DATA SCIENTIST ASSOCIATE

University of Alabama at Birmingham; Alabama; On-site; USD 77,640 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is seeking a DATA SCIENTIST ASSOCIATE to design, develop, and evaluate predictive models from high‑dimensional healthcare data, focusing on VitalTrials recruitment and APEX AI applications.

The role emphasizes MLOps, API/data pipelines, collaboration with clinical and research staff, and ensuring regulatory compliance and secure data handling onsite in Birmingham, AL.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a related field OR Bachelor's degree in related field and two (2) years of related experience. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain the LLM-based application that identifies and matches eligible participants to clinical research studies, including prompt engineering, retrieval pipelines, and integration with EHR and clinical data sources.
• Evaluate and validate model outputs for accuracy, reliability, and fairness; build and run benchmarking and testing frameworks; iterate on the system based on performance metrics and end-user feedback.
• Ensure the application meets HIPAA, IRB, and institutional data-governance and regulatory requirements, including data de-identification, access controls, audit logging, and documentation of compliance safeguards.
• Collaborate with study coordinators, principal investigators, and recruitment staff to gather requirements, refine workflows, and support deployment and adoption of the tool.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Develop, deploy, and maintain AI/ML and LLM-based applications across the APEX initiative, including building APIs, data pipelines, and integrations with departmental and enterprise systems.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Support shared infrastructure and MLOps for the APEX portfolio, including model versioning, monitoring, deployment automation, and reusable components that serve multiple applications.
• 10%: Partner with faculty, clinical, and operational stakeholders to scope new use cases, translate clinical and research needs into technical requirements, and prototype candidate solutions.
• 10%: Maintain code quality, documentation, and testing across applications; contribute to security reviews, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance and enhancement of production systems.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Partner with faculty, clinical, and operational stakeholders to scope new use cases, translate clinical and research needs into technical requirements, and prototype candidate solutions.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Maintain code quality, documentation, and testing across applications; contribute to security reviews, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance and enhancement of production systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Skills

Python 3+

LLM development

Software engineering

Education

Master's degree in related field

Bachelor's degree in related field

Job description

Job Description - DATA SCIENTIST ASSOCIATE (T237899)

DATA SCIENTIST ASSOCIATE - ( T237899 )

Description

Produces solutions driven by exploratory data analysis from complex and high-dimensional datasets. Uses a flexible, analytical approach to design, develop, and evaluate predictive models and algorithms that lead to optimal value extraction from the data. Evaluates and implements novel approaches to address aims and milestones to multilayered datasets. Generates and tests hypotheses and analyzes and interpret the results of experiments. Assists in documentation and reporting of results.

This position is for a software developer who will contribute to the development of healthcare-focused artificial intelligence applications. Clinical Research Participant Recruitment (VitalTrials Project) will account for 50% of duties and responsibilities. The remaining 50% will be duties performed for APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Clinical Research Participant Recruitment (VitalTrials Project): Design, develop, and maintain the LLM-based application that identifies and matches eligible participants to clinical research studies, including prompt engineering, retrieval pipelines, and integration with EHR and clinical data sources.
• Clinical Research Participant Recruitment (VitalTrials Project): Evaluate and validate model outputs for accuracy, reliability, and fairness; build and run benchmarking and testing frameworks; iterate on the system based on performance metrics and end-user feedback.
• Clinical Research Participant Recruitment (VitalTrials Project): Ensure the application meets HIPAA, IRB, and institutional data-governance and regulatory requirements, including data de-identification, access controls, audit logging, and documentation of compliance safeguards.
• Clinical Research Participant Recruitment (VitalTrials Project): Collaborate with study coordinators, principal investigators, and recruitment staff to gather requirements, refine workflows, and support deployment and adoption of the tool.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Develop, deploy, and maintain AI/ML and LLM-based applications across the APEX initiative, including building APIs, data pipelines, and integrations with departmental and enterprise systems.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Support shared infrastructure and MLOps for the APEX portfolio, including model versioning, monitoring, deployment automation, and reusable components that serve multiple applications.
• 10%: Partner with faculty, clinical, and operational stakeholders to scope new use cases, translate clinical and research needs into technical requirements, and prototype candidate solutions.
• 10%: Maintain code quality, documentation, and testing across applications; contribute to security reviews, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance and enhancement of production systems.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Partner with faculty, clinical, and operational stakeholders to scope new use cases, translate clinical and research needs into technical requirements, and prototype candidate solutions.
• APEX Department of Medicine AI Applications: Maintain code quality, documentation, and testing across applications; contribute to security reviews, troubleshooting, and ongoing maintenance and enhancement of production systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned

Salary Range: $77,640 - $80,000

This position is located onsite in Birmingham, Alabama with no option for hybrid/remote work.

Qualifications

Master's degree in a related field OR Bachelor's degree in related field and two (2) years of related experience. Work experience may NOT substitute for education requirement.

Preferred

• Be proficient in in software engineering and computer programming with specific proficiency in Python 3.0 or higher.
• Experience with large language model development

UAB is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution dedicated to providing equal opportunities and equal access to all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, sex (including pregnancy), genetic information, age, disability, and veteran's status. As required by Title IX, UAB prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates. Individuals may report concerns or questions to UAB's Assistant Vice President and Senior Title IX Coordinator. The Title IX notice of nondiscrimination is located at uab.edu/titleix.

Primary Location

University

Job Category

Scientific Research

Organization

311402800 Med - Pulmonary/Allergy/Critical Care

Employee Status

Regular

Shift : Day/1st Shift

Work Arrangement (final schedule to be determined by the department/hiring manager) : Onsite