Technical Aide

Position Summary(Basic Job Function)

This is a temporary or an on-call position. Provides technical support. Responsibilities may include computer programming or operations; research support; medical patient care; technical equipment maintenance, repair, fabrication or operation; or other technical support functions.

Unit Position Summary

The candidate is expected to support research on RNA structural motif analysis and the development of AI agent systems for scientific discovery. The position focuses on developing machine learning methods for RNA structure prediction, building agentic AI workflows that combine large language models with domain-specific analysis tools, and benchmarking state-of-the-art computational tools for RNA structural motif characterization and comparison.

Duties

• Develop and evaluate machine learning algorithms for RNA structure prediction.
• Design and test AI agent systems that integrate large language models with structural analysis tools.
• Benchmark state-of-the-art computational tools and analyze performance results.
• Build computational pipelines for RNA structural motif curation, clustering, and comparison.
• Assist faculty with lab procedures, data processing, and research documentation.
• Participate in research discussions and contribute to reports or publications.

Desired Qualifications

• Master (or Master candidate) in Computer Science, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong background in machine learning and deep learning.
• Experience with LLMs, agentic AI frameworks, or structural bioinformatics preferred.
• Familiarity with RNA or biomolecular structure data (e.g., PDB, DSSR annotations) is a plus.
• Proficiency in Python; experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch) preferred.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, citizenship, age, disability or protected veteran status.

Work Hours

20 hours per week

Website

cmse.msu.edu

Remote Work Statement

MSU strives to provide a flexible work environment and this position has been designated as remote-friendly. Remote-friendly means some or all of the duties can be performed remotely as mutually agreed upon.

Master's or Master's candidate in Computer Science, Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, or Electrical and Computer Engineering; strong machine learning and deep learning background; Python proficiency; experience with LLMs and agentic AI frameworks preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• developing machine learning algorithms
• designing AI agent systems
• benchmarking computational tools

Skills & Tools

Python, PyTorch, PDB, DSSR

Job Details

• Category: Research and Development (R&D)
• Seniority: Entry Level
• Commitment: Part Time, Temporary
• Workplace: Remote — East Lansing, Michigan, United States
• Languages: English

About Michigan State University

A public research university supporting scientific discovery and education. — Industry: Education