Computational Scientist I at Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research

Computational Scientist I

Job ID: req3948
Employee Type: exempt full-time
Division: Clinical Monitoring Research Program
Facility: NIH
Location: NIH Campus 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 USA

The Frederick National Laboratory is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and operated by Leidos Biomedical Research, Inc.  The lab addresses some of the most urgent and intractable problems in the biomedical sciences in cancer and AIDS, drug development and first-in-human clinical trials, applications of nanotechnology in medicine, and rapid response to emerging threats of infectious diseases.

Accountability, Compassion, Collaboration, Dedication, Integrity and Versatility; it's the FNL way.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Within Leidos Biomedical Research Inc., operator of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, the Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate (CMRPD) provides high-quality comprehensive and strategic operational support to high-profile domestic and international clinical research initiatives sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and several other institutes within NIH.  CMRPD’s ability to provide rapid responses and high-quality solutions, and to recruit and retain experts with a variety of backgrounds, allows the directorate to facilitate strategic support to the growing clinical research portfolios of NCI, NIAID, and other NIH divisions/offices/centers. CMRPD’s support services are aligned with the program’s mission to provide comprehensive clinical trials operations and program/project management services to advance scientific clinical research that complies with applicable regulations and guidelines, maintains data integrity, and protects human subjects. CMRPD services include clinical trials monitoring, regulatory affairs support, clinical safety oversight, protocol navigation/protocol development, and programmatic and project management support to facilitate the conduct of more than 400 Phase I, II, and III domestic and international trials annually. These trials investigate the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, influenza, HIV, infectious diseases and emerging health challenges like Ebola virus and COVID-19, heart, lung, and blood disorders, parasitic infections, and rare and neglected diseases. CMRPD’s collaborative approach to clinical research support and the expertise and dedication of staff to the continuation and success of CMRPD’s mission has contributed to improving the overall standards of public health on a global scale.

The Clinical Monitoring Research Program Directorate (CMRPD) provides essential program/project management expertise to support the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Data Science and Sharing Team (DSST).

The Data Science and Sharing Team (DSST) (http://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/dsst) is responsible for leading and supporting data-intensive scientific projects within the NIMH Intramural Research Program (https://www.nimh.nih.gov/labs-at-nimh/index.shtml) (IRP). The DSST works closely with the Machine Learning Team (http://cmn.nimh.nih.gov/mlt) who develop and apply new analyses to better understand complex brain function and disease.

DSST also works to implement the Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP’s) (https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/) policy guidance (“Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research”, (https://www.whitehouse.gov/ostp/news-updates/2022/08/25/ostp-issues-guidance-to-make-federally-funded-research-freely-available-without-delay/) to increase public access to federally funded research, foster greater collaboration and innovation, and strengthen public trust.

KEY ROLES/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Works with a team of researchers and developers to build and deploy data processing pipelines in collaboration with NIH investigator. NIH High Performance Computing (HPC) Cluster (https://hpc.nih.gov/) resources will be available at your disposal as well as cloud compute infrastructure through the [STRIDES Initiative] (https://datascience.nih.gov/strides). Everything created is open source and freely distributed.
• Works to bolster data science skills within the NIH by teaching courses to scientists on best data practices (e.g. Software and Data Carpentries (https://carpentries.org/), BrainHack Global (https://brainhack.org/global2023/). Must have a dedication to open science concepts.
• Interfaces with specific neuroimaging repositories (e.g., The Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Project, OpenNeuro, UK Biobank, The NIMH Data Archive).
• Implements and contributes to projects throughout the world that are building standards and tools for open and reproducible neuroscience (e.g., OpenMicroscopy (https://www.openmicroscopy.org/), BIDS (http://bids.neuroimaging.io/), Neurodata Without Borders).
• Codes in modern languages currently used in data-intensive, scientific computing (e.g., Python or R) and version control systems like git.
• This position is located in Bethesda, MD. This position is hybrid with 2-3 days on-site, in Bethesda, MD.  Flexibility required.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

To be considered for this position, you must minimally meet the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed below:

• Possession of a PhD degree in computer science or a related field from an accredited college or university according to the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Foreign degrees must be evaluated for U.S. equivalency 
• No work experience required with a Doctorate degree
• Motivation to develop and research their own ideas
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Candidates with these desired skills will be given preferential consideration:

• One to two (1-2) years of relevant work experience
• Experience with distributed, high-performance computing tools such as Docker (https://www.docker.com)/ Singularity (https://singularity.lbl.gov) and batch processing systems such as SLURM (http://slurm.schedmd.com/)
• Experience with data management of microscopy and/or medical images
• Experience with front-end development and visualization with JavaScript
• Ability to provide concrete examples of code, ideally checked in to an online repository like Github or BitBucket and any associated publications or pre-prints

Commitment to Diversity
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

#readytowork