Biosciences: Jobs Landed

I've been working with a small group to create software systems for the global proteome research community to enable the storage, dissemination, and processing of large sets of biochemical data. The basic research tools we create are used primarily by the research community focused on cancer research. I get to work independently on my projects and get some leeway in what hours I choose to work, so it's nice being in a relaxed environment. My tasks are challenging and I know they're making a difference, so it's been a very rewarding experience. By working for the university, I've been able to build
connections and will be starting in the Masters of Computer Science program in the fall.

Compendia Bioscience was founded by Arul Chinnaiyan and Dan Rhodes in February 2006 in order to make Oncomine a commercial product.  Oncomine is an online tool that allows cancer researchers to visualize hundreds of curated cancer studies.  There is a rapidly growing set of genome-scale molecular oncology data becoming available.  The data is published in disparate formats which makes it impossible to analyze effectively without a unifying platform.  That is what Oncomine does.

I am one of a team of 8 developers working on Oncomine and supporting tools. We practice agile methodologies (which means, among other things, we do test driven development, and pair programming).  The people I work with (developers and non-developers alike) all care very deeply about producing a high quality product, even if it means desired functionality/data will take longer to attain.

The best things about this job are the people that I work with and the amount of trust that management has in us.  There are lots of opportunities to learn new technologies and techniques.  Four of the developers even share the role of architect, which makes for amazing learning opportunities.