STATE OF CONNECTICUT EXECUTIVE BRANCH JOBS

Public Health Laboratory Research Specialist (35 Hour)

Bioinformatician

Recruitment #210824-1671HC-001

Introduction

The State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health (DPH) is hiring! We are seeking a qualified individual for the position of Public Health Laboratory Research Specialist (Bioinformatician). This Public Health Laboratory Research Specialist (Bioinformatician) position will work in the Department of Public Health's State Public Health Laboratory. Located in Rocky Hill, CT, the State Public Health Laboratory offers exciting opportunities for career development and growth. The recently established centralized Advanced Molecular Diagnostic laboratory (AMD) at the State Public Health laboratory, has continued to provide rapid identification and characterization of emerging and re-merging disease-causing agents using complex, sensitive and specific tests in the applied clinical area of laboratory diagnostics. The implementation of these tests has improved clinical patient management while enhancing epidemiologic disease monitoring, surveillance, outbreak investigation, and disease control. The AMD laboratory has been paramount in the COVID-19 diagnostic response in Connecticut, validating multiple testing platforms and testing specimens since the onset of the pandemic. 

This Public Health Laboratory Research Specialist (Bioinformatician) position is crucial to the Department of Public Health whole genomic surveillance and diagnostic programs for the health safety of Connecticut residents. The incumbent will oversee analysis of NGS data produced by the State Laboratory and is expected to apply state-of-the-art computational methods and assist in the development of innovative approaches to software challenges that touch all aspects of NGS data analysis. This includes, but is not limited to pathogen identification, outbreak tracking, mapping drug-resistance determinants, development of novel genetic tests, variant analysis, genome annotation and phylogenetics. The analysis may involve microbial, viral, fungal, parasites NGS data.

The Mission of the Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect and improve the health and safety of the people of Connecticut by assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy, preventing disease, injury, and disability, and promoting the equal enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, which is a human right and a priority of the state.

DPH accomplishes this through the implementation of its Strategic Plan which outlines the actions that DPH is taking to accomplish its Mission.

Are you interested in joining our team as a Public Health Laboratory Research Specialist(Bioinformatician)? We encourage you to apply today! This position is conveniently located in Rocky Hill, CT. The work schedule for this position is typically Monday - Friday, 35 hours per week, with opportunities for flex scheduling.

Please Note: This is a grant funded position, with an anticipated end date of 7/31/2024, with the possibility of extension.

We offer a competitive benefits package, excellent health care, generous leave policies, retirement plan, and more!  We also encourage a healthy work-life balance to all employees!

Selection Plan

The minimum experience and training requirements must be met by the close date on the job opening, unless otherwise specified.

These positions will be filled in accordance with contractual language, reemployment, SEBAC, transfer, promotion and merit employment rules. In order to be considered for this job opening, you must meet the Minimum Qualifications as listed on the job opening. You must specify your qualifications on your application.  

Due to the volume of applications anticipated, we are unable to provide confirmation of receipt or status during the recruitment process. Updates will be provided through your JobAps portal account. 

Interviews will be limited to candidates whose experience most closely meet the preferred requirements of the position.  At any point during the recruitment process, applicants may be required to submit additional documentation which support their qualification(s) for this position. These documents may include: a cover letter, resume, performance reviews, attendance records, supervisory references, licensure, etc., at the discretion of the hiring agency. Applicants must meet the minimum qualifications as indicated to apply for this position. 

Please Note: You will be unable to make revisions once you submit your application for this posting to the JobAps system.

This posting may require completion of additional referral questions (RQs). You can access these RQs via an email that will be sent to you after the posting's closing date or by visiting your JobAps Personal Status Board (Certification Questionnaires section). Your responses to these RQs must be submitted by the question's expiration date. Please regularly check your email and JobAps Personal Status Board for notifications. Please check your SPAM and/or Junk folders on a daily basis in the event an email provider places auto-notification emails in a user's spam. 

Although applicants will receive correspondence via email, as a backup they are also encouraged to sign on to their Personal Status Board on a daily basis to monitor their status, view all emailed notices and complete tasks required in the recruitment process. 

