Data Scientist

Job Summary:

The Neuro

AI Lab at UCSF, led by Assistant Professor Pedro Pinheiro‑Chagas, invites applications for a Data Scientist to support and advance our research initiatives at the intersection of AI and cognitive neuroscience. The successful candidate will contribute to a multidisciplinary team developing cutting‑edge AI systems for the discovery, diagnosis, and care of neurodegenerative diseases. The Data Scientist will work across the lab’s core research areas, including: (1) foundation AI models that leverage large‑scale clinical databases to identify disease subtypes and risk factors;

(2) agentic AI decision support systems that synthesize multimodal patient data for specialist‑level diagnoses; and (3) AI conversational agents for scalable clinical assessments. The role involves designing and maintaining robust data pipelines, curating and analyzing complex multimodal datasets (clinical notes, neuropsychological assessments, neuroimaging), developing and evaluating machine learning models, and contributing to research publications. The ideal candidate will have strong programming skills and experience with generative AI and traditional ML algorithms, a passion for translational research, and the ability to work effectively across disciplines.

This position offers exceptional opportunities for professional growth at the forefront of health AI, with direct exposure to world‑class clinical collaborators and the potential to impact real‑world patient care.

Department

Description:

The Neuro

AI Lab operates at the UCSF Memory and Aging Center—Department of Neurology—Weill Institute for Neuroscience. It is also affiliated with the Bakar Computational Health Sciences Institute and the Center for Intelligent Imaging (ci2).

• Plan long‑term statistical studies, including the preparation of proposals, design of survey instruments, and determining sampling procedures.
• Gather, analyze, prepare, and summarize the collection of information and data; recommend statistical approaches, trends, sources, and uses.
• Prepare data for presentation.
• Identify multivariate strategies.
• Prepare reports of studies for internal validation and cross‑validation studies.
• Analyze the interrelationships of data and define logical aspects of data sets.
• Develop systems for organizing data to analyze, identify and report trends.
• Manage database of research data for projects.
• Review new software instruments and potential effects on statistical testing. May make programming modifications.
• Participate in development and implementation of data security policies and procedures.
• Keep abreast of technical advances in storage, documentation and dissemination of computerized data.

• Bachelor’s degree in a related area and/or equivalent experience or training.
• Proficiency in Python, with demonstrated experience in data analysis, machine learning, and statistical modeling.
• Experience building and maintaining data pipelines, integrating APIs, and working with large‑scale datasets.
• Familiarity with version control (Git) and collaborative software development practices.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to work independently and manage multiple projects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Biomedical Informatics, Computational Neuroscience, Biostatistics, or a related quantitative field.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs).
• Familiarity with clinical, cognitive, or health‑related datasets (e.g., electronic health records, neuroimaging, neuropsychological assessments).
• Knowledge of data security, privacy, and regulatory standards for clinical applications (e.g., HIPAA compliance).
• Experience with deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, Tensor Flow) and cloud computing platforms.
• Track record of peer‑reviewed publications or contributions to open‑source projects.
• Interest in or experience with agentic AI architectures, retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), or multi‑agent systems.
• Ability to thrive in a fast‑paced, multidisciplinary research environment.

Salary Information

The final salary and offer…