UNIV - Open Rank Faculty - Department of Radiation Medicine

UNIV
- Open Rank Faculty
- Department of Radiation Medicine

Bioinformatics Lead, ctDNA Sequencing & Translational Genomics

Location:

Charleston, SC, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), (hybrid/remote may be considered for exceptional candidates)

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC
- Univ)

Worker Type:
Employee

Worker Sub-Type:
Faculty

Cost Center: CC001058 COM Radiation Oncology

Pay Rate Type:
Salary

Pay Grade:
University-00

Pay Range: 0.00 - 0.00 - 0.000

Scheduled Weekly

Hours:

40

Work Shift:

We are recruiting a Bioinformatics Lead to build and continuously improve the computational analysis platform supporting high-sensitivity circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assay development and translational clinical research. This role will support NGS data processing, quality control frameworks, error suppression, variant detection, and reporting across tumor-informed and tumor-naïve workflows. The successful candidate will work closely with wet-lab scientists and clinicians to enable rapid iteration, reproducibility, and scalability, with an emphasis on ultra-low allele fraction detection and rigorous translational study support.

• Develop and maintain computational workflows supporting ctDNA-focused targeted sequencing analyses.
• Implement robust quality control metrics, acceptance criteria, and failure triage processes for high-depth sequencing runs.
• Generate analysis outputs and summaries to support translational studies, manuscripts, and grant applications.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of analytic performance (sensitivity/specificity) for ultra-low VAF detection and MRD-related applications.

• Partner with wet-lab and clinical teams to align assay design, sample processing, and analytic outputs; participate in troubleshooting and iterative optimization.
• Support study design discussions, analytic endpoint definitions, and interpretation of results for translational research programs.

• Support best practices for data governance, provenance, documentation, and reproducibility in handling human genomic data.
• Work with institutional resources to implement secure computational environments and appropriate data access practices.

• Mentor junior analysts as the program grows; contribute to hiring, onboarding, and training as needed.
• Help establish standards for analytic workflows, documentation, and communication across the research team.

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genetics/Genomics, Computer Science, Biostatistics, or related field; or MS with substantial relevant experience (track/title commensurate with credentials).
• Demonstrated experience analyzing ctDNA NGS data, including ultra-low allele fraction detection and/or MRD-related workflows.
• Strong NGS fundamentals: alignment, variant calling, QC, annotation, and interpretation-ready output generation.
• Proficiency in Python and/or R; strong comfort with Linux/Unix environments.
• Experience implementing reproducible analytic workflows and maintaining code in collaborative environments (e.g., version control).
• Track record of delivering robust pipelines used repeatedly for real datasets (not one-off scripts).
• Strong communication skills and ability to operate effectively in a multidisciplinary translational environment.

Any of the following (or similar) would be a plus:

• Method development experience related to error suppression, background error modeling, consensus approaches, or sensitivity/specificity benchmarking for ultra-low VAF detection.
• Experience designing computational validation plans (e.g., precision/recall, LOD, reproducibility) and supporting assay/pipeline iteration.
• Experience with FFPE tumor tissue sequencing analysis and variant calling (or similar challenging specimen types with artifact-aware calling and QC).
• Familiarity with HIPAA-aligned compute environments and practices for handling human genomic data; experience with secure cloud environments (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Experience working in or alongside clinical genomics settings and documentation practices supportive of eventual clinical validation.
• Experience mentoring analysts/engineers and/or leading pipeline development across multiple projects.

Please submit:

• CV
• Brief cover letter describing ctDNA/NGS analysis experience and role-fit
• (Optional) Link to code samples or repositories demonstrating relevant workflow/pipeline work
• (Optional) Contact information for 3 references

Physical Requirements:

(

Note:

The following descriptions are applicable to this section: Continuous - 6-8 hours per shift; Frequent - 2-6 hours per shift; Infrequent - 0-2 hours per shift) Ability to perform job functions in an upright position. (Frequent) Ability to perform job functions in a seated position. (Frequent) Ability to perform job functions while walking/mobile. (Frequent) Ability to work indoors. (Continuous) Ability to work outdoors in all weather and…