Associate Director, Computational Genomics and Informatics

Overview

The Alnylam Human Genetics (AHG) team is looking for an Associate Director to lead our Computational Genomics and Informatics capability through direct, hands-on technical contributions and strategic guidance. The successful candidate will help enable analysis of genetic data from millions of individuals across multiple biobanks, including UK Biobank, All of Us, Discover Me South Africa, Our Future Health, and the Alliance for Genomic Discovery.

This position is hybrid and will be primarily located in Cambridge, MA.  

Key Responsibilities

• Optimize our internal infrastructure and capabilities for analyzing individual-level genetic data and performing meta-analysis across biobanks. This includes managing partnerships with service providers to co-design analysis solutions.
• Build and implement genomics pipelines on external cloud-based platforms (e.g. DNA Nexus, All of Us Researcher workbench) to allow us to efficiently perform GWAS and RVAS.
• Design and implement solutions for harmonization and meta-analysis of GWAS and RVAS summary statistics, and efficient post-GWAS analysis. Build a framework to ensure these results are easily searchable and accessible.
• Monitor usage and costs to optimize resource utilization in both internal and external computing environments.

This role will involve close collaboration with our statistical geneticists, informatics group, and third-party service providers. The successful candidate will produce user-friendly documentation related to running pipelines, meta-analysis, etc.

Qualifications

• PhD in Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Statistical Genetics or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience in Computational Biology or a similar field. Title is commensurate with experience.
• Deep understanding of statistical genetics including GWAS and RVAS methods and extensive experience implementing statistical packages used for GWAS (e.g., Regenie, PLINK).
• Extensive experience working with biobank-scale genetic and phenotypic data.
• Proven track record implementing genomics workflows on cloud-based platforms such as DNA Nexus, All of Us Researcher Workbench.
• Hands-on experience building portable pipelines across cloud environments using workflow languages (e.g., CWL, WDL, Nextflow) and software containerization.
• Experience with processing and QC of individual-level genetic data (WGS, WES, imputed). Experience with tools for genetic data processing (e.g., VCFtools) and variant annotation (VEP/WGSA).
• Experience working on a Linux command line and advanced hands-on knowledge of Python and R.
• Familiarity with variant-to-gene post-GWAS methods (statistical fine mapping, colocalization, Mendelian Randomization).
• Proficiency in implementing web-based tools for genomics (dashboards, Shiny applications, PheWeb) would be an advantage.

About Alnylam: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ALNY) has led the translation of RNA interference (RNAi) into a whole new class of innovative medicines with the potential to transform the lives of people afflicted with rare and more prevalent diseases. Based on Nobel Prize-winning science, RNAi therapeutics represent a powerful, clinically validated approach to treating diseases at their genetic source by “interfering” with mRNA that cause or contribute to disease. Since our founding in 2002, Alnylam has led the RNAi Revolution and continues to turn scientific possibility into reality.

Our culture: Our people-first culture is guided by our core values: fiercely innovative, open culture, purposeful urgency, passion for excellence, and commitment to people, and these values influence how we work and the business decisions we make. Thanks to feedback from our employees over the years, we’ve been fortunate to be named a top employer around the world. Alnylam is extremely proud to have been recognized as the #1 Large Employer by Boston Globe Top Places to Work in 2023 for the third consecutive year, one of Science Magazine’s Top Biopharma Employers, one of America's Most Responsible Companies for 2024 by Newsweek, a Fast Company Best Workplace for Innovators, and a Great Place to Work in Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, and UK – among others.

At Alnylam, we commit to an inclusive recruitment process and equal employment opportunity. We are dedicated to building an environment where employees can feel that they belong, can bring their authentic selves to work, and achieve to their full potential. By empowering employees to embrace their unique differences at work, our business grows stronger with advanced and original thinking, allowing us to bring groundbreaking medicines to patients. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, marital status, protected veteran status, disability, or any other characteristics prohibited by law.