Bioinformatics Scientist

The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA) is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 through the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ICBA is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world that is focused on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world. ICBA is an equal opportunity employer and appoints qualified staff regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender, religion or national origin. We demonstrate our commitment to each member of our team through a competitive benefits package designed to assist our employees to cover their needs and the needs of their immediate family members.

Job Summary

The researcher will be part of a multidisciplinary team working on genetic improvement of Quinoa, Date palm, Salicornia, and Colocynth. 

Job Responsibilities
  • Analyze Whole Genome Sequencing and Genotyping by Sequencing data for ICBA's crops: Quinoa, Date palm, Salicornia, Colocynth etc.
  • Implement annotation pipelines to establish linkages between sequence annotation data and phenotypic characterization
  • Implement and organize data mining for Quinoa, Date palm, Salicornia, Colocynth, and any other target plant species
  • Develop bioinformatics tools to detect sequence-based genetic markers
  • Develop pipelines for the assembly/alignment of next generation sequencing data, variant detection, and annotation
  • Supervise assistants and students in bioinformatics
  • Contribute to the design of ICBA scientific program and Big Data strategy
  • Publish results in journals and at conferences
  • Develop internal and external collaborations
  • Develop projects and apply for funding
  • The researcher will be expected to work with data from different sequencing and genotyping platforms including Sanger, Illumina, PacBio, Fluidigm and MGI. The position is part of an interdisciplinary team which includes plant breeders, geneticists, physiologists, and soil scientists

 

Qualifications and Experience
  • Ph.D. in the field of bioinformatics, computational biology, or a similar discipline
  • Experience in computer programming is essential. Knowledge of Perl, Python, Java, C languages. Knowledge of R language
  • Experience in developing and deploying bioinformatics software is essential
  • Experience with plant genomics
  • Experience with phylogenetics software
  • Experience with genetic mapping
  • Experience in genome wide genetic analysis
  • Must be prepared to travel internationally
  • Excellent communication skills in written & spoken English.
  • Arabic language proficiency is an advantage.

 

Post Date
19 July 2022
Status
Closed
Vacancy Type
Full-time
Closing Date
open until filled
Location
ICBA, Dubai
Report To
Chief Scientist
Job Number
ICBA-DP-2022-002