In this issue:

Featured Jobs:

• Director, Agri-food & Natural Resources
• Postdoctoral Associate

Closing Soon on the ISCB Career Center

Article: Thinking Through Your Next Professional Development Move

Career Compass Featured Jobs

Director, Agri-food & Natural Resources
Genome Canada
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Job description: Helping Shape Canada’s Genomics Mission-Driven Impact

Genome Canada is seeking a Mission Director, Agri-food & Natural Resources to play a leadership role in shaping and stewarding mission-driven priorities that support a healthier, more sustainable, inclusive, and prosperous Canada.

The Mission Director leads the coordination and advancement of these priorities across agriculture and food systems, natural resources, and related areas, in alignment with the organization’s mandate and strategic objectives.

This role offers a unique opportunity to work at the intersection of science, policy, partnerships, and strategy, helping align people, partners, and investments so the broader system delivers impact none of us could achieve alone.

Genome Canada’s Mission Directors translate Genome Canada’s priorities into clear missions that mobilize programs, partnerships, data, and investments across the Canadian genomics ecosystem. Mission Directors provide leadership through influence, aligning functions, Genome Centres, and external partners to support effective mission execution and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Mission Design, Strategy, and Stewardship

• Lead the design, evolution, and stewardship of a Genome Canada–led mission spanning across the agriculture, food, and natural resources portfolio, in partnership with internal teams, Genome Centres and governance bodies.

• Conduct horizon scanning and analysis to identify emerging trends, risks, and opportunities relevant to mission priorities.

• Provide insight and advice to inform mission focus, positioning, and investment decisions.

• Translate mission strategy into implementable programs and partnership approaches, working collaboratively with Program Delivery, Communications, Finance, Governance and other functions.

• Monitor mission progress and external developments, advising senior management and governance bodies.

Partnerships and Ecosystem Engagement

• Develop and steward strategic partnerships across academia, industry, government, Indigenous partners, Genome Centres, and international organizations.

• Lead stakeholder mapping and engagement planning to strengthen collaboration across this ecosystem.

• Provide analysis and briefing support to advance collaboration with federal, provincial and international partners.

• Work in close partnership with Indigenous partners and IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility) functions to ensure mission approaches align with reconciliation principles, inclusive innovation, and responsible research and innovation.

• Represent Genome Canada in relevant national and international forums.

Enterprise Coordination and Leadership

• Provide enterprise‑wide leadership within a matrix operating model, enabling alignment across missions, functions, and partners, and supporting effective sequencing and execution of priorities.

• Contribute to organizational planning and priority setting.

• Prepare briefings and materials for senior management, the Board, and external partners related to mission strategy and progress.

What You Bring

• Strategic and systems thinking with the ability to link mission, execution, and impact.

• Strong analytical and synthesis skills, with sound judgment in complex environments.

• Proven ability to build and sustain multi‑sector partnerships.

• Strong facilitation, influence, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience briefing senior leaders and Boards.

Qualifications

• Graduate degree in life sciences, public policy, business, or a related field focused on strategy, innovation, systems leadership or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive senior experience in strategy, partnerships, program development.

• Extensive experience in engaging partners and advancing collaboration across public, private, academic, and Indigenous sectors, with a strong track record of fostering collaboration and advancing shared priorities.

• Highly effective communicator with the ability to convey complex ideas with clarity and impact to diverse audiences.

• Ability to lead in a matrix structure and experience working in a federated model is an asset.

• Knowledge of Canada’s research and innovation ecosystem, including Genome Canada’s mandate and the role of Genome Centres.

• Experience working with Indigenous partners and/or applying IDEA or inclusive innovation frameworks is considered a strong asset.

• Fluency in English is required; French is a strong asset

Postdoctoral Associate
Duke University, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics (B&B)
Durham, North Caroline, USA
Job description: The Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics (B&B) at the Duke University School of Medicine engages in methodological and collaborative research, providing international and regional leadership in biostatistics, genomics, biomedical informatics, artificial intelligence and health data science. We are recruiting a creative, rigorous Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Dr. Wenpin Hou’s team to design and deploy new methods on large-scale datasets (e.g., NIH-funded and consortia resources). Dr. Wenpin Hou develops AI and statistical methods to decode gene regulatory programs from large-scale single-cell and spatial multiomics data. Her research aims to characterize developmental processes, uncover regulatory alterations in complex human diseases, and identify actionable targets for therapeutic intervention. Dr. Hou collaborate across Duke University, Columbia University, UC Santa Cruz, and Johns Hopkins to advance understanding of gene regulation, cellular mechanisms, and human health. Dr. Hou’s group has designated access to high-performance computing (H100 and H200 GPUs).

