Scientific Analyst II

The School of Plant Sciences seeks applications for a Scientific Analyst II position. The Scientific Analyst II will analyze genomic datasets for the Arizona Genomics Institute's research programs. The project foresees to analyze genomic and transcriptomic data from cultivated rice varieties, identifying genetic variants and differentially expressed genes.

The successful candidate will be proficient in executing software and commands via the command line, will have worked with long- and short-read sequencing data, and must have a deep understanding of eukaryotic genetics and genomics. The position requires the candidate to interact with many different colleagues and collaborators. A high degree of initiative, resourcefulness, and professionalism are necessary.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

• PacBio HiFi read alignment to a reference, variant calling (SNPs, SVs). Integration of variants across ~160 samples, development of research analyses, summarizing the results, presenting to scientific meetings.
• Differential gene expression analysis. From short-read datasets, across ~160 rice samples. Determine gene expression level, identify differentially expressed genes and association with the panel.
• Run genome-wide association analyses to associate genetic variation with phenotype data generated at the International Rice Research Institute's (IRRI) field sites in the Philippines and Tanzania related to drought tolerance.
• Perform eQTL analyses to associate gene expression data with drought tolerance field studies generated at IRRI.

Knowledges, Skills & Abilities:

• Highly developed communication skills: verbal and digital.
• Knowledge of plant genome analysis, evolutionary analyses, population genomics.
• Extended knowledge of genome sequencing technologies and handling the data.
• High proficiency of Unix command line, executing software, interpreting the output.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing infrastructure.
• Ability to critically evaluate the quality of the results and to perform novel analyses as required.
• Excellent technical writing skills, maintaining and sharing documentation, note taking, and reporting to different audiences.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

• Masters Degree in plant biology or related field with an emphasis on computational biology.
• Three years relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

• PhD in plant biology or related field with an emphasis on computational biology.
• Three years proven experience in plant genomic analyses: variant calling, gene expression, association studies.
• Experience with R and sequence data analysis software for gene expression and association studies.