Bioinformatics Scientist (Entomology)

Key Skills

Python Programming, Azure, AWS, JIRA, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), R Programming, Github, Trello, Confluence

Job Description

At GreenLight we are working to solve two of the world's greatest problems: global food insecurity and equal access to vaccines and the associated health benefits. Unlike most corporations who can be required to put profits ahead of other principles, GreenLight is one of the first Public Benefit Corporations to be publicly traded and have a charter that requires a focus on how it benefits its employees, community and society and has a broad portfolio addressing key issues in plant health and human health (Nasdaq: GRNA) by leveraging the full potential of dsRNA and mRNA. The GreenLight team is over 300 people across our headquarters in Medford, MA, an R&D facility in Woburn, MA and an R&D facility in Research Triangle Park, NC. GreenLight also has a biomanufacturing plant in Rochester, NY. Initiatives include finding ways to support biodiversity, protect bees and other pollinators, treat rare diseases as well as develop vaccines.

At GreenLight, we believe inclusion is the way forward. We celebrate the power of working together to address humanity’s challenges, meet the needs of underserved populations, and push the boundaries of scientific discovery. Fueled by our aspiration for a true sense of belonging, our talented teams embody the principles of diversity and equality as we strive to bring food security, medicine, and healthcare to everyone—paving the way for a sustainable future. For more information, visit www.greenlightbio.com.

POSITION SUMMARY

GreenLight Biosciences is seeking an exceptional and collaborative Bioinformatics Scientist (Entomology) to contribute within our Data Science and Bioinformatics team. You will closely partner with our Plant Health Entomology team to apply your knowledge of Genomics, Next Generation Sequencing, Bioinformatics, Machine Learning and Biological Computing to drive development of our biopesticide products. In this role, the Bioinformatics Scientist is expected to be integrally involved in Plant Health Discovery Research by using algorithm design and workflow development to support biological hypotheses creation. The ideal candidate is a scientist programmer with expertise in designing algorithms and utilizing bioinformatics tools to mine public and custom insect datasets including, but not limited to, NGS, cell and mortality assay data. Strong interpersonal and technical communication skills to interface with stakeholders are essential.

 MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design and implement automated bioinformatics workflows and novel algorithms to derive actionable and novel biological insights/conclusions from a variety of biological data sets, with a focus on the entomology domain
• Design and implement data processing models to large-scale multi-omics eukaryotic datasets (RNA, Protein) by combining existing public and commercial tools with innovative solutions
• Translate data into actionable biological insights, with intuitive visualizations and effective communication, to a wide variety of Plant Health partners and leaders
• Perform bioinformatics analyses to drive RNAi innovation by identifying genotype-phenotype relationships, gene expression regulatory mechanisms, key biological pathways and protein-protein interactions
• Continuously align with reporting manager and project manager on priorities and peers on best practices for delivering data solutions to entomology and other Plant Health stakeholders
• Partner closely with Plant health Entomology stakeholders on experimental design, sample preparation, data analyses and reports
• Document code and experiments in a clearly reproducible manner

EDUCATION

• PhD in an Entomology-related field with a focus on bioinformatics analyses, Agriculture, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science or a related field

 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong familiarity with concepts in Crop Protection, Insect-plant interactions, Insect molecular biology, functional/structural genomics and/or RNAi
• >=2 years of experience in performing bioinformatics including algorithm/tool/workflow development, NGS analysis, with relevant datasets for >=2 insect species (pests preferred)
• >=3 years of programming experience with Python and R
• Expertise utilizing and configuring public and custom bioinformatics tools and workflows to probe and manipulate gene expression datasets. Deep familiarity with using entomology databases and associated data storage/retrieval systems
• Solid, demonstrable experience developing algorithms for solving biological problems. A biology-centric and data-oriented thought process.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to translate biologists/project team’s scientific questions into analytical strategies and methods
• Demonstrated ability to present complex results, both verbally and in writing, to bioinformatics and non-bioinformatics audiences of all levels is critical
• Must be independently driven, results-oriented and a quick learner
• Must maintain a HIGH level of ownership and see assignments through to completion based on agreed upon deadlines
• Must possess team working ability, learning agility, scientific curiosity with a problem-solving mindset, organizational skills, and an enthusiastic, collaborative spirit
• Exceptional candidates would have Post-PhD Academia or Industry experience, experience with statistical analyses and intuitive visualizations, and strong domain knowledge in RNAi mechanisms, Molecular Biology, and Gene Expression regulation
• Experience with reproducible code frameworks such as JIRA, Trello, Confluence and GitHub, and workflow management systems like snakemake
• Experience with high-performance computing environments including cloud infrastructures such as Azure, AWS or Google Cloud (Azure preferred)
• Enthusiasm and interest in unlocking novel areas of potential commercial value in a startup environment

Greenlight Biosciences Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

GreenLight requires proof of COVID-19 vaccination for its employees.