Data Scientist Fellow, Bioinformatics and Image Analysis

The posting, as Axle wrote it

(ID: 2026-3886)

Axle is a bioscience and information technology company that offers advancements in
translational research, biomedical informatics, and data
science applications to research centers and healthcare
organizations nationally and abroad. With experts in
biomedical science, software engineering, and program
management, we focus on developing and applying research
tools and techniques to empower decision-making and
accelerate research discoveries. We work with some of the
top research organizations and facilities in the country
including multiple institutes at the National Institutes of
Health (NIH).

Benefits We Offer

• 100% Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage for Employees
• Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
• 401K match up to 5%
• Educational Benefits for Career Growth
• Employee Referral Bonus

Flexible Spending Accounts

• Healthcare (FSA)
• Parking Reimbursement Account (PRK)
• Dependent Care Assistant Program (DCAP)
• Transportation Reimbursement Account (TRN)

Position Overview

The Postdoctoral Fellow will turn the data produced by the autonomous laboratory in Bethesda into results that the lab can act on. The platform runs biological experiments on the BAB400 robot, which comes with a Cytation 9 imaging system, and the main data stream is microscopy images. The Fellow will build and run the image analysis and bioinformatics pipelines that measure what happened in each experiment, combine those measurements with environmental monitoring data collected alongside the experiments, and return quantitative readouts to the autonomous loop so that it can decide what to run next. The Fellow will work side by side with the Laboratory Automation Engineer and with the biologists and data engineers of IDSS. This is a hybrid research position: the Fellow is expected to contribute new methods, publish, and present, in addition to keeping the analysis running reliably.

Key Responsibilities

• Image analysis pipelines. Develop and maintain automated pipelines for Cytation 9 images, including quality control, illumination and background correction, segmentation, tracking, and feature extraction for cultures such as iPSC colonies and, later, organoids.
• Quantitative readouts for the loop. Define and validate metrics that describe culture state and growth (for example confluence, colony morphology, differentiation markers, and viability), with uncertainty estimates, so that they can be used as decision inputs by the autonomous system.
• Closing the loop. Work with the Laboratory Automation Engineer to deliver analysis results back to the workflow orchestration layer in a machine-readable form and on a timescale the loop can use. Define the interfaces, the failure behavior, and the checks that stop bad data from driving a bad decision.
• Environmental data integration. Collect, clean, and align environmental monitoring data (for example temperature, CO2, O2, humidity, and other sensor streams) with imaging results. Analyze how c

[…]
, StarDist, napari, or ImageJ/Fiji, and with deep learning methods for segmentation and classification.

• Experience with stem cell, iPSC, organoid, or tissue culture systems and their imaging.
• Experience with time-series or multimodal analysis, including sensor and environmental monitoring data.
• Experience with self-driving laboratories, active learning, or Bayesian optimization.
• Experience with single-cell omics analysis (scRNA-seq) and with workflow tools such as Nextflow or Snakemake.
• Familiarity with laboratory orchestration software such as MADSci, and with Docker or Kubern etes.
• Experience with high-performance computing environments (for example NIH Biowulf).

Disclaimer: The above description is meant to illustrate the general nature of work and
level of effort being performed by individuals assigned to this position or job description. This is not
restricted as a complete list of all skills, responsibilities, duties, and/or assignments required. Individuals
may be required to perform duties outside of their position, job description or responsibilities as needed.

The diversity of Axle’s employees is a tremendous asset. We are firmly committed to providing equal opportunity
in all aspects of employment and will not tolerate any illegal discrimination or harassment based on age, race,
gender, religion, national origin, disability, marital status, covered veteran status, sexual orientation,
status with respect to public assistance, and other characteristics protected under state, federal, or local law
and to deter those who aid, abet, or induce discrimination or coerce others to discriminate.

Accessibility: If you need an accommodation as part of the employment process please contact: careers@axleinfo.com

This role has a market-competitive salary with an anticipated base compensation range listed below. Actual salaries will vary depending on a candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, and location.

Salary Range
$90,000 — $100,000 USD