Research Data Scientist

Texas A&M University System • Houston, TX

18h

About The Position

The Institute for Disaster Resilient Texas, located at the Houston campus, works to facilitate and deliver critical research on disaster risk reduction, provide data analytics and decision-making tools, and generate evidence-based solutions that help Texas communities become more resilient over the longer term. We seek a highly skilled and collaborative Data Scientist to lead the development and implementation of advanced statistical and machine learning models, manage large-scale geospatial and temporal datasets, and enhance data infrastructure to support research and applied projects focused on hazard risk, resilience, and mitigation. The ideal candidate will possess strong technical expertise in data science, cloud-based platforms, and geospatial analysis, along with the ability to translate complex findings into accessible insights for stakeholders. This role requires a strategic thinker with experience in federal and state-funded initiatives, a passion for data-informed decision-making, and the ability to foster interdisciplinary collaboration across academic, government, and public sectors. This position involves designing and implementing advanced statistical and machine learning models, developing interactive visualizations, and supporting data infrastructure to inform research and applied projects. The Data Scientist will collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to support federal- and state-funded initiatives focused on hazard risk, resilience, and mitigation.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in applicable field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Eight years of related experience.
• Strong academic background in statistics, computer science, engineering, mathematics, or similar discipline.
• Significant knowledge in research and applications of Data Science in one or more operational domains and associated disciplines including but not limited to: transportation, mobility, facilities management, environmental sensing, image and video interpretation, geospatial data processing.
• Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Proficiency in applying advanced statistical analyses and developing predictive models for natural hazard-related data.
• Experience with data visualization tools and programming languages (e.g., R, Python, SQL).
• Experience with data management and data analytics in cloud-based platforms (e.g., Microsoft Azure, Databricks, Amazon Web Service).
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across teams, institutions, and agencies.
• Strong written communication, analytical, and organizational skills.
• Ability to train, validate, apply machine learning models to complex data sets.

Nice To Haves

• Masters or PhD in an area related to Data Science, Urban and Regional Sciences, Computer Science/Engineering, Statistics, or related field and significant experience in foundations and/or applications of Data Science in an academic, industrial, government on non-profit setting, commensurate with level of appointment.
• Experience developing research proposals and developing collaborations with faculty and researchers across organizations.
• Significant ability to answer questions using advanced statistical methods.
• Significant knowledge of A/B testing, including test design, sampling, hypothesis testing, evaluation of evidence and measurement.
• Significant knowledge of querying data from relational databases using SQL.
• Significant knowledge and ability to use R or Python to develop analytical solutions.
• Significant knowledge of data wrangling, data cleaning and prep, dimensionality reduction.
• Significant knowledge of GIS tools and systems; Big Data concepts, tools, and architecture (e.g. Cloud, Hadoop, Pig, Hive, Spark).
• Data visualization skills and ability to present technical solutions to non-technical audience.
• Ability to cultivate and maintain professional working relationships with people.
• Research experience related to meteorological risk, disaster mitigation, and/or hazard impacts.
• Experience working on federally and/or state-funded research grants or contracts.
• Experience developing/supporting web-based mapping applications and information systems.
• Knowledge of disaster resilience issues in Texas and the Gulf Coast region.
• Experience with geospatial analysis and spatial database management, and related tools and languages (e.g., GDAL; PostgreSQL/PostGIS).

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a research data and information management strategy to support applied and academic projects.
• Design and manage large-scale research databases, incorporating geospatial and temporal data related to natural hazards.
• Select, install, and configure foundational database systems, visualization software, and cloud-based infrastructure (e.g., Azure, AWS, Databricks).
• Develop tools and pipelines for cleaning, transforming, and integrating datasets from multiple sources.
• Establish standards and criteria for data quality, storage, and usage to enhance project efficiency and reproducibility.
• Serve as a point of contact for data requests, analytics consultations, and statistical modeling across internal and external teams.
• Guide stakeholders through data interpretation, predictive model outputs, and spatial insights.
• Document project needs, timelines, and deliverables while maintaining open communication with collaborators.
• Support proposal development and data-driven strategy in state and federally funded initiatives.
• Enhance the public-facing website by integrating interactive dashboards, mapping tools, and visual analytics.
• Work with marketing and communications staff to promote tools and insights developed by the research team.
• Translate technical findings into accessible formats for stakeholders, policymakers, and public audiences.
• Assist leadership in planning and allocating resources for research and data consulting efforts.
• Manage time-tracking and documentation of consulting services to inform budgeting and reporting.
• Monitor consulting requests and coordinate intake and project assignment workflows.
• Discuss scope, pricing, and timelines with external partners and clients, as needed.
• Lead strategic planning around data infrastructure and analytics to improve organizational efficiency.
• Assess and enhance internal data workflows, ensuring alignment with research goals and stakeholder needs.
• Identify opportunities to acquire or generate new data assets and establish data partnerships with external agencies.
• Support a culture of data-informed decision making within the institute.

Benefits

• Health, dental, vision, life and long-term disability insurance with Texas A&M contributing to employee health and basic life premiums
• 12-15 days of annual paid holidays
• Up to eight hours of paid sick leave and at least eight hours of paid vacation each month
• Automatically enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas
• Health and Wellness: Free exercise programs and release time
• Professional Development: All employees have access to free LinkedIn Learning training, webinars, and limited financial support to attend conferences, workshops, and more
• Employee Tuition Assistance and Educational Release time for completing a degree while a Texas A&M employee

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level