Research Data Scientist

University of Chicago•Chicago, IL

5d•$69,000 - $72,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Research Data Scientist will assist faculty with the use of technology and cutting-edge data science in research. As an integral member of the CLARITY team (Clinician-Led AI Resources Individualized To You), the Research Data Scientist will build and optimize the LLM-based text processing and multimodal video generation pipeline, conducting model evaluation and testing, and supporting deployment of a secure patient-facing interface. The Research Data Scientist will collaborate closely with behavioral scientists, clinicians, and computer science faculty to translate research objectives into reliable scalable technical solutions. This position is expected to last one year with the possibility of a second.

Requirements

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or a closely related field.
Master’s degree in computer science, data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or a closely related field.
Background in healthcare, biomedical or other high-stakes deployment environments.
Demonstrated experience working with large language models (LLMs) and/or generative AI systems.
Strong programming skills in Python and experience with ML frameworks and APIs.
Implementing and evaluating applied machine learning systems in real-world or research settings.
Proficient in prompt engineering or fine-tuning foundation models.
Familiar with multimodal generation tools, such as text-to-speech or text-to-video systems.
Building or contributing to web-based interfaces or deployed systems.
Working with structured and unstructured text data.
Outstanding verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills.
Work independently with little supervision; possess a self-motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.
Excellent strategic planning, critical thinking, analytical, and persuasion skills.
Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.
Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, such as in person, email, and phone.
Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service-oriented approach.

Responsibilities

Implements and maintains components of the LLM-based text-to-video pipeline.
Develops and tests prompting, fine-tuning, and structured extraction workflows.
Supports integration of text processing systems with video generation tools.
Develops guardrails and evaluation metrics for factual consistency, uncertainty communication, and clinical reliability.
Contributes to development of the secure, patient-facing interface.
Conducts data analysis for experimental studies and clinical trial evaluation.
Interfaces directly with collaborators.
Applies research principles and relevant subject matter knowledge relevant to administer a research project.
With a moderate level of direction, manages lab and/or research-related duties and tasks.
Helps develop, design and conduct research projects according to plan.
Supports data collection and analytical needs of research projects.
Conducts literature reviews and helps write reports and manuscripts.
Ensures project compliance with different policies, procedures, directives, and mandates.
Performs other related work as needed.