The EPPIcenter is seeking a talented and passionate individual to join the bioinformatics team. This role will provide bioinformatics expertise to support research primarily focused on malaria, involving both targeted sequencing and whole genome data. The Bioinformatics Specialist will be responsible for programming activity in the areas of data collection, storage and access, developing computational pipelines, critically evaluating existing tools, statistical methods, analyzing pipeline outputs, and data visualization. Collaborating closely with researchers, the specialist will design and implement solutions to streamline data workflows, ensure accurate interpretation of results, and contribute to analysis for scientific publications.
Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in biological science, computational / programming, or related area and / or equivalent experience / training.
Minimum 3+ years of relevant experience
1-2 years of relevant programming experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Ability to critically assess and evaluate bioinformatics software, effectively communicating the strengths and limitations of tools. Assess the impact on downstream results.
Self motivated, work independently or collaboratively as part of a team, able to learn quickly, meet deadlines and demonstrate problem solving skills. Critically reviewing results, identifying the root cause of problems, and proposing solutions
Ability to communicate technical information in a clear, concise, and professional manner to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including management and external collaborators, on a regular basis.
Thorough knowledge of modern biology and working knowledge of genomics.
Strong project management skills. Proven ability to manage multiple tasks and shifting priorities effectively, meeting deadlines while providing high-quality support to academic staff, including some IT activities, and adapting to changing project requirements as needed.
Thorough knowledge of bioinformatics programming and analysis using Python and/or R.

Preferred Qualifications

Proficient in using Git and adhering to development best practices.
Experience with Nextflow or similar workflow management languages.
An understanding of the limitations and common sequencing errors from associated laboratory techniques and/ or the field of malaria research.
Experience with high-performance computing (HPC) and/ or cloud computing environments, including scalability and performance optimization.
Thorough knowledge of bioinformatics methods, applications programming, web development, data structures, and working with relational databases (e.g. mySQL).