The immediate vacancy is listed above, however, applications to this recruitment may be used for future vacancies in this job class.

All State employees shall follow the guidelines as listed in Executive Orders 13F (3a) and 13G (3a).

Should you have questions pertaining to this recruitment, please contact Chelsea Moore at Chelsea.Moore@ct.gov

PURPOSE OF JOB CLASS (NATURE OF WORK)

In the Department of Public Health this class is accountable for establishing and conducting state-of-the-art complex and involved examinations, studies and research and providing instruction to staff of the Public Health Laboratory.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES

Initiates, performs, and oversees state-of-the-art complex applied research: evaluates laboratory procedures in light of newer findings in order to improve effectiveness of present laboratory methods; evaluates and validates effectiveness of new procedures for use in public health laboratories; conducts special studies in areas not routinely studied by the Public Health Laboratory; instructs staff in any of several areas of specialty including clinical, chemistry, biochemistry or molecular studies pertinent to public health; maintains records and prepares reports; prepares articles for publication in technical journals; assists in the preparation of grant proposals; collaborates with other laboratories and academic institutions; consults with State and Federal agencies as a technical resource; performs related duties as required.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILL AND ABILITY

Considerable knowledge of current clinical, biological, microbiological, chemical, biochemical or molecular laboratory practices as related to public health; considerable knowledge of scientific principles and application to laboratory testing, methods, instrumentation and quality assurance; knowledge of state-of-the-art laboratory apparatus and techniques; ability to make accurate observations; ability to apply scientific knowledge to studies concerned with public health and environmental, biological or chemical terrorism; ability to use advanced statistical methods; ability to communicate to and instruct others in advanced theories, concepts and methodologies; ability to prepare and maintain accurate reports; ability to document and write instructions for technical methods; ability to prepare and present scientific information for peer review.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - GENERAL EXPERIENCE

Eight (8) years of experience in a public health, medical or research laboratory performing scientific work.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SPECIAL EXPERIENCE

One (1) year of the General Experience must have been peforming complex advanced scientific work in the applicable area(s) of chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology or molecular biology including documented experience in developing, implementing and interpreting laboratory tests.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS - SUBSTITUTIONS ALLOWED

1. College training in one of the biological, chemical or physical sciences may be substituted for the General Experience on the basis of fifteen (15) semester hours equalling one-half (1/2) year of experience to a maximum of four (4) years for a Bachelor's degree.
2. A Master's degree in one of the biological, chemical or physical sciences may be substituted for five (5) years of the General Experience.
3. A Doctoral degree in one of the biological, chemical or physical sciences with an emphasis on laboratory practice may be substituted for seven (7) years of the General Experience.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Advanced degree in Biology, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics or related field 
  • Experience developing custom scripts using standard bioinformatics tools for pathogen genomics and implementing metagenomics computational tools
  • Experience working with high throughput sequencing datasets (e.g. whole genome sequencing, RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, etc.) in a Linux and/or cloud environment
  • Experience with genomics laboratory techniques
  • Experience in one or more programming languages (e.g. C++, Python, R, Java, Perl, Unix, SQL), Jupyter notebooks and/or knitr to generate and share reports
  • Experience working with common bioinformatic tools (e.g. BWA, GATK) and file formats (e.g. BAM, VCF)
  • Experience with collaborative development environments, including management of shared repositories (github), and other data management systems (Excel, Access, Tableau)
  • Experience in developing analytical pipelines (e.g. using snakemake)
  • Experience working with High Performance Computing clusters (e.g. SLURM) and workflow manager (e.g. CWL, WDL, Snakemake)
  • Experience working with data quality assessment to evaluate overall quality score of the sequencing reads, presence of adaptors, carry-over and contamination
  • Experience with pathogen genomics, especially SARS-CoV-2, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistance, and enteric pathogens

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

1. Incumbents in this class must be willing to periodically undergo tests or immunizations for communicable diseases as necessary.
2. Incumbents in this class may be required to undergo and successfully complete security background checks.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Incumbents in this class may be exposed to communicable diseases and hazardous substances.

Conclusion

AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

The State of Connecticut is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and strongly encourages the applications of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities.