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ .

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please email CandidateQuestions@wustl.edu  or call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening
All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement
Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity and especially encourages applications by those from underrepresented groups. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.

Washington University is dedicated to building a community of individuals who are committed to contributing to an inclusive environment – fostering respect for all and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Individuals with a commitment to these values are encouraged to apply.