Data Scientist

Data Scientist – Autism Center of Excellence (ACE)
Department Overview The University of Virginia's Autism Center of Excellence (ACE) is seeking a Data Scientist to support an NIH-funded Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) research project within the Department of Psychology.

The project involves the collection, management, and analysis of clinical, behavioral, neuroimaging, and other research data. The Data Scientist will collaborate with the ACE Data Coordinating Center (DCC), investigators, research coordinators, analysts, and information technology personnel to support secure and effective research data operations and scientific discovery.

Position Summary The Data Scientist will oversee the secure, accurate, and efficient management of research data for an NIH-funded Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) project.

Working closely with the ACE Data Coordinating Center (DCC) Principal Investigator, this position will administer the project's REDCap-based data systems, coordinate user accounts and role-based permissions, and facilitate authorized access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources.

The successful candidate will ensure that clinical, behavioral, neuroimaging, and other study data are appropriately organized, quality controlled, documented, and managed in accordance with study protocols, institutional policies, NIH requirements, and applicable human-subjects and data-security  addition to research data management, this position will develop and apply modern data science, artificial intelligence (AI), and statistical approaches to analyze complex research datasets, generate meaningful visualizations, and support scientific publications and research outcomes.

Key Responsibilities Research Data Management and REDCap Administration Administer and maintain the project's REDCap databases, including data collection forms, validation rules, user roles, permissions, audit trails, and routine system updates.

Coordinate the creation, modification, periodic review, and deactivation of study user accounts, ensuring access is consistent with approved project roles and the principle of least privilege.

Collaborate with research coordinators and study personnel to support data entry, troubleshoot database issues, monitor data completeness and consistency, and implement quality-assurance procedures.

Develop and maintain data dictionaries, standard operating procedures, database documentation, access records, and other materials supporting reproducibility, regulatory compliance, and continuity of project operations.

Data Science, Statistical Analysis, and Artificial Intelligence Develop, validate, and apply modern data science and artificial intelligence computational approaches to clinical, behavioral, neuroimaging, and other ACE research data.

Conduct formal statistical analyses to support research objectives and scientific investigations.

Develop innovative data visualizations to communicate research findings and derived analytical results.

Support reproducible analytical workflows, data processing, and preparation of research datasets for investigators and analysts.

Research Computing and Data Security Facilitate authorized access to institutional high-performance computing systems and related data-analysis environments in coordination with investigators, information technology staff, and system administrators.

Support secure data transfers, dataset preparation, reporting, archiving, and data-sharing activities.

Ensure research data practices align with Institutional Review Board (IRB) requirements, participant consent, NIH data-management and sharing expectations, and institutional privacy and security policies.

Maintain appropriate documentation and access controls for sensitive research data.

Research Collaboration and Scientific Support Collaborate with project investigators, research coordinators, analysts, information technology personnel, and other stakeholders to support research operations and data-analysis needs.

Contribute to scientific manuscripts, technical documentation, grant reports, presentations, and other research deliverables.

Support effective communication of research findings through data visualization, reporting, and scientific presentations.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree required.

Experience:

At least three years of relevant professional experience required.

Preferred Qualifications Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Biomedical Informatics, Bioinformatics,…