Company: Kenya Medical Research – KEMRI
Location: Turkana
Job Type: Contract
Apply Before: 2026-07-29
Job Description
Key Responsibilities:
Design, optimize, and implement molecular laboratory protocols for pathogen, vector, host, and environmental sample processing.
Coordinate laboratory workflows including nucleic acid extraction, PCR assays, sequencing library preparation, quality assurance, and sample tracking.
Perform comprehensive bioinformatics analyses of high-throughput sequencing datasets including quality control, genome assembly, alignment, variant detection, phylogenetic analysis, transcriptomics, metagenomics, and population genomics.
Develop, optimize, and maintain reproducible computational pipelines using Python, Linux shell scripting, and workflow management systems.
Integrate genomic, epidemiological, entomological, environmental, and climate datasets to investigate disease transmission dynamics and climate-health interactions.
Perform advanced statistical analyses and develop informative visualizations, dashboards, and scientific figures for reports, publications, and stakeholder engagement.
Manage research databases and ensure data quality, integrity, reproducibility, and compliance with institutional and national data governance policies.
Interpret genomic findings and translate complex scientific results into actionable recommendations for project partners, county governments, and humanitarian stakeholders.
Contribute to manuscript preparation, conference presentations, technical reports, and grant applications.
Provide mentorship and technical training in molecular laboratory methods, bioinformatics, and scientific programming to project staff and students.
Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure successful implementation of laboratory and computational research activities.
Maintain laboratory documentation, bioinformatics workflows, analytical reports, and Standard Operating Procedures SOPs.
Ensure compliance with biosafety, biosecurity, ethical guidelines, and the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019.
Perform any other research-related duties assigned by the Principal Investigator or Project Supervisor.
Vacancy Requirements:
Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Genetics, Genomics, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Computational Biology, or a related biological science. Mandatory
At least 2–3 years of research experience in molecular biology, genomics, bioinformatics, or related disciplines. Mandatory
Demonstrated experience in molecular laboratory techniques including nucleic acid extraction, PCR, quantitative PCR, gel electrophoresis, library preparation, and DNA/RNA quality assessment. Mandatory
Hands-on experience working with High-Throughput Sequencing HTS platforms such as Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, PacBio, etc. Mandatory
Strong bioinformatics skills for processing and analyzing next-generation sequencing NGS datasets, including quality control, genome assembly, read mapping, variant calling, transcriptomics, metagenomics, or phylogenomic analyses. Mandatory
Proficiency in Linux/Unix environments and shell scripting. Mandatory
Strong programming skills in Python for genomic data analysis, workflow automation, and statistical computing. Mandatory
Experience using bioinformatics tools such as BWA, Bowtie2, Minimap2, SAMtools, BCFtools, GATK, BEDTools, FastQC, MultiQC, Kraken2, SPAdes, IQ-TREE, Nextflow, Snakemake, or equivalent tools. Mandatory
Experience in statistical analysis and data visualization using Python Matplotlib, Plotly, Seaborn, R ggplot2, or equivalent analytical platforms. Mandatory0
Excellent scientific writing, communication, and presentation skills. Skills & Competencies
Communication skills Skills & Competencies
Interpersonal skills Skills & Competencies
Team player Skills & Competencies
How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to Kenya Medical Research – KEMRI on erecruitment.kemri.go.ke to apply
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Source: MyJobMag