Data Scientist

Job Summary

The Data Science Institute (DSI) is a campus‑wide research institute that is central to the university’s strategic priority to grow its research enterprise and expand its global impact. Our team of data scientists, software engineers, and AI engineers works shoulder‑to‑shoulder with faculty, students, and industry partners on problems across nearly every domain on campus. A typical week at DSI might include scoping a new collaboration with a principal investigator, pair‑programming on a deep learning pipeline with another member of DSI’s technical staff, and reviewing a statistical analysis for a health sciences team.

The same week could bring teaching a workshop and mentoring a graduate student. The work is varied and the collaborators change, but the through line remains constant: we bring rigorous, reproducible data science to researchers who need it and help the campus build lasting capacity along the way. DSI is also a core partner in the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) initiative, which is bringing over 150 new faculty to campus over three years and more than doubling investment in AI, sustainability, and health.

As RISE expands, so does the demand for data scientists who can meet those faculty where they are and help turn ambitious research questions into impactful results. Learn more about DSI at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below). and RISE at .

We are hiring two to three Data Scientists to join the team, based on‑site in Madison. We seek candidates who thrive in a research environment: technically strong, intellectually curious, and energized by applying their skills across many domains.

• Machine learning and deep learning, including computer vision, large language model (LLM) applications, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), agentic workflows, model training and production deployment.
• Statistical modeling and uncertainty quantification, including causal inference, Bayesian methods, meta‑analysis, and study design.
• Data engineering for research‑scale data: ingestion pipelines, distributed storage, and end‑to‑end handling of large or complex datasets that downstream modeling work depends on.

This list is illustrative rather than exhaustive. Adjacent expertise is welcome. We also value breadth and curiosity to contribute outside your core area when a project calls for it, and the judgment to know when to do so.

• Compose and assemble reproducible workflows and reports to clearly articulate patterns to researchers and/or administrators.
• Prepare data sets for analysis, including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources.
• Document approaches to address research questions and contribute to the establishment of reproducible research methodologies and analysis workflows.
• Independently identify and implement appropriate data science techniques to find data patterns and answer research questions chosen by the lead researcher, including data visualization, statistical analysis, machine learning, and data mining.
• Organize and automate project steps for data preparation and analysis.
• Engage in project intake, scope new collaborations with researchers, and draft statements of work for incoming engagements.
• Contribute to DSI’s programmatic activities, including workshops, training, graduate student mentorship, and the institute’s internal life.

Salary Range:
Applicants will be considered for titles listed in this posting. Early‑career finalists can expect an annual salary of $70,000–$85,000; mid‑career $80,000–$110,000; and advanced $100,000 or more. Employees can expect generous vacation, holidays, paid time off, competitive insurance and savings accounts, and retirement benefits through the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS). DSI also supports professional development funding and flexible work arrangements where consistent with role responsibilities.

In addition to competitive pay, employees receive generous vacation, holidays, paid time off, insurance, savings accounts, retirement benefits, professional development…