Bioinformatics Research Officer

Academic Qualifications

• Masters in Bioinformatics
  
• Masters in Computational Biology
  
• Master's degree in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, or a related field
  
• Strong academic record with demonstrated research productivity in malaria-related bioinformatics
  

Essential Technical Skills and Experience:

• Advanced proficiency in  Linux/Unix, Python and/or R for bioinformatics analysis
  

• Solid experience with genomic data analysis pipelines (sequence alignment, variant calling, quality control)
  

• Experience with HPC systems, job schedulers (SLURM, PBS), and parallel computing
  

• Deep understanding of Plasmodium falciparum biology, life cycle, and pathogenesis
  

• Knowledge of antimalarial drug resistance mechanisms and molecular markers
  

• Knowledge of immune evasion mechanisms in P. falciparum
  

• Implement and execute standardized pipelines for preprocessing P. falciparum genomic data
  

• Conduct quality control of raw sequence data using FastQC, Trimmomatic, and related tools
  

• Perform sequence alignment using BWA-MEM and variant calling using established protocols
  

• Apply filtering criteria to ensure high-quality variant datasets (depth, quality scores, mapping quality)
  

• Harmonize metadata across multiple datasets, including clinical and epidemiological variables
  

• Conduct GWAS analysis
  

• Generate comprehensive QC reports documenting data processing steps and outcomes
  

• Support validation of EVE predictions against experimentally confirmed variations, interpreting results in the context of parasite biology
  

• Troubleshoot pipeline failures and optimize computational workflows for efficiency
  

• Maintain version control and documentation for all analysis scripts
  

• Apply understanding of P. falciparum biology to inform quality control decisions and identify biologically relevant variants
  

• Participate in regular project meetings and present analytical findings with clear connections to malaria biology
  

• Collaborate with structural biologists and laboratory scientists, bridging computational and wet-lab perspectives
  

• Contribute to manuscript preparation, including methods sections, results interpretation, and supplementary materials
  

• Assist in preparing figures and tables for publications and presentations