Bioinformatics Co-op

Indigo is a company dedicated to harnessing nature to help farmers sustainably feed the planet. With a vision of creating a world where farming is an economically desirable and accessible profession, Indigo works alongside its growers to apply natural approaches, conserve resources for future generations, and grow healthy food for all. Utilizing beneficial plant microbes to improve crop health and productivity, Indigo’s portfolio is focused on cotton, wheat, barley, corn, soybeans, and rice. The company, founded by Flagship Pioneering, is headquartered in Boston, MA, with additional offices in Memphis, TN, Research Triangle Park, NC, Sydney, Australia, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and São Paulo, Brazil. www.indigoag.com

The R&D Data Science team at Indigo uses techniques of data science and modern machine learning to understand microbes and predict where, why and how they will be effective in helping plants grow. We are looking for a motivated student with experience in bioinformatics and analyzing large-scale biological datasets for a co-op with our team. The intern will apply comparative genomics techniques as well as a variety of supervised and unsupervised machine learning approaches to better understand and gain value from genomic and laboratory assay data.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Create summary visualizations of genomic data from thousands of sequenced microbes
• Evaluate quality of gene annotations derived from an automated pipeline
• Undertake targeted investigations of genomic differences between closely-related microbes
• Apply methods from machine learning and comparative genomics to test associations between genomic features and laboratory assay data
• Produce well-documented, reproducible code for analyzing datasets
• Understand and embody our purpose & core values
  • Excited by Indigo’s mission; believes that Indigo can fundamentally change the agriculture industry; can clearly articulate passion for our mission and values
  • Optimistic and innovative; solution-oriented; shows no signs of cynicism
  • Will be widely viewed as someone who personifies our core values, is committed to them, and leans on them when making decisions. Specifically:
    • Demonstrates a track record of high integrity - doing the right thing, owning mistakes, conducting oneself honestly
    • Values, communicates and interacts with others with high levels of transparency and respect
    • Collaborates well across functions; creates an inspiring and collegial work environment

COMPETENCIES

• Current undergraduate or Master's student in computational biology / bioinformatics, physics, mathematics, computer science, engineering, or similar quantitative discipline, or biology-related field with quantitative experience
• Experience with quantitative analysis of biological data
• Experience coding in Python, R or other programming language, comfort working with UNIX command line - Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to communicate results effectively to diverse audiences