1. Bioinformatics Core Staffing
6/11/2019
Bioinformatics Core Staffing
Sara Grimm, PhD Deputy Director, Integrative Bioinformatics Group National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

2. Tasked with supporting 60 labs, ~300 scientists.
6/11/2019
Integrative NIEHS
What we do…
Tasked with supporting 60 labs, ~300 scientists.
Data analysis, QC, Teaching/Training, etc.
Embedded support model.
‘Free’ service.

3. I need it all by this afternoon. Don’t forget the kitchen sink!
6/11/2019
The Ideal Candidate Can...
Translate biologist’s request to something computationally feasible.
I need it all by this afternoon. Don’t forget the kitchen sink!
Typical Customer
Choose appropriate analysis strategy.
Independently implement that strategy.
Effectively communicate analysis methods & results to non-technical colleagues.

4. Recruiting is a problem. (contracting agency) Local competition.
6/11/2019
Reality of Hiring
Recruiting is a problem. (contracting agency)
Local competition.
3 major universities, 5 big pharma/ agriculture companies, dozens of biotech companies, etc.
Typical candidates we see:
Usually early career in life sciences, few technical skills
Sometimes mid-career from other fields, limited biology knowledge

5. Baseline technical skills.
6/11/2019
So Who’s Got Real Potential?
The Top 5
Baseline technical skills.
Demonstrated comfort in linux environment.
At least one programming or scripting language.
Conversant in genome biology.
Terminology: chromatin, transcription factor, methylation, …
We typically include a staff scientist on the interview panel.

6. Upfront about (limits of) expertise.
6/11/2019
So Who’s Got Real Potential?
The Top 5
Ideas people.
Proactive.
Innovative.
Independent learner.
Ability to troubleshoot.
Upfront about (limits of) expertise.
5. Does the core service model fit their career goals?