Job Description

Job Summary
This is an Internal Employment Opportunity

This recruitment will be used to fill one part-time (approximately 20 hours per week) Biological Sciences Research Technician 3 position for the Department of Ag Botany & Plant Pathology at Oregon State University (OSU). This is a limited duration appointment expected to last approximately 90 days from the appointment begin date.

The BSRT3 will be part of a team tackling an NSF-funded project that uses pattern recognition techniques in order to develop a detailed understanding of the way in which plant genes are controlled by DNA-encoded information (https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1750698 ). The project will build upon results from Ansariola et al. 2020 (https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.09.01.278424v2 ), analyzing a large transcription start sites sequencing and open chromatin dataset to address the potential for identifying the most prominent genomic information contributors to tissue-specific gene expression.

The incumbent will write software programs that help rigorously test and expand a promising new computational approach for dissecting which transcription factor binding site sets are optimal predictors of gene up-regulation in a biological sample. The incumbent should have formal training in computational methods, and is recruited specifically for implementing project goals using applied machine learning approaches. The incumbent will also have evidence illustrating strong communication skills. Extensive experience in molecular biology or genetics is not required; however, a background in biological systems is required, and familiarity with ‘omics-type datasets (e.g., RNA-seq, DNAse-I-seq) is required.

Project PI Megraw (http://megraw.cgrb.oregonstate.edu/mollymegraw ) will ensure that the BSRT receives appropriate training and mentoring to engage with both computational and genomics aspects of the project, and will ensure that the team member will continue to grow as a quantitative scientist.
Why OSU?
Working for Oregon State University is so much more than a job!

Oregon State University is a dynamic community of dreamers, doers, problem-solvers and change-makers. We don’t wait for challenges to present themselves — we seek them out and take them on. We welcome students, faculty and staff from every background and perspective into a community where everyone feels seen and heard. We have deep-rooted mindfulness for the natural world and all who depend on it, and together, we apply knowledge, tools and skills to build a better future for all.

FACTS:

• Top 1.4% university in the world
• More research funding than all public universities in Oregon combined
• 1 of 3 land, sea, space and sun grant universities in the U.S.
• 2 campuses, 11 colleges, 12 experiment stations, and Extension programs in all 36 counties
• 7 cultural resource centers that offer education, celebration and belonging for everyone
• 100+ undergraduate degree programs, 80+ graduate degrees plus hundreds of minor options and certificates
• 35k+ students including more than 2.3k international students and 10k students of color
• 217k+ alumni worldwide
• For more interesting facts about OSU visit: https://oregonstate.edu/about

Locations:

Oregon State has a statewide presence with campuses in Corvallis and Bend, the OSU Portland Center and the Hatfield Marine Science Center on the Pacific Coast in Newport.

Oregon State’s beautiful, historic and state-of-the-art main campus is located in one of America’s best college towns. Corvallis is located close to the Pacific Ocean, the Cascade mountains and Oregon wine country. Nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, this beautiful city offers miles of mountain biking and hiking trails, a river perfect for boating or kayaking and an eclectic downtown featuring local cuisine, popular events and performances.

Total Rewards Package:

Oregon State University offers a comprehensive benefits package with benefits eligible positions that is designed to meet the needs of employees and their families including:
• Medical, Dental, Vision and Basic Life. OSU pays 95% of premiums for you and your eligible dependents.
• Free confidential mental health and emotional support services, and counseling resources.
• Retirement savings paid by the university.
• A generous paid leave package, including holidays, vacation and sick leave.
• Tuition reduction benefits for you or your qualifying dependents at OSU or the additional six Oregon Public Universities.
• Robust Work Life programs including Dual Career assistance resources, flexible work arrangements, a Family Resource Center, Affinity Groups and an Employee Assistance Program.

Future and current OSU employees can use the Benefits Calculator to learn more about the full value of the benefits provided at OSU.
Key Responsibilities
70% Computational biology
Computational work includes generating and testing machine learning models, performing bioinformatic analyses, and constructing relevant software pipelines.

20% Communication
Preparation of manuscripts, reports, conference posters, oral presentations.

10% Other Computational tasks
Maintaining the group’s computational infrastructure, and other work relevant to the project as assigned by the PI.
What We Require
A Bachelor’s degree in (specific area of biological science) and two years of experience related to the area of assignment at a Biological Science Research Technician 2 level. Three additional years of experience related to the area of assignment at the Biological Science Research Technician 2 level may be substituted for the Bachelor’s degree.

What You Will Need
Demonstrable training and project experience in computational approaches in biology. Examples of training include university coursework or an online certificate. Examples of project experience include a substantive class project or a lab research project.

Demonstrable formal training and experience in the biological sciences. Examples of training include university coursework in the biological sciences or an online certificate. Examples of project experience include a substantive class project or a lab research project.

Demonstrable evidence of communication skills: e.g., oral presentations, teaching experience, manuscripts or written reports in computer science, biology, statistics or a related field.
What We Would Like You to Have
Master’s degree or equivalent experience in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Computer Science or related field.

Familiarity with genome annotation, sequence analysis tools, ‘omics data types, and informatics analysis of genome-scale datasets.

Extensive programming experience, and experience developing and implementing machine learning models.

Preferred communication experience: evidence of communicating computational approaches and results to interdisciplinary audiences. Examples include a talk with an audience composed primarily of attendees without a formal computer science background, or a project write-up in a biologically oriented journal.

Ability to collaborate and communicate clearly and effectively with diverse groups of people and in multi-disciplinary teams.

A demonstrable commitment to promoting and enhancing diversity, equity and inclusion (e.g., participation in implicit bias workshops, support of outreach efforts to marginalized populations, contributions to institutional or society-level DEI committee work).