Assistant Director of Data Science

University of Utah; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 140,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah seeks an Assistant Director of Data Science & AI to lead the Office of Data Science & AI, partnering with the Senior Director and advancing AI-driven solutions across HCI's research and clinical enterprise. The role focuses on strategic growth and capacity building in computational oncology.

The position requires hands-on experience with LLMs and AI tools applied to genomic and clinical data, plus strong leadership and collaboration

Qualifications

• PhD in oncological sciences preferred
• Hands-on experience deploying LLM-based or AI-driven tools
• Proficiency in Python, R, and Bash
• Experience with high-throughput genomic data types (RNA-seq, scRNA-seq, ChIP-seq)
• Strong publication record and ability to present to diverse audiences
• Familiarity with Docker/Streamlit/HPC environments

Responsibilities

• Partner with the Senior Director to represent the office in meetings and drive initiatives
• Lead day-to-day growth of the Office of Data Science & AI, including strategy and staffing plans
• Design, deploy and evaluate LLM-driven AI systems for biomedical datasets
• Develop evaluation frameworks for AI reliability and safety in research/clinical use
• Lead analysis of real-world oncology data and translational research applications
• Translate questions into analytical pipelines using Python, R, and Streamlit
• Collaborate across clinical and research teams to deliver data science applications
• Communicate findings to scientific, clinical, and executive audiences via reports and presentations
• Contribute to grants, publications and conference talks
• Coordinate annual symposiums and seminars for the office
• Mentor students and junior staff in data science projects

Skills

Python

R

Bash

Leadership

Communication

Genomics data

Education

PhD in oncological sciences

Tools

Docker

Streamlit

HPC

Job description

Assistant Director of Data Science & AI

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah is seeking an Assistant Director of Data Science & AI to join its growing Office of Data Science & AI. This position will work in close partnership with the Senior Director of Data Science & AI, representing the office in institutional and cross‑functional meetings, advancing key program initiatives, and helping to build the office's capacity to deliver AI‑and data‑driven solutions across HCI's research and clinical enterprise. This is an excellent opportunity for a computational cancer biologist or data scientist with hands‑on experience applying large language models (LLMs) and AI tools to real‑world oncology and genomic data, who is ready to take on a leadership role helping to shape the strategic direction and growth of a new institutional data science function.

Huntsman Cancer Institute is committed to cancer prevention, care, and survivorship for all communities within the area we serve – which includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming – with impact worldwide.

In your cover letter or during your interview process, we invite you to share how your professional experiences have prepared you to serve as a member of our team as we work to reduce the cancer burden experienced by all people and communities. This may include description of your prior experiences related to research, prevention, clinical care, community engagement/outreach, training, administration, or other areas relevant to Huntsman Cancer Institute's mission and this position.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

The department may choose to hire at any of the below joblevels and associated pay rates based on their business need and budget.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a close partner to the Senior Director of Data Science & AI, representing the office and its initiatives at internal and external meetings, and reporting back on outcomes and action items.
• Assist in the day‑to‑day leadership and growth of the Office of Data Science & AI, including contributing to program strategy, staffing plans, and onboarding of future team members.
• Design, develop, and deploy LLM‑driven and other AI‑powered analytical systems that enable natural‑language interaction with complex biomedical, genomic, and clinical datasets.
• Develop and apply evaluation frameworks to assess the reliability, safety, and performance of AI‑generated outputs for research and clinical use.
• Lead and support analysis of real‑world oncology data, including applications related to clinical safety monitoring and translational research.
• Translate research and clinical questions into working analytical pipelines, tools, and dashboards, using languages and platforms such as Python, R, and Streamlit.
• Partner with clinical, translational, and computational research teams across HCI to identify, scope, and deliver high‑value data science and AI applications.
• Communicate technical findings and program updates clearly to cross‑functional scientific, clinical, and executive audiences, including through presentations, reports, and manuscripts.
• Contribute to grant applications, publications, and conference presentations that showcase the Office of Data Science & AI's work.
• Coordinate annual symposium, workshops, seminars for the Office of Data Science & AI.
• Mentor rotation students, trainees, and junior staff engaged in data science and AI projects within the office.

Minimum Qualifications

• EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).
• Department may hire employee at one of the following joblevels: Associate Director, Data Science Management: Requires a bachelor's (or equivalency) + 10 years or a master's (or equivalency) + 8 years of directly related work experience.

Preferences

• PhD in oncological sciences, computational biology, bioinformatics, genetics, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated experience integrating genomic, real‑world, and/or clinical data using computational approaches.
• Hands‑on experience developing and deploying LLM‑based or other AI‑driven analytical tools, including prompt engineering and/or evaluation of AI‑generated outputs.
• Proficiency in Python, R, and/or Bash, with experience building reproducible computational pipelines.
• Experience with high‑throughput genomic data types (e.g., RNA‑seq, scRNA‑seq, ChIP‑seq, epigenomics).
• Strong record of first‑author scientific publication and experience presenting research to varied scientific audiences, especially evidence of publication as first‑author in implementing LLM/AI for cancer research.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated ability to translate technical work for cross‑functional and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Postdoctoral research experience in an academic cancer center or comparable biomedical research setting.
• Experience with retrieval‑augmented generation (RAG), agentic AI frameworks, or other applied LLM architectures.
• Familiarity with Docker, Streamlit, and high‑performance computing (HPC) environments.
• Experience mentoring students or junior researchers, and/or prior teaching experience.
• Experience as a scientific writer or communicator (e.g., research summaries, science journalism, or public‑facing scientific content).
• Recognition through fellowships, awards, or competitive funding reflecting leadership and excellence in computational or translational cancer research.

Job Details

Contract: Full Time

Pay Rate Range: 140,000 - 175,000

Location: Campus

Department: 02274 - HCI Aik Choon Tan Resrch Prog