Research Scientist - Data Science, AI & Digital Health

Position Overview

This fifthlevel Research Professional serves as a senior individual contributor and recognized content expert in data science, artificial intelligence and digital health research. The position independently leads and advises on highly complex, system‑level research projects and portfolios, working with faculty leaders with particular emphasis on aligning study design, analytic strategy, and real‑world research operations. The role functions as a strategic and methodological partner to faculty investigators, providing advanced guidance on when, how, and why data science and digital health methods should be applied—rather than serving as a primary analyst or system implementer.

The incumbent integrates across disciplines and roles to translate research aims into executable, data‑driven studies that advance learning health system sciences, working under general supervision with the authority to make daily operations decisions.

35%:
Data Science & Digital Health Expertise

• Apply advanced data science, computational modeling, and digital health knowledge to shape research questions, hypotheses, and analytic approaches, rather than executing routine analyses.
• Evaluate appropriateness, strengths, and limitations of analytic methods, data sources, and digital tools in relation to study aims and operational constraints.
• Interpret analytic outputs in scientific and operational context, translating results into insights and recommendations for investigators and stakeholders.
• Leverage, rather than replicate, and coordinate the work of biostatisticians, analysts, and informatics staff and faculty.
• Contribute substantively to grant applications and manuscripts as a methodological and design coauthor.

25%:
Bridging Study Design and Study Operations

• Serve as the primary integrator between faculty vision and operational execution for data‑enabled studies. Lead integration of data science and digital health considerations into study design at the concept, proposal, and protocol stages.
• Advise faculty on tradeoffs among rigor, feasibility, scalability, and resource requirements in real‑world research environments.
• Ensure coherence among research questions, data availability, analytic plans, and implementation workflows, anticipating and resolving mismatches between protocol intent and day‑to‑day research operations.
• Collaborate with study staff, analysts, informatics teams, and health system partners to operationalize complex designs.
• Guide development of reusable workflows and approaches that support multiple studies.
• Support project management primarily or working collaboratively with staff.

15%:
People Management

• Provide leadership for staff and foster a professional, diverse and equitable working environment within the center for people from all backgrounds, communities, and identities, where staff are empowered and accountable.
• Directly oversee and manage CLHSS data scientists (2), who will be matrixed to assigned research projects based on skills and expertise, to meet defined project deliverables.
• Develop staff capacity and set goals aligned with overall center strategies.

15%:
Strategic Consultation & Portfolio Leadership

• Provide consultative expertise to CLHSS leadership, faculty, and project teams on data science and digital health strategy.
• Shape the Center's approach to data‑enabled research by identifying emerging methods, technologies, infrastructure needs, as well as grants and other funding opportunities.
• Influence research direction and quality across data science portfolio (multiple concurrent projects) without formal supervisory authority.
• Represent CLHSS as a subject matter expert in institutional and cross‑unit initiatives.
• Galvanize engagement with data science staff and faculty collaborators through varied approaches to build a pool of expertise supporting active projects, incubation of ideas, and joint pursuit of funding.

10%:
Communication, Reporting & Knowledge Translation

• Produce high‑level reports, presentations, and guidance documents addressing complex technical and methodological issues.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Sup…