Position Function:
The Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) at Mississippi State University seeks an experienced and driven research scientist to lead the analysis, writing, and publication of marine metabarcoding and metagenomic datasets in collaboration with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) in Miami, FL. The incumbent will analyze datasets from global ocean and Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico expeditions in the context of associated oceanographic and remote sensing datasets using HPC resources at MSU and NOAA, and publish manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and datasets in global data repositories. This position is based at NOAA/AOML in Miami, Florida. No remote work location is allowed.
Salary Grade: Level I: 15; Level II: 16
Please see Staff Compensation Structure for salary ranges.
Department Profile:
The Northern Gulf Institute (NGI) is a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Cooperative Institute comprised of six academic institutions that are geographically distributed across the U.S. Gulf Coast states. The six NGI member institutions are Mississippi State University (lead), the University of Southern Mississippi, Florida State University, Louisiana State University, the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and the Dauphin Island Sea Laboratory. Together with NOAA and in support of their strategic plan, NGI conducts research on interconnections among Gulf of Mexico environments, habitats, resources, and people and engages in outreach to help others learn about and make decisions based on these interconnections.
Anticipated Appointment Date:
September 1, 2024
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
• Analyze metabarcoding and metagenomic data using HPC resources at NGI and AOML;
• develop models of global microbe and plankton biodiversity;
• manage data in collaboration with the AOML omics data manager;
• set up bioinformatics computing environments on NGI's Orion supercomputer, AOML's on-premise cloud cluster, and NOAA's Parallel Works cloud server (AWS, GCP);
• develop standardized analysis workflows on Orion and other HPC environments to streamline data analysis and significantly decrease the time from sampling to data dissemination;
• assist and/or supervise NGI/CIMAS/NOAA researchers with the analysis of their ’omics datasets, using the Orion platform and the aforementioned workflows;
• develop training materials and tutorials to increase workforce competency and further accelerate the pace of analysis and discovery.
Minimum Qualifications:
• A Ph.D. in environmental or marine science, bioinformatics, genomics, molecular biology, microbiology, systems biology, or a related field;
• Environmental DNA or environmental microbiology experience;
• Level of appointment (Research I, II) is commensurate with qualifications and experience:
- Research Scientist I - Ph.D. Experience generally within three years after receiving their Ph.D. and with limited scientific research experience.
- Research Scientist II - Ph.D. Experience three to seven years of relevant experience beyond the Ph.D. level and with very significant professional accomplishments.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
• Experience analyzing multiple large metabarcoding and/or metagenomics DNA sequence datasets;
• Proficiency with data science programming (Python and/or R), the Unix command line, computational workflows;
• Proficiency with statistical analysis of large multivariate environmental datasets;
• Strong publication record including a first-author publication; and
• Strong written and oral communication skills.
Instructions for Applying:
Apply online by submitting a cover letter, resume, and a copy of your transcript(s). Any social numbers included on requested transcripts should be redacted prior to submitting online. For additional information, contact Luke Thompson at lrt175@ngi.msstate.edu
Restricted Clause:
Position is contingent upon continued availability of funding.
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:
MSU is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, gender identity, status as a U.S. veteran, and/or any other status protected by applicable law. We always welcome nominations and applications from women, members of any minority group, and others who share our passion for building a diverse community that reflects the diversity in our student population.
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