Biostatistician- The Child Health Research Center

Penn State University•University Park, IL

5d•$72,300 - $137,280•Hybrid

About The Position

The Child Health Research Center at Penn State is seeking a Biostatistician to serve as a statistical advisor, collaborator, and mentor in a multidisciplinary research setting. This relationship-focused role partners with investigators, clinicians, research staff, postdoctoral scholars, and students to translate research questions into rigorous study protocols, data-management processes, advanced analyses, and peer-reviewed publications. The Biostatistician supports projects from initial design through data management, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination, while mentoring developing researchers and helping advance statistical literacy across the Center. The position is based at Penn State’s University Park campus and offers a hybrid work arrangement. Regular in-person collaboration is essential. Remote arrangements may be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates with methodological leadership, impactful publications, and successful cross-functional collaboration. The position is funded for one year; continuation depends on university need, performance, and/or funding availability. The role includes consulting on study design and methodology; performing advanced statistical analyses; creating and overseeing data-management systems and collection tools; providing methodological support for grant proposals; preparing reports, manuscripts, and presentations; troubleshooting data and workflow issues; and mentoring junior researchers. Candidates may be appointed at the Advanced Professional level, requiring a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of relevant experience, or at the Senior Professional level, requiring a bachelor’s degree and at least six years of relevant experience. Equivalent combinations of education and experience are accepted. No certifications are required.

Requirements

Ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders with varying levels of statistical expertise.
Strong consultation skills, a customer-service mindset, and the ability to explain complex statistical concepts clearly and accessibly.
Proficiency in analyzing large and complex datasets using advanced statistical techniques.
Deep understanding of linear, logistic, mixed-effects, longitudinal, and multilevel regression models.
Proficiency in R, SAS, or comparable analytical tools.
Experience designing and implementing data-collection protocols and managing datasets for analysis and reporting.
Ability to create clear data visualizations and communicate findings through reports, manuscripts, grant proposals, and presentations.
Experience mentoring students, trainees, or junior team members in statistical methods and research design.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a collaborative research environment.
Ability to work independently as the sole methodologist within a larger institutional ecosystem, with strong self-direction in project prioritization and timeline management.
Proficiency in independent data cleaning, database structural design, data-architecture preparation, and merging disparate, messy data sources without reliance on a data-engineering team.
Track record of reproducible research workflows, including clean, well-commented, version-controlled code suitable for audit and peer review.
Understanding of health-data privacy, including data-sharing agreements, IRB statistical requirements, and secure management of sensitive human-subjects data.
For the Advanced Professional appointment: bachelor’s degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
For the Senior Professional appointment: bachelor’s degree and 6 or more years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
No required certifications.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.; Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of staff employment visas.
Required clearances include a PA State Police Criminal Background Check, PA Child Abuse History Clearance Form, and Federal (FBI) Fingerprint Criminal Background Check.

Nice To Haves

Experience as a statistical consultant in a collaborative research, healthcare, academic, or clinical environment.
Demonstrated success mentoring students, trainees, or junior colleagues.
Experience working with interdisciplinary teams and diverse stakeholder groups.
Evidence of strong communication skills through presentations, teaching, publications, or collaborative research contributions.
Familiarity with statistical challenges in child health, developmental, or clinical datasets, such as skewed pediatric growth metrics, complex longitudinal data, missing-data patterns, or family/sibling clusters.

Responsibilities

Advise researchers on study design, statistical analysis strategies, reliability, data collection procedures, statistical power, sample size, and randomization schemes.
Oversee the design, development, and coordination of study forms, instruments, measurement protocols, and equipment.
Perform statistical analyses using R, SAS, or other statistical software, applying methods such as regression, mixed-effects, and longitudinal models.
Interpret findings, identify gaps, and translate results into insights that inform research and policy.
Develop and oversee data-management processes to ensure data quality, integrity, and reproducibility.
Advise on and develop REDCap projects, databases, surveys, and other data-collection tools.
Provide pre-award methodological support by helping operationalize research hypotheses, define endpoints, develop randomization schemes, and prepare sample-size and power justifications for grant applications.
Explain statistical modeling strategies to multidisciplinary investigators and align study designs, analysis plans, and clinical interpretations.
Troubleshoot data-integrity issues, optimize reproducible statistical workflows, and resolve data-pipeline bottlenecks.
Co-author grant proposals, peer-reviewed manuscripts, and technical reports, including drafting methodology sections.
Prepare statistical reports and communicate findings through written summaries, data visualizations, and presentations.
Mentor postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students, and other junior team members on research questions, analysis plans, analyses, and interpretation.
Guide research teams on statistical methodologies, study designs, data-management frameworks, and interpretation.
Share statistical knowledge and best practices and contribute to continuous learning, innovation, and teamwork.
Manage multiple projects and priorities and independently prioritize projects and timelines.