Job Details

Research Informaticist

Position Number: 6849869
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Position Type: Laboratory and Research

Research Informaticist

Job Summary

Research Informaticist
The Vollger Lab is a newly established research group in the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Utah, launching in January 2026. This is an exciting opportunity to join a lab at its inception and help shape its direction and culture. We develop computational tools and approaches to study the most challenging and rapidly evolving regions of the human genome-segmental duplications. Using cutting-edge long-read sequencing technologies, we investigate how gene regulatory elements within these complex genomic regions impact human evolution and disease. Our work bridges genome assembly, chromatin biology, and bioinformatics, with a particular focus on understanding human-specific traits in neurogenesis. We collaborate with major genomics consortia, including the Telomere-to-Telomere Consortium and the Human Pangenome Reference Consortium, to create the first comprehensive atlas of gene regulation in the fastest-evolving euchromatic regions of the human genome.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

The department may choose to hire at any of the below job levels and associated pay rates based on their business need and budget.

Responsibilities
Research Informaticist, IIIThe Research Informaticist will play a central role in the lab's computational research by:

Developing and applying bioinformatics pipelines for processing and analyzing long-read sequencing data (PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore)
Working with large-scale genomic, epigenomic (DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility), and transcriptomic datasets
Contributing to genome assembly and comparative genomics analyses, particularly in complex and repetitive genomic regions
Building and maintaining reproducible workflows (Snakemake, Nextflow, or similar) and databases for data management
Collaborating with lab members and external consortium partners on multi-omic data integration
Assisting in the development of custom tools and visualization approaches for biological discovery
Synthesizing and presenting research both internally and externally

Technical environment: Linux/HPC, Python, R, and shell scripting. Familiarity with version control (Git/GitHub) expected.

Strong applicants will have: Experience with long-read sequencing analysis, proficiency in a compiled programming language (e.g., C, C++, Rust), experience with a workflow language (e.g. Snakemake), and/or a demonstrated track record of software development. We encourage applicants to include a link to the software project they are most proud of creating.

This position is on-site in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.This is a Career-Level position in the General Professional track.Job Code: P57123Grade: P19Expected Pay Range: $52,993 to $112,140

Minimum Qualifications
EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).
Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:
Research Informaticist, III: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 6 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 4 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

Special Instructions

Requisition Number: PRN44011B
Full Time or Part Time? Full Time
Work Schedule Summary:
Department: 00246 - Human Genetics
Location: Campus
Pay Rate Range: $52,993 - $112,140
Close Date: 3/31/2026
Open Until Filled:

To apply, visit https://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/194791