Scientific curator
Lab	Zorn Lab	Closing Date	2010-08-31
Employer Name	Zorn Lab, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center	Posting Date	2010-06-11
Employer URL	http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/div/dev-biology/zorn-lab/	Salary	Starting at $50,000 USD based on experience
Contact	Zorn, Aaron M.
Location	USA, Ohio, Cincinnati
Submit Email	aaron.zorn@cchmc.org

Job Description

  Scientific curator positions are available with Xenbase, at the Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation. Xenbase (http://www.xenbase.org) is a Xenopus model organism database that includes a gene catalog, genome browser, gene expression data and gene related scientific publications. This is an excellent opportunity to play a lead role in developing curation practices for a new model organism database. Salaries starting at $50,000 US a year based on experience.

  Curators acquire, analyze and index information about Xenopus gene structures, expression patterns and anatomical structure from other databases, literature and direct submissions from laboratories. Duties will focus on annotating gene entries in the gene catalog, providing quality control testing for data entered into the gene catalog via pipelines and annotating in situ gene expression data. Curators will travel to international conferences to represent Xenbase and provide database training to researchers using Xenopus.

  The "Lead curator" will also be responsible for developing standard operating procedures for Xenbase curation and will work with developers to design curation interfaces and develop quality control processes for data pipelines. This curator will also participate in design of an anatomical ontology for Xenopus.

  A Ph.D. or M.Sc. degree in life sciences and experience in vertebrate development and/or bioinformatics and knowledge of molecular biology are required. Prior biological curation experience is strongly preferred. Exposure to databases, HTML and/or HTML editors and XML will be considered an asset. Strong written/verbal communications skills are and a good work ethic are a must.

  Xenbase has two performance sites 1) The University of Calgary, in Alberta Canada and 2) Cincinnati Children's Hospital Ohio USA. Curator positions are based in Cincinnati (with annual travel to Calgary) in association with the Laboratory of Dr. Aaron Zorn http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/div/dev-biology/fac-labs/zorn-lab.

  Send your resume and cover letter to aaron.zorn@cchmc.org Please reference "Xenbase Curator" in the subject line.