Biological Data Scientist

University of Wisconsin-Madison; Alabama; On-site; USD 60,000 - 88,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Madison seeks an experienced research data analyst to support a vascular cognitive impairment study led by Dr. Michelle Caunca in Neurology.

You will manage, harmonize, and analyze highly complex longitudinal data using R, STATA, and SAS, and develop data systems and code for reproducible analyses. The role emphasizes prediction modeling, machine learning, and contributing to manuscripts and conference presentations.

Qualifications

• Experience analyzing complex cohort data in R, STATA, or SAS.
• Ability to apply established statistical methods and interpret results.
• Experience drafting manuscripts and presenting at conferences.
• Knowledge of causal inference or prediction modeling.
• Ability to write reproducible code and share workflows publicly.

Responsibilities

• Apply data science techniques to answer research questions and visualize patterns.
• Document approaches and prepare datasets for analysis.
• Create reproducible workflows and reports for researchers and admins.
• Organize and automate project steps for data prep and analysis.
• Contribute to manuscripts and presentations for stakeholders.

Skills

R

STATA

SAS

Data analysis

Team communication

Education

Master’s degree in public health/biostatistics/epidemiology

PhD in public health/biostatistics/epidemiology

Tools

Reproducible code

Code review

Job description

Salary

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category: Academic Staff

Employment Type: Regular

Job Profile: Data Scientist I

Job Summary

We are seeking to hire an experienced research data analyst to support a research program focused on the epidemiology of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, led by Dr.
Michelle Caunca in the Department of Neurology. The research analyst will be responsible for managing, coordinating, and transforming multiple longitudinal cohort studies. This Data
Scientist will support projects focused on biological drivers of vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia, including neuroimaging and blood-based biomarkers.

The analyst will be responsible for developing data management systems and code for merging, harmonizing, and analyzing data that is highly complex in nature. The data in question are complex, longitudinal, and multi-level, including data derived from surveys, laboratory assays, neuroimaging, geocoding, event data, and administrative linkages. The ideal candidate has experience and background in prediction modeling, machine learning, and high-dimensional data analysis.

The position involves managing, analyzing, and interpreting research data from complex cohort studies in R and/or STATA and/or
SAS. The successful candidate will have the capacity to manage to optimize reproducibility (including creation of codebooks and reproducible code that can be published), analyze data according to established statistical methods, oversee the work of students and fellow staff (e.g. who may be conducting or interpreting analyses), and develop recommendations based on research findings. The successful candidate will also participate in the preparation of independent and collaborative manuscripts, presentations at academic conferences and to key stakeholders (e.g. community organizations), and in designing analytic plans for future studies.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Implements appropriate data science techniques under the
  guidance of other data scientists, statisticians, and/or other researchers to find data patterns and answer research questions chosen by the lead researcher including data visualization, statistical analysis, machine learning, and data mining
• Documents approaches to address research questions
• Prepares data sets for analysis including cleaning/quality
  assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources
• Composes and assembles reproducible workflows and reports to
  clearly articulate patterns to researchers and/or administrators
• Organizes and automates project steps for data preparation and
  analysis

Compensation

The starting salary for the position is $60,000 annually for a Data
Scientist I, $75,000 annually for a Data Scientist II, and $88,000 annually for a Data Scientist III, but is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage.

• SMPH

Faculty /Academic Staff Benefits Flyer 2026

Required Qualifications

• Managing, analyzing, and interpreting research data from
  complex cohort studies in R and/or STATA and/or SAS.
• Manage and analyze data according to established statistical
  methods, oversee the work of students and fellow staff who also conduct data analysis and develop recommendations based on research findings.
• Participate in the preparation of independent and collaborative
  manuscripts, presentations at academic conferences and to key stakeholders (e.g. community organizations), and in designing subsequent waves of data collection (e.g. via the development of sampling strategies, survey instruments and questionnaires).
• Working knowledge of causal inference methods and/or prediction
  modeling.
• Ability to effectively communicate in a team setting.
• Ability to write reproducible code, conduct code review, and
  post code publicly for reproducibility.

Preferred Qualifications

• At least 1-2 years of experience working in an epidemiology or
  biostatistics group

Education

Data Scientist I or II: Master's degree in public health, biostatistics, and/or epidemiology is preferred

Data Scientist III: PhD in public health, biostatistics, and/or epidemiology is preferred

Contact Information

Caitlin Spaulding, [e-mail], 608-265-1325

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human
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Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

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