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Data Scientist

Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC Full Time
POSTED ON 8/1/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 8/31/2026
Summary

The Smithsonian Institution is the world's largest museum, education, and research complex, with 21 museums and the National Zoo. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) is a major bureau of the Smithsonian Institution that is responsible for the acquisition, curation, and preservation of collections of objects and specimens of natural history, which tells the history of the planet and a record of human interaction with the environment and one another.

Learn more about this agency

Duties

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The Data Scientist will apply advanced bioinformatics and computational methods to largescale biodiversity genomics datasets; develop and implement analytical workflows, statistical models, and data-driven solutions; provide expertise in data science, bioinformatics, and computational analysis to support the (IDSC); and serve as a liaison to the Smithsonian's Laboratories of Analytical Biology community on matters related to data integration, analysis, and informatics.

In this position, you will:

  • Serve as a recognized subject matter expert in data science, genomic data integration and interoperability, operations research, and data management and analytics and/or visualization.
  • Conduct and oversee research and analysis of bioinformatics projects in the analyses of genomic, transcriptomic, metagenomic and NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) or other genomic datasets.
  • Use mastery of data science, data management and data analytics and/or visualization technologies and principles.
  • Provides informal and formal bioinformatics and genomic training for genomics community via workshops, carpentries, seminars or short courses.
  • Produce publicly accessible training videos, instructs on the mechanics of how to conduct genomic analyses.
  • Use an advanced knowledge of programming languages and analytical approaches to analyze data sets consisting of qualitative, quantitative, structured and unstructured data types.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
  • May need to complete a Probationary Period
  • Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
  • Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions on OPM website.

Qualifications

Basic Requirements:

A. Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science or field directly related to the position. The degree must be in a major field of study (at least at the baccalaureate level) that is appropriate for the position.

or

B. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major field of study (30 semester hours) as shown in paragraph A above, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

In addition to the basic requirement above, you must meet the following:

Experience: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as demonstrated expertise in research computational genomics and bioinformatics, data science and management and data analytics utilizing high-performance computing, along with working with others and training them in bioinformatic data pipelines and tools.

Your resume must be no more than two (2) pages and should clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the responsibilities and specialized experience required for this position. Do not copy language directly from the vacancy announcement, as you will be deemed ineligible for consideration. Instead, provide detailed, descriptive information about your actual experience.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

Special Instructions for Foreign Education: If you are qualifying by education and/or you have education completed in a foreign college/university described above, it is your responsibility to provide transcripts and proof of U.S. accreditation for foreign study. For instructions on where to fax these documents, see the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Additional information

This position is not included in the bargaining unit.

Recruitment Incentive: Recruitment incentive(s) may be authorized for this position. However, approval for incentives are contingent upon various availability. If authorized, certain incentives will require the incumbent to sign a service agreement to remain in the Federal government for a certain time period.

Note: This statement does not imply nor guarantee an incentive will be offered and paid.

Selections may be made for vacancies across the Smithsonian Institution (SI). By applying to this position, you agree to allow your application and other personal information to be shared with one or more SI hiring officials for employment consideration for same/similar positions within the location(s) identified in this announcement.

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

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The Smithsonian offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, vacation and sick leave, holidays, health/life insurance, accident insurance, and excellent retirement program options.

Please see Benefits at for a complete description.

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Salary : $121,785 - $158,322

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