Staff Bioinformatics Scientist — Oncology/MRD Algorithm Development

Staff Bioinformatics Scientist

What if the work you did every day could impact the lives of people you know? Or all of humanity? At Illumina, we are expanding access to genomic technology to realize health equity for billions of people around the world. Our efforts enable life-changing discoveries that are transforming human health through the early detection and diagnosis of diseases and new treatment options for patients. Working at Illumina means being part of something bigger than yourself. Every person, in every role, has the opportunity to make a difference. Surrounded by extraordinary people, inspiring leaders, and world changing projects, you will do more and become more than you ever thought possible.

We are a multi-disciplinary and multinational team focused in using next-generation sequencing technology to transform human health and save patient's lives. Our team works at the interface of research and clinical practice developing and improving innovative algorithms to biomarkers and variants that fill gaps in clinical practice, focusing primarily on oncology. We collaborate deeply with internal and external teams, to augment DRAGEN, Illumina's software platform to analyze high-throughput sequencing data, remove barriers for its use in clinical settings, and develop new biomarkers in areas such as MRD and methylation.

We know the importance of your role and offer you a collaborative and supportive environment in which you are actively encouraged to develop your skills and knowledge. Illumina's mission is to improve human health by unlocking the power of the genome – if that inspires you, let's talk. If you are excited as we are about using genomics to transform the practice of medicine, have a proven track record of algorithm development, data analysis, and strong coding ability, this is the role for you. You will be part of a culture fueled by innovation, collaboration, and openness.

To be successful as a Staff Bioinformatics Scientist, you will need a background in bioinformatics with a particular focus on algorithm development, biomarkers and oncology. Previous experience with at least two: statistics, common bioinformatics methods, next generation sequencing analysis, and oncology will be key to your success. This role may be performed remotely within the US but the position requires accommodation to meeting times to overlap with Pacific time zone hours.

The Staff Bioinformatics Scientist will drive the development of algorithms for detecting minimal residual disease in ctDNA samples using signals from small variant calling, copy number calling, fragmentomics, and methylation. This role will also assist in improving algorithms for therapy selection across a range of variant types and biomarkers.

Responsibilities:

• Prototype novel NGS algorithms for clinical oncology use cases such as MRD
• Assess and improve existing secondary analysis algorithms for variant and biomarker detection
• In collaboration with external and internal experimental teams, design and analyze experiments to support existing or new Illumina oncology assays.
• Provide technical guidance to internal and external collaborators.
• Participate in cross functional assay and algorithm R&D teams with minimal oversight.
• Effectively communicate plans and results across functions

  Requirements:

  • PhD in bioinformatics, computation biology, statistics, math or related field with 3+ years industry experience
  • Fluency in at least two of statistics, common bioinformatics methods NGS analysis, and oncology.
  • Proven track-record with developing bioinformatics NGS algorithms beyond leveraging already existing tools.
  • Fluency in programming languages such as Python. Experience with C++ is desired
  • Good communication skills to contribute to cross functional project teams and work with stakeholders.