Research Assistant – Neuroinflammation & Multi‑omics Data Analysis

About the role

The Zandee lab at McGill University seeks a motivated Research Assistant to support data analysis and pipeline development for cutting‑edge projects in neuroinflammation, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegeneration. You will work closely with Dr. Stephanie Zande, lab members, and external collaborators to process and interpret large‑scale transcriptomic, single‑cell, and spatial omics datasets.

Key responsibilities

• Perform quality control, alignment, and quantification of bulk and single‑nucleus RNA‑seq data.
• Conduct differential expression, clustering, trajectory inference, cell‑type annotation, and pathway enrichment analyses.
• Develop and maintain reproducible pipelines using Snakemake, Nextflow, or custom scripts; automate workflows in Bash, R, or Python.
• Manage version control with GitHub and contribute to internal documentation.
• Collaborate with team members to interpret results and generate figures for presentations, publications, and grant applications.
• Organize, back up, and secure sequencing data in compliance with lab and institutional policies.

Required profile

• MSc or PhD in Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Strong programming skills in R and/or Python, with experience in shell scripting.
• Hands‑on experience with scRNA‑seq or snRNA‑seq analysis tools such as Seurat, Scanpy, and Cell Ranger.
• Familiarity with high‑performance computing environments and job‑scheduling systems.
• Knowledge of Git/GitHub, version control, and reproducible research practices.
• Excellent organizational and communication abilities; ability to work both independently and in a team.
• Interest in neuroscience, immunology, or multi‑omics data integration is a plus.

Required skills

• R
• Python
• Bash/shell scripting
• Snakemake or Nextflow
• Seurat
• Scanpy
• Cell Ranger
• Git/GitHub
• High‑performance computing (HPC)
• Job scheduling systems (e.g., SLURM)

What we offer

• Interdisciplinary research team spanning neuroinflammation, machine learning, and single‑cell biology.
• Opportunities for co‑authorship on high‑impact publications and involvement in grant writing.
• Flexible work arrangements (hybrid or remote‑friendly) depending on project needs.
• Position covered by the AMURE collective agreement.