Data Scientist at the Childhood Cancer Data Lab
Childhood Cancer Data Lab Overview
Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is one of the leading funders of pediatric cancer research in the US and Canada. Since its inception in 2005, ALSF has funded more than 1,000 projects at nearly 150 institutions across the United States and Canada.
The Childhood Cancer Data Lab, an initiative of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, was founded in August 2017 with the mission of empowering pediatric cancer experts poised for the next big discovery with the knowledge, data, and tools to reach it. The Data Lab is a team of software developers, data scientists, designers, and community managers who are driven to build software systems, analytical workflows, and training programs in service of this mission. Members of the Data Lab simultaneously contribute to childhood cancer research and to the open science and open source software communities.
Position Overview, Duties and Responsibilities
The Data Scientist is a point person on data-intensive cancer biology within the lab and a senior member of the data science team. The Data Lab data science team activities include a mix of research, short training workshops, and conceptualization of data-processing systems.
The Data Scientist is expected to identify opportunities to enhance Data Lab offerings and take a leadership role in execution. This team member will envision solutions that serve a community of dedicated scientists and clinicians, including those who receive grants from ALSF.
The Data Lab position will provide the Data Scientist with the opportunity to envision and enhance data-processing systems as well as systems that enable the user-guided analysis and interpretation of large-scale datasets. This member of the team will need an understanding of how to perform robust analyses of biological data. Working in the Data Lab also provides a unique opportunity to interact with the childhood cancer research community and its supporters at ALSF.
Responsibilities:
· Work with the Data Lab Director to guide the biological challenges addressed by the lab and/or to enhance Data Lab-led training efforts
· Perform and summarize analyses that seek to reveal new paths to treatment of childhood cancers or enhance Data Lab offerings
· Work with developers to design systems that address a pressing need in cancer biology
· Write and review clean, maintainable source code, documentation, and instructional material for public consumption
· Represent ALSF and the Data Lab at national conferences
All employees of the Foundation undertake other duties as needed and special projects as assigned. All positions at ALSF require occasional non-traditional work hours including evenings and weekends.
Required qualifications:
· PhD in Genetics, Genomics, Computer Science, Bioinformatics, or related field
· Expertise in the collection of activities now coming to be known as “biological data science”
· Expertise in or the ability to transition to R or Python
· Excellent written communication skills
Preferred qualifications:
· A proven record of collaborative scientific research
· Experience developing or adapting instruction material
· Experience writing and reviewing analytical code in a collaborative environment
Location
The Data Lab is headquartered in the greater Philadelphia area. The team has switched to fully remote work during the pandemic, with many members being permanently or partially remote. When it is deemed safe to return to in-person work, this position can remain remote with quarterly trips to the Philadelphia area or return to the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation office as desired.
Applying
If interested, please submit your resume and a cover letter describing your interest and why you are the right fit for the position to humanresources@alexslemonade.org. In the interest of expediting our process, only candidates who submit cover letters with resumes will be considered. Applications that include either a portfolio with work samples or demonstrable contributions to open source projects are preferred.