Research Scientific Director

At Houston Methodist, the Research/Scientific Director is responsible for advancing the research mission of the Houston Methodist Research Institute (HMRI) through leadership in innovation, implementation science, digital health, and AI-enabled research. This role provides strategic scientific oversight for innovation and implementation research programs, including complex, multidisciplinary projects that leverage data science, analytics, clinical workflows, and health system transformation methodologies.

The Research/Scientific Director serves as a senior scientific leader and institutional representative, acting as a gatekeeper for research relationships with government agencies, industry partners, and academic collaborators. The role holds authority to pause or redirect research activities as needed to ensure compliance with institutional policies, regulatory requirements, and accreditation standards.

This position operates to ensure that the scientific, operational, and budgetary needs of the department’s research portfolio are met. The Director supports management and research staff by monitoring scientific rigor and performance, standardizing research and analytic practices, optimizing financial and data resources, maintaining productivity, and resolving scientific, technical, and operational challenges across projects.

• Lead and define the scientific strategy for innovation, implementation, digital health, and AI-focused research programs aligned with institutional priorities.
• Provide senior leadership in research methods, study design, data science, analytics, and evaluation frameworks for health services and implementation research.
• Lead and oversee scientific writing, including manuscripts, abstracts, white papers, and institutional reports, ensuring high-quality scholarly output.
• Co-lead the scientific design and execution of clinical trials and pragmatic studies, particularly those involving digital tools, AI, and health system interventions.
• Co-lead grant development efforts, including conceptualization, methodological design, and scientific sections for federal, foundation, and industry-sponsored funding.
• Serve as a scientific mentor for postdoctoral fellows, MD research fellows, PhD students, and other trainees, fostering academic development and research independence.
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to align research initiatives with operational goals, clinical priorities, and system-wide innovation efforts.
• Ensure responsible stewardship of research resources, including budgets, data assets, and external partnerships.

This role does not involve traditional wet-laboratory oversight or bench-based scientific research. Instead, it focuses on non-lab-based, translational, and applied research, emphasizing implementation science, digital healthcare, artificial intelligence, analytics, and real-world clinical impact. This role does not involve traditional wet-laboratory oversight or bench-based scientific research. Instead, it focuses on non-lab-based, translational, and applied research, emphasizing implementation science, digital healthcare, artificial intelligence, analytics, and real-world clinical impact.

• Provides expert scientific guidance to departmental scientists, data scientists, research staff, management, and executive leadership, and advises Principal Investigators on study design, methods, analytics, and scientific direction within areas of innovation, implementation science, digital health, and AI. Serves as a liaison between research teams, departmental leadership, institutional committees, and executives to ensure scientific alignment and effective communication,…