Malaria still remains a major public health burden in Africa and is responsible for millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths every year. 

The revolution of genomic techniques has created new opportunities to study and understand the genomic landscape of the malaria parasite, and ultimately generate actionable data that could inform National Malaria Control Programmes develop better malaria control and elimination strategies that are sustainable. 

We are a dynamic team of energetic and dedicated molecular biologists, bioinformaticians and data scientists with profound understanding of the biology and epidemiology of infectious diseases. We use state of art sequencing platforms together with carefully optimized and controlled protocols to generate high quality genomics data. Well-developed bioinformatic pipelines are used to analyze this data, interpret the results into actionable data and insights for the public health authorities. 

We are looking for a highly motivated Research Assistant with molecular biology experience to join our genomics and bioinformatics lab team at the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens (WACCBIP).  As part of our Sequencing core team, the candidate will be working in a fast-paced environment with colleagues to execute Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) workflows that support genomic surveillance of malaria across Ghana. The successful candidate will be actively engaged in all aspects of the workflow including DNA extraction and library preparation.

Eligibility:

To apply for this position, you must:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology or a related subject area, with at least 2 years of relevant work experience.

Responsibilities:

• Perform standard molecular biology techniques including DNA extraction, PCR and DNA quantification.
• Participate in all aspects of NGS workflow including library preparation, QC and sequencing using state of the art Next generation sequencing platforms.
• Document all experimental procedures for reproducible and high-quality results.
• Maintain a detailed record of day-to-day activities, including experiments, NGS datasets/databases for both sample and reagent inventories.
• Data entry for all clinical data, microscopy data and any other sample related information into the project database.
• Effectively communicate and collaborate with Sequencing Core, bioinformatics team members and with internal and external stakeholders in meetings through written communications and oral presentations.
• Assume project responsibilities and present project updates, experimental plans, timelines, and results in both small and large group meetings.
• Maintain protocols, SOPs, reports, and other documents, including assay validation protocols, reagent qualification reports, and data reports.
• Operate and maintain various lab machines.

Relevant Skills:

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and collaborate in cross-functional teams.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills.
• Open and willing to learn new skills and techniques as needed.
• Excellent organization skills and attention to details.
• Ability to work independently and as part of an integrated and diverse team. 

Experience:

• At least 2 years of direct wet lab experience with molecular biology techniques.
• Hands-on experience with molecular biology methods such as nucleic acid extraction, PCR, and qPCR analyses.
• Familiarity with basic NGS.

Interested applicants must submit their complete application with the underlisted documents as a single PDF file saved with the applicant’s full name to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with email subject ‘Research Assistant – Genomics and Bioinformatic lab’

Application documents:

1. Cover letter
2. CV
3. Copies of relevant certificates

Closing Date: August 31, 2023 at 23:59 GMT (Applications which do not follow the outlined guidelines and applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered)