Research Lab Assistant - Cancer Center

Massachusetts General Hospital
United States, Massachusetts, Boston
149 13th Street (Show on map)
Jan 24, 2025
The Rheinbay Lab is looking for an enthusiastic Research Assistant who will take a hands-on, problem-solving approach in collaborating with scientists in an informal, collegial work environment that is infused with intellectual rigor. The right candidate will have an outstanding academic record and strong communication skills. Will demonstrate innovative and analytical thinking and will enjoy working as part of an interdisciplinary team of cancer bioinformaticians, molecular biologists, who are working together to identify mutations that drive cancer, develop novel diagnostic methods, and discover new cancer therapeutics. PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Indicate key areas of responsibility, major job duties, special projects, and key objectives for this position. These items should be evaluated throughout the year and included in the written annual evaluation. Principal duties are to assist in experiments for research projects under the supervision of the project head and the PI of the laboratory. Specifically, the lab is part of the MGH Cancer Center and the focus is on cancer metastasis. The primary role of this position is to process blood samples from the clinic using the lab's cutting-edge technology to capture circulating tumor cells. The process includes following protocols, troubleshooting, and detailed record-keeping. Work in collaboration with Cancer Center researchers to understand procedures and the kinds of data produced (e.g. DNA sequencing, RNA sequencing, epigenetic readouts, clinical annotations) Apply existing and novel algorithms to cancer data sets, analyze data quality and results Contribute to scientific writing and creation of data figures to be included in research publications reporting novel discoveries made in the lab and clinic Explore novel data visualization tools, with an emphasis on integrating diverse data types and extracting clinically relevant insights. SKILLS/ABILITIES/COMPETENCIES REQUIRED: Must be realistic, objective, measurable, and related to the essential functions of this job. Ability to nimby put together code for reading data from an unfamiliar text format, transform and visualize data, and run quick statistical tests. Emphasis is on practicality, and versatile. agile experimentation with data; not on formal/theoretical properties of algorithms. Strong programing skills and experience in computational data analysis. (e.g. using any of Matlab, R, Java, Python, Perl, C++). Experience with cluster computing infrastructure English language fluency Good verbal and written communication skills Ability to work independently and as a member of a team The General Hospital Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, age, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation, military service, genetic information, and/or other status protected under law. We will ensure that all individuals with a disability are provided a reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.