Director Clinical Research

TAPPS; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

TAPPS in Cambridge, MA, is seeking a Director of Clinical Research to lead its clinical research strategy in oncology, focusing on AI validation efforts.

This role involves designing validation studies, collaborating with academic medical centers, and shaping evidence generation for cancer screening programs.

Ideal candidates will have an MD or PhD with significant experience in clinical research, statistical analysis, and a strong background in oncology.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading oncology clinical research.
• Experience in study design and execution including endpoint definition.
• Strong oncology background with familiarity in cancer screening.
• Proven ability to collaborate with academic medical centers.

Responsibilities

• Lead validation studies for foundation models in cancer screening.
• Shape and execute the clinical research agenda.
• Define statistical plans and quality controls in studies.
• Collaborate closely with AI research to validate clinical questions.

Skills

Oncology clinical research

Statistical analysis

AI/ML knowledge

Collaboration with academic centers

Education

MD, MD-PhD, or PhD in Oncology, Epidemiology, or Biostatistics

Job description

One of our premiere clients is building next‑generation cancer screening and survivorship programs at the intersection of oncology, diagnostics, epidemiology, and AI‑enabled technology. As they scale, they are hiring a Director, Clinical Research to own clinical research strategy and medical AI validation agenda.

This role has two core mandates. First, you will design and lead the validation strategy for their foundation models, including academic medical center partnerships, cohort‑based studies across cancer types and subpopulations, and the methodological rigor required for clinicians, regulators, and internal teams to trust the results. Second, you will shape and run the broader clinical research strategy, including prospective and observational studies that build the evidence base for their screening and survivorship programs, real‑world evidence collaborations with clinical partners, and the scientific output that establishes the company’s clinical credibility.

This role reports directly to the Co‑Founder leading the medical team and will be one of their medical hires. The scope is broad today and will expand quickly as the company grow.

What You’ll Do

• Design and lead prospective and cohort‑based validation studies for our foundation models across screening and survivors.
• Shape and execute the broader clinical research agenda, including observational studies, real‑world evidence efforts, and protocol design for screening and survivorship programs.
• Define endpoints, study populations, statistical plans, and bias controls with the rigor required for clinical adoption.
• Translate broad model capabilities into focused validation plans for specific cancer types and subpopulations, such as recurrence prediction in breast cancer or risk prediction in colorectal cancer.

Work with Academic Medical Centers

• Provide scientific and clinical input into the identification and structuring of new academic medical center partnerships alongside the leadership team that owns those relations.
• Partner closely with academic medical centers and cancer research centers as validation and clinical research programs move forward.
• Own the scientific execution of studies within those partnerships, including IRB strategy, data agreements, multi‑site coordination, and day‑to‑day study leadership.
• Serve as a credible medical and scientific counterpart to academic principal investigators.

Partner with AI Research

• Work alongside the AI research team to define the clinical questions our models should answer, prioritize validation targets, and pressure‑test research direction against clinical reality.
• Translate model outputs into clinically meaningful signals, endpoints, and evidence strategies.
• Help shape the medical roadmap as validation findings and clinical evidence feed back into what gets built.

Build & Maintain Rigor

• Own clinical‑grade rigor across the research and validation effort, including endpoints, bias, generalizability, interpretability, and regulatory readiness as needed.
• Co‑author publications on clinical research and validation in collaboration with the AI research team and academic partners.
• Represent the company’s clinical research externally to academic, scientific, and clinical audiences.

Required Qualifications

• MD, MD‑PhD, or PhD in Oncology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, or a related field.
• 7+ years of post‑training experience leading oncology clinical research, including prospective, cohort‑based, or observational studies focused on diagnostics, screening, surveillance, or risk stratification.
• Demonstrated ability to independently design and execute clinical studies end to end, including endpoint definition, protocol writing, statistical analysis planning, study powering, and bias and generalizability controls.
• Hands‑on experience collaborating with academic medical centers on multi‑site studies, including IRB submissions, data use agreements, and ongoing scientific leadership.
• Strong oncology background with familiarity in cancer screening, survivorship, or early detection.
• Proven ability to operate as a credible scientific counterpart to academic PIs and cross‑functional partners across clinical, product, and AI/ML teams.
• Demonstrated interest in AI/ML, with prior exposure through coursework, research collaborations, or hands‑on work with technical teams.
• Comfort operating as a foundational hire in an early‑stage, high‑ambiguity, high‑rigor startup environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience validating diagnostic, screening, or risk‑stratification tools, including computational models, for clinical use.
• Formal training in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, or Clinical Research Methods, such as an MS, MPH, or equivalent coursework.
• Strong publication record in oncology, clinical trials, or clinical AI/analytics, ideally including multi‑center or large‑cohort studies.
• Experience working with real‑world oncology data, including EHRs, cancer registries, claims, or large observational datasets.
• Experience in an early‑stage biotech, digital health, or AI/ML‑driven healthcare company.
• Experience representing research programs at scientific meetings and engaging clinical key opinion leaders.

Why This Role Is Different

• This is one of the company’s first medical hires and the first dedicated clinical research hire, with a chance to build the clinical research strategy from the ground up.
• The role offers direct partnership with the founders and AI research leadership.
• It will own the validation effort beginning in 2026 and help deliver key real‑world results in 2027, making it a defining program for the company.
• It sits at the frontier of clinical AI validation, where top‑tier AI rigor and top‑tier clinical rigor need to work together.
• The scope is broad now and designed to evolve as the medical landscape changes.