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and co-lead projects in AI for genomics (e.g., generative models, transformers, agentic workflows) and/or statistical learning (e.g., network & spatiotemporal modeling, functional/longitudinal data, time-series).

• Analyze single-cell/spatial multi-omics and epigenomic data in applications spanning development, cancer, neurodegeneration, and immunology.

• Publish in top venues, present at major conferences, and contribute to open-source software.

• Receive tailored mentorship in grant writing (e.g., NIH K99/R00), career planning, and leadership.

Minimum Qualifications: The candidate should hold a PhD (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Biostatistics/Statistics, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, or a related field by the start date.

Qualifications

We welcome candidates grounded in one or more of the following:

• Generative AI/transformers, agentic AI, deep learning

• Computational genomics, network modeling, spatiotemporal/functional data analysis, time-series

• Strong programming in R and/or Python; best practices in reproducible research

• Excellent communication, independence, and collaboration skills

Closing Soon on the ISCB Career Center

These jobs will be leaving the Career Center this month:

• Postdoc in microbiome bioinformatics (human gut microbiome digital twin) — Sano Centre for Computational Medicine

• Postdoctoral Fellow (Fungal and Algal Program) — Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Joint Genome Institute

• Postdoctoral Fellow — University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora , Colorado, US

• Postdoctoral Research Fellow — Utah State University

• Graduate Students, MS / PhD (Bioinformatics & Computational Biology) — Utah State University

• Director/Senior Director of Research Software Engineering — Simons Foundation

• Director of the African Bioinformatics Institute — African Bioinformatics Institute

• Postdoctoral Researcher Position (Agentic-AI for biology) — Cedars Sinai Medical Center

• Postdoc in Computational Biology: Leading the EpiFlaMe consortium — University of Salzburg

• Canada Research Chair (CRC) Tier 1 in Mass Spectrometry ‘Omics for Novel Therapeutics — Western University (The University of Western Ontario)

• Postdoctoral researcher and doctoral researcher positions in machine learning in Kaski Lab — ELLIS Institute Finland and Manchester Centre for AI Fundamentals

Thinking Through Your Next Professional Development Move

For many, the end of summer feels like the perfect time to finally learn that skill, take that course, or earn that certification. With so many options out there, though, it can be hard to know where to start or whether what you're pursuing will actually pay off. To help, we have a few suggestions to streamline your search and decide what options might be best for you!

Where to Start Looking

Once you've identified a skill or area you want to develop, the search can begin! Online platforms like Coursera, edX, and LinkedIn Learning offer a wide range of courses across programming, data science, and bioinformatics.

For those looking for something with more academic weight, continuing education programs from universities are worth exploring. If you’re looking for a fully online option, ISCB members are eligible for a 15% tuition discount on online graduate degrees and certificates through Brandeis University, which offers master’s certificates in bioinformatics and related areas—a useful option if you're looking for something with academic credibility and flexibility!

If you're not sure where to start, start small. A short, single course on a tool or methodology you've been meaning to learn is a low-stakes way to test your interest before committing to something longer or more expensive.

Evaluating Your Options

Figuring out whether a course or certification is worth your time and money takes a little more digging. Before committing, look closely at who’s teaching it. Do the instructors have real-world experience in the field, or are their credentials lacking? A strong course will be upfront about its faculty and their backgrounds.

It's also worth seeking out reviews from people in your specific field rather than relying on general ratings. Look for testimonials or discussions in forums, professional communities, or from colleagues who have taken the same course or certification. What did they actually get out of it, and did it deliver what it promised?

Finally, check whether the curriculum is current. In a field where tools and methodologies evolve quickly, a course built around outdated software or approaches will not serve you well, regardless of how reputable the instructor or institution is. A quick scan of the syllabus can tell you a lot about whether the content reflects where the field actually is today.

The Credentialization Trap

Being enrolled in a course or working toward a certification can feel like progress, but accumulating credentials without a clear purpose can become a way of avoiding the harder question of what you actually want to do next.

Hiring managers in research and industry are looking for evidence that you can apply skills, not just that you've collected them. A long list of certifications with no clear throughline is more likely to raise questions rather than answer them when your CV is being reviewed. The most compelling professional development story is one where you can articulate not just what you learned, but why you pursued it and how it shapes the work you're hoping to do.

Final Thoughts

Professional development is an investment of time, money, and energy. The goal is to build a skill set that reflects where you're headed. Take the time to evaluate your options carefully, start small if you need to, and invest in what genuinely serves your goals.

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