Overview
Non-compensated Research Data Scientist position within the VA Office of Research and Development. This role supports veteran-centered care and value-driven care through microbiome data processing and analysis.
Benefits
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits designed to make your federal career rewarding.
Responsibilities
- Process raw microbiome sequencing data using established bioinformatics pipelines
- Perform sequence quality control, taxonomic and functional profiling, and prepare analysis-ready feature tables
- Conduct routine statistical summaries, including diversity calculations, simple group comparisons, and preliminary visualizations to support downstream modeling by senior team members
- Assist with transferring, merging, and validating microbiome outputs within the secure VA computing environment, ensuring consistency with clinical datasets prepared by the statistics team
- Collaborate with the Senior Statistician to troubleshoot data issues, adjust preprocessing steps as needed, and produce preliminary figures and descriptive results for internal discussions
- Contribute to study reports, abstracts, and manuscript supplements by generating tables and visual materials
- Support ongoing project needs by implementing minor analytical tasks and updating pipelines as new samples or methods become available
- Coordinate with investigators to ensure microbiome data products align with project requirements
Requirements
- U.S. Citizenship is required to apply
- Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
- Proficiency in written and spoken English
- Subject to background and security investigation
- Selected applicants must complete an online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification for pre-employment requirements
- Effective May 7, 2025, REAL ID compliant identification is required for employment
- Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is required for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel
- Complete all application requirements listed in the Required Documents section
- You must serve a 1 or 2 year trial period as a condition of employment
- Performance and conduct, agency needs, and alignment with organizational goals will influence continued employment
Open to
- Open to the Public
- U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed above.
Required Documents
- Resume (required)
- Transcripts (required)
Education
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science or related field. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited toward qualifications. Applicants should report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Accreditation can be verified at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accre
Next steps
After you submit your online application, you will receive an email confirmation. Following the vacancy closing and completion of the review process, qualified applicants will be notified by email. Referred applicants may be contacted for additional steps.
Agency contact information
VHA National Recruitment Center
Phone: (844) 456-5208
Email: VHANationalRecruitmentCenter@va.gov
Address: Bedford ORD VISN 1, 200 Springs Road, Bedford, MA 1730 US
