Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Scientist III — Wastewater Virome Genomic Surveillance

University of Wisconsin Madison · Mid

No sponsorshipDetected 2 days ago
PythonLinuxComputer VisionStatisticsLogisticsHRHRISPublic HealthPatient CareBioinformaticsMolecular BiologyResearchLeadershipCommunicationCollaborationMentoringPublic SpeakingEpidemiology

About the role

  • It is anticipated that this position will be remote and requires work be performed at an offsite, non-campus work location.
  • Genome-resolved metagenomics of the viral/microbial community of complex environmental or wastewater samples with experience characterizing at least 5,000 novel viruses.
  • Development and validation of both untargeted (shotgun) and targeted (probe-capture/hybrid-capture) viral sequencing workflows from low-biomass material.

Responsibilities

  • Attends and assists with the facilitation of scholarly events and presentations in support of continued professional development and the dissemination of research information
  • Identifies, writes, or assists in developing grant opportunities, grant applications, and proposals to secure research funding
  • Identifies research problems and develops highly complex research methodologies and procedures. Publishes and presents results to help advance research
  • Serves as scientific and project-management lead for the wastewater virome-surveillance program - coordinating sample logistics and timelines across partner sites and funders, and supervising and mentoring a Research Specialist and junior scientific staff
  • Collects and analyzes highly complex research data, conducts experiments and interviews, and documents results according to established policies and procedures
  • Partners with the lab's bioinformatics group and external collaborators (including the ORCHARDS team and multi-campus wastewater-surveillance networks) to co-develop and implement improved methods for low-input viral recovery, sequencing, and downstream analysis, and establishes SOPs, QC, and standardized data-return systems
  • Documented experience developing, benchmarking, and validating both untargeted (shotgun metagenomic) and targeted (probe-capture / hybrid-capture enrichment) high-throughput viral sequencing workflows from low-biomass or environmentally derived samples and using computational tools to assess these benchmarking experiments.
  • Demonstrated experience developing or substantially adapting bioinformatic pipelines for pathogen detection and characterization in HTS data, including programming in Python and/or R and working in Linux / high-performance computing (HPC/HTC) environments.
  • Track record of securing or substantially contributing to competitive research funding (e.g., lead or co-author on funded grant proposals).
  • The city, campus, green spaces and urban areas are blended to create a place unlike any other.

Requirements

  • The successful applicant will likely have a track record of characterizing at least 5,000 novel viruses from complex samples.
  • Experience with wastewater-based epidemiology or environmental pathogen surveillance, including sample concentration and viral-recovery methods.
  • Required Qualifications:

Nice to have

  • Teaching, peer-review, or formal mentoring experience.
  • PhD in microbiology, virology, molecular biology, genetics/genomics, environmental microbiology, or a closely related discipline is required.

Skills

  • Experience supervising or mentoring junior scientists, technical staff, and/or students.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication and strong organizational skills.
  • Candidates who demonstrate the following knowledge, skills, and abilities will be given first consideration:

Compensation

  • The starting salary for the position is $95,000 annually but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Benefits

  • School of Medicine and Public Health, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, O'Connor Lab
  • We emphasize a healthy work-life balance and provide a supportive work environment committed to the growth and advancement of our members.
  • Opportunities in education include a T32-funded PhD graduate program, pathology resident and fellowship programs, and both medical school and undergraduate curricula.
  • Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; and retirement benefits.
  • For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.
  • SMPH Faculty / Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026

Equal opportunity

  • Equal Opportunity Employer.

Visa & Work Authorization

  • University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas.
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