Principal Bioinformatician

Key Responsibilities

• Scientific Leadership
• Lead the strategy and execution of bioinformatics efforts for multiplex PCR assay design and optimization.
• Serve as a subject matter expert in AI driven assay design, including target selection, primer/probe design, specificity analysis, cross-reactivity minimization, and multiplex compatibility.
• Drive innovation through the integration of AI/ML models to improve assay performance, design efficiency, and predictive accuracy.
• Mentor and guide cross-functional scientists in bioinformatics, molecular biology, and data science.
• Assay Development & Design
• Develop and implement computational pipelines for high-quality primer and probe design for complex multiplex assays.
• Optimize assays for sensitivity, specificity, and robustness across diverse sample types and targets.
• Conduct in silico validation including thermodynamic modeling, sequence alignment, and off-target prediction.
• Collaborate with wet-lab teams to iterate on assay performance using experimental feedback.
• AI / Machine Learning Integration
• Design and deploy AI/ML models to:
• Predict primer/probe efficiency and multiplex interactions
• Optimize assay conditions and configurations
• Analyze amplification data and improve signal interpretation
• Apply deep learning or probabilistic modeling approaches to sequence and assay design problems.
• Stay current with emerging AI techniques and apply them to molecular diagnostics challenges.
• Data Science & Bioinformatics
• Build and maintain scalable pipelines for genomic data processing, annotation, and analysis.
• Integrate public and proprietary datasets to inform assay design and validation.
• Develop software tools to automate and standardize assay workflows.
• Cross-functional Collaboration
• Partner with R&D, computational biology, software engineering, and product teams to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Communicate complex computational concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Support regulatory and clinical teams with analytical validation data.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Genomics, Molecular Biology, or a related field.
• 8+ years of relevant experience (industry preferred), including leadership responsibility.
• Deep expertise in:
• Machine Learning / AI related to molecular diagnostics
• PCR primer/probe design, including multiplex assay design principles
• Bioinformatics tools (e.g., BLAST, alignment algorithms, sequence databases)
• Programming (e.g., Python, R, or similar)
• Demonstrated experience applying machine learning or AI to biological or genomic data.

Preferred Experiences

• Experience with high-plex assays, digital PCR, qPCR, or NGS-based diagnostics.
• Knowledge of thermodynamics of nucleic acid interactions and assay chemistry.
• Familiarity with cloud computing and scalable pipelines (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience in regulated environments (e.g., CLIA, FDA, IVDD/IVDR).
• Publication record or patents in assay development, bioinformatics, or applied AI.