Data Scientist - Imaging Physics Research

The Data Scientist - Imaging Research role is based within the Institute for Data Science in Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
, a multidisciplinary program focused on applying data science and emerging technologies to improve safety, quality, and access in clinical care and operations.

In this role, you will support the Institute's surgical data science program, conducting translational research in image‑guided surgery and collaborating closely with data scientists, engineers, and clinicians.

As part of the team, you will contribute to the development and clinical translation of advanced imaging, image analysis, and registration methods, working primarily with orthopaedic and neurosurgery surgeons and scientific collaborators across UT MD Anderson, to advance computational approaches that support innovative, data‑driven surgical care.

The ideal candidate has an advanced academic background in science or engineering with hands‑on experience in scientific software development and image analysis. Practical expertise in optimization, computer vision, and machine learning or deep learning methods applied to medical imaging, along with experience working with complex medical image datasets, is essential. Strong programming skills, statistical rigor, and the ability to communicate technical concepts clearly to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders are also required.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute directly to mission‑driven research that advances image‑guided surgery and improves patient care through innovation in data science and medical technology. UT MD Anderson supports professional growth through collaboration with world‑class clinicians and researchers and promotes a balanced, supportive work environment focused on meaningful scientific impact.

This position offers the following benefits:

• Employer‑paid medical coverage starting day one for employees working 30+ hours/week, plus optional group dental, vision, life, AD&D, and disability insurance.
• Accruals for PTO and Extended Illness Bank, plus paid holidays, wellness, childcare, and other leave options.
• Tuition Assistance Program after six months of service and access to extensive wellness, fitness, and employee resource groups.
• Defined‑benefit pension through the Teachers Retirement System, voluntary retirement plans, and employer‑paid life and reduced salary protection programs.

• Develop algorithms for image analysis, including segmentation and registration.
• Develop and implement machine learning and deep learning algorithms for image‑guided surgery research.
• Apply optimization, computer vision, and image analysis techniques to complex image registration problems.
• Define and compute key model performance metrics.
• Design and conduct rigorous laboratory and clinical experiments to test hypotheses and validate models.
• Collaborate and consult with surgeons, engineers, and data scientists to define and resolve analytical problems.
• Work in multidisciplinary research related to systems engineering, technology development, and data‑intensive surgical methods.
• Support translational research in image‑guided surgery, orthopaedic surgery, and neurosurgery.
• Communicate with research and clinical stakeholders to share findings and best practices.
• Design, develop, and implement research algorithms and software solutions.
• Analyze and interpret large medical imaging datasets to identify trends and patterns.
• Work with medical image datasets, PACS, and hospital information systems.
• Provide ongoing support for existing software systems as they evolve.
• Communicate results clearly in written and oral formats for technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Present research findings at internal and external meetings and scientific conferences.
• Prepare final reports in required formats by established deadlines.
• Stay current with advances in image‑guided surgery, image analysis, and optimization techniques.
• Learn new methods and support others in the adoption of emerging techniques.

• Required:
  
  Bachelor’s Degree in Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Applied…