AI Epidemiology Research Assistant

The University of Sheffield; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 6,000 - 7,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Hybrid working

Generous pension scheme

Annual leave

Discounts and rewards

Job summary

The University of Sheffield is seeking a part-time Research Assistant to join an AI for health project. You will collate epidemiological data, develop and train models, and evaluate performance using retrospective and prospective data.

You will gain experience in time-series modelling, probabilistic methods, and data governance, with flexible working options and a pro-rata salary. This role is ideal for candidates with a quantitative degree and Python data-science skills.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree in a quantitative discipline such as data science, statistics, computer science, mathematics, epidemiology or a closely related field.
• Demonstrable programming skills in Python, including common data science / machine learning libraries (eg pandas, scikit-learn or PyTorch/JAX).
• Working knowledge of core machine learning methods (eg regression, classification, clustering).
• Experience in cleaning, wrangling, and preparing structured datasets for analysis
• Experienced in data visualisation and version control.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, prioritise and meet deadlines within limited weekly hours with minimal supervision.
• Awareness of data governance, confidentiality, and the ethical handling of sensitive health data.

Responsibilities

• Collate, clean and prepare epidemiological datasets from a range of sources, ensuring data quality.
• Apply and help develop machine learning models, including feature preparation, model selection, fitting, and hyperparameter tuning.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis and produce descriptive statistics and clear visualisations.
• Contribute to model evaluation and validation, including selecting appropriate performance metrics demonstrating model generalisability to the real world.
• Ensure all activities comply with data protection legislation, research ethics requirements, and information governance procedures for handling sensitive health data.
• Work proactively and on own initiative, responding constructively to feedback from the line managers / principal investigators.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Skills

Python programming

Data science concepts

Data wrangling

Descriptive statistics

Data visualization

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in quantitative field

Tools

pandas

scikit-learn

PyTorch

JAX

Job description

The University of Sheffield is seeking a part-time Research Assistant to join an AI for health project. You will collate epidemiological data, develop and train models, and evaluate performance using retrospective and prospective data.

You will gain experience in time-series modelling, probabilistic methods, and data governance, with flexible working options and a pro-rata salary. This role is ideal for candidates with a quantitative degree and Python data-science skills.