Biologist in Computational Biology

Duties

The incumbent will work on research and development projects and activities of a Biodiversity and Bioinformatics R&D team, under the guidance and supervision of the Research Scientist.

Responsibilities include:
Conduct microbiome research focusing on biodiversity, pathogen biosurveillance and agricultural sustainability using genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics approaches.
Develop hypotheses, experiments and data analysis strategies for research projects using high-throughput sequencing technologies.
Develops, modifies and improves Bioinformatics applications for resolving biological questions as applied to scientific research in biodiversity.
Participate in projects and working groups conducting research and data analysis.
Collect, compile, analyse and manage biological data, e.g sequencing data and associated metadata
Assist in managing laboratory operations and budgets.
Prepare written reports on project progress and form conclusions; assist in preparation of proposals and peer-reviewed research articles for publication.
Maintain quality control and perform troubleshooting to ensure high-quality results.
Reports and presents scientific data through interactive communications at scientific conferences and workshops.
Provide technical support, guidance and supervision to graduates, undergraduates, technicians, and post-doctoral fellows.
Provide advice, consultation and trainings to team members, collaborators, and/or management

Work environment

As one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, AAFC is proud to celebrate our achievement in creating a diverse, respectful, and positive workplace where all employees are valued and recognized for their unique qualities, ideas, voices and perspectives.

The Ottawa Research and Development Centre (ORDC) is one of the largest R&D centres of the Science & Technology Branch (STB) at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). ORDC is located on the beautiful, historical, 425-hectare Central Experimental Farm in downtown Ottawa and leads research in three areas: 1) Crop genetic enhancement and genomics; 2) Biodiversity of vascular plant, fungi and bacteria, and invertebrates; and 3) Integrated assessment of long-term environmental effect of agricultural practices. Research conducted at ORDC, as well as all R&D centres of STB, are aligned with national priorities to help the sector adapt and remain competitive in domestic and global markets. We work closely with other federal government agencies, provincial governments, industry, academia, and other partners in Canada and abroad to increase agricultural productivity; improve environmental performance; improve attributes for food and non-food uses; and to address threats to the agriculture and agri-food value chain.

Intent of the process

The immediate need is to staff 1 position indeterminately.

A pool of qualified candidates may be established and may be used for similar permanent and temporary employment for the location indicated for this process.

Positions to be filled: 1

Information you must provide

Your résumé.

Contact information for 2 references.

You must meet all essential qualifications in order to be appointed to the position. Other qualifications may be a deciding factor in choosing the person to be appointed. Some essential and other qualifications will be assessed through your application. It is your responsibility to provide appropriate examples that illustrate how you meet each qualification. Failing to do so could result in your application being rejected.

In order to be considered, your application must clearly explain how you meet the following (essential qualifications)

Graduation with a degree from a recognized post-secondary institution in a natural, physical or applied science with specialization in Biological Sciences, Bioinformatics, Biostatistics or a field relevant to the duties of the position.

Degree equivalency

Significant* and recent** experience in conducting / participating in research in Computational Biology/Bioinformatics, Genomics and/or Metagenomics.

Significant* and recent** experience in interpreting and summarizing research results based on biostatistical analyses.

Experience in developing and/or using bioinformatics tools and pipelines to analyse and interpret biological, genomic and/or metagenomic data.

Experience in using object-oriented programming in at least two of the following languages: R, Bash, Perl, Python, in Linux/Unix operating systems.

Experinece in using and develping modern molecular biology technologies, e.g. real-time PCR and DNA-hybridization-based assays.

Experience in supervising and training team members and collaborators.

*Significant is defined as the the depth and breadth of experience associated with the duty having performed a broad range of various, complex related activities which are acquired over a period of 2 years within the last 5 years.

**Recent is defined as experience acquired within the last four years.

If you possess any of the following, your application must also clearly explain how you meet it (other qualifications)

A master’s or doctoral degree (M.Sc or Ph.D/D.Sc) from a recognized post-secondary institution with specialization in Computational Biology/Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, Computer Sciences, or Biological Sciences, or another specialization relevant to the duties of the position

Degree equivalency

Experience in Phylogenetics, Mycology, Microbiology or Comparative Genomics.
Experience in using Application Programming Interface (API)
Experience in using and developing R functions and packages for statistical ecology
Experience in genome and metagenome assemble and annotation
Experience in developing web-based applications for structured or relational databases (e.g. SQL database)
Experience in designing and implementing algorithms for biological data analysis
Significant* and recent** experience in Biostatistics

*Significant is defined as the the depth and breadth of experience associated with the duty having performed a broad range of various, complex related activities which are acquired over a period of 2 years within the last 5 years.
**Recent is defined as experience acquired within the last four years.

The following will be applied / assessed at a later date (essential for the job)

English essential

Information on language requirements

Knowledge in sequencing-based metagenomics and genomics data processing and analysis using bioinformatics tools
Knowledge of Linux/Unix operating systems
Knowledge of statistical ecology

Writing skills
Problem solving
Interactive communication
Teamwork
Planning and Organizing
Adaptability
Attention to detail

Ability to analyze and summarize biological, genomic and metagenomic data
Ability to manage/coordinate progress and budgets of multiple research projects/activities

The following may be applied / assessed at a later date (may be needed for the job)

Selection may be limited to members of the following Employment Equity groups: Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, visible minorities, women

Information on employment equity

Placement of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) employees affected by workforce adjustment

Conditions of employment

Reliability Status security clearance

Possession of a valid driver's license
Ability and willingness to travel
Ability and willingness to maintain a flexible schedule and work occasional overtime

Other information

Applications submitted by email will not be accepted. You must apply on-line through www.jobs.gc.ca.

Persons with disabilities preventing them from applying on-line are asked to contact 1-800-645-5605.

Persons are entitled to participate in the appointment process in the official language of their choice. Applicants are asked to indicate their preferred official language in their application.

Communication for this process will be sent via email. It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure accurate contact information is provided and updated as required. Candidates who apply to this selection process should include an email address that accepts email from unknown users (some email systems block these types of email).

All communication relating to this process, including email correspondence, may be used in the assessment of qualifications.

Appointment decisions may be based on one or more of the following criteria:
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the strengths and weaknesses of the work team.
- Matching of the individual's experience or qualifications to the specific duties of the position being staffed.
- Depth, breadth, type of work-specific experience.
- Level/degree of one or more competencies/qualifications.

The Public Service of Canada is committed to building a skilled, diverse workforce reflective of Canadian society. As a result, it promotes employment equity and encourages candidates to indicate voluntarily on their application if they are a woman, an Aboriginal person, a person with a disability or a member of a visible minority group.

The Public Service of Canada is also committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environments. If contacted in relation to a job opportunity or testing, you should advise the Public Service Commission or the departmental official in a timely fashion of the accommodation measures which must be taken to enable you to be assessed in a fair and equitable manner. Information received relating to accommodation measures will be addressed confidentially.

Preference

Preference will be given to veterans and to Canadian citizens, in that order.

Information on the preference to veterans

We thank all those who apply. Only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.