Position title: Bioinformatics Research Officer – Cancer
Employer: Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Closing date: 30/08/2020
Brief position description: The Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world-leading clinicians and basic and translational researchers to break down barriers between traditional scientific disciplines and find solutions to disease. Founded in 1963, Garvan’s mission is to harness all the information encoded in our genome to better diagnose, treat, predict and prevent disease.
Our scientists work across four intersecting research themes: medical genomics, epigenetics, and cellular genomics; diseases of immunity and inflammation; cancer; and diseases of ageing affecting bone, brain and metabolism. And three major Centres: The Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics, the Garvan-Weizmann Centre for Cellular Genomics, and the Centre for Population Genomics.
The Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre (AGCMC) is a not-for-profit, nationwide network of centres and medical research institutes that delivers precision medicine clinical trials and studies for the screening, prevention and treatment of cancers. It has a focus on patients with rare, less common and early onset cancers, and cancers with poor outcomes. The Molecular Screening and Therapeutics (MoST) program is a key component of the AGCMC, running nationally and co-ordinated at the Garvan Institute, and requires a bioinformatics research officer for operations and development.
The Opportunity
The position will work with the Chief of Informatics of the AGCMC to perform research into translational cancer genomics, including developing, streamlining, and validating approaches for analysing and interpreting cancer genomes for clinical research use.
This position will be embedded within the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Program at the Garvan Institute, and play a pivotal role in the success of the MoST program. The MoST program is an innovative adaptive signal-seeking framework trial design, aiming to generate evidence to support novel hypotheses behind genotype-guided therapeutic interventions. MoST use fast turn-around, targeted sequencing panels to study patients with rare, and advanced cancers, then use this information to recommend targeted therapies, either within the MoST program, or triaging onto available trials. The MoST program has been running in New South Wales since 2016 but has recently been expanded into a national program, co-ordinated at the Garvan Institute. This role will be jointly responsible for optimising the genomic analysis, and interpretation components of the MoST program, participating in Molecular Tumour Board (MTB) meetings, and have responsibility for preparing Molecular Tumour Board reports for each patient. This exciting opportunity will leverage the outcomes from research projects to change the way cancer patients in Australia and ultimately beyond will be treated in the clinical environment.
The project is also generating substantial cohort data and bioinformatics skills are required in various projects to analyse these data. This is a two year full-time position.
Key Responsibilities
This position will be responsible for helping to provide support in clinical research genomics, genome informatics and translational research in cancer genomics. This will include:
• Undertaking translational research with an emphasis on developing biological insights that are relevant to patient outcomes.
• Improving the breadth, quality and efficiency of existing genomic analysis pipelines, through development of improved bioinformatics approaches.
• Develop approaches to optimise and streamline interpretation of genomic data.
• Staying abreast on advances in genomics and next generation sequencing technology in general as well as maintaining knowledge about genomic testing and personalised medicine.
• Working independently, but importantly being able to work as part of a dynamic team
About You
In order to be successful in this position, you will demonstrate the following key skills and attributes:
• Postgraduate or industry experience (>3 years) in related disciplines
• Highly developed skills in bioinformatics and genomics
• Highly developed Python programming skills
• Project management skills
Desirable
• Knowledge of clinical interpretation of genomic data
• Source control management, unit and regression testing, continuous integration
• Other software engineering skills, e.g. web development
• Database management and SQL skills
• Knowledge developing diagnostic assays, and assessing their analytical performance
How to Apply
Australian/NZ citizen, permanent resident of other applicants with full working rights can only apply. All applications must include a cover letter along with your resume with at least 2 referees. We are reviewing applications as they are received.
Job website: http://garvan.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/garvan_institute/job/Sydney/Bioinformatics-Research-Officer_PRF5622-1
Contact name: Michelle Earle
Contact email: m.earle@garvan.org.au