Lead Research Data Scientist - Multimodal Clinical Data

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 101,000 - 131,000; Full time

Job summary

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is seeking a Lead Research Data Scientist to provide technical leadership across high-impact research initiatives within the Decode Program. You will ingest, test, and curate heterogeneous clinical and biological data, and collaborate with clinicians, data scientists, and engineers to advance AI-enabled pediatric care.

The role emphasizes building standardized multimodal datasets, integrating with virtual humans, and moving risk-prediction models

Qualifications

• Master's degree in computer science, statistics, economics or related fields.
• 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Demonstrated ability to manage large data science projects and various teams.
• 3+ years of relevant project experience in successfully launching, planning AND executing data science project.

Responsibilities

• Analysis & Portfolio management.
• Guide and inspire the organization about the potential and strategy of data science and artificial intelligence.
• Work with teams to understand, document and respond to requirements to meet moderate to highly complex analytic needs and identify data-driven opportunities.
• Responsible for a portfolio with metrics and analytics for a particular domain or at enterprise level.
• Communicate and follow Data/AI Governance principle.
• Participate in Enterprise level initiatives to mature data science at CCHMC.
• Data Exploration, presentation and operationalization.
• Create and evangelize datasets using Enterprise data preparation tools.
• Display drive and curiosity to understand the business/clinical process and collaborate with domain experts to better understand the system workflows and generation of data.
• Drive & develop standards and best practices for reports, presentations and visualizations to share insights with clinical, operational and research teams.
• Collaborate with data engineers, Xops teams and appropriate IT teams to automate and deploy solutions using established best practices, including source control and continuous monitoring.
• Integrate performance management and data quality tools into the current business infrastructure.
• Lead comprehensive efforts to improve quality throughout the organization.
• Analytics leadership
• Serve as the analytic liaison to cross-functional leadership/management teams that collectively are charged to improve outcomes and care for a designated customer base.
• Make colleagues and customers aware of Data/Analytics resources, including knowledge base, skill sets, prior experience.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and support to Analysts who are customers' primary analytic contacts, offering guidance on best ways to meet customers' needs, including relevant historical information, availability of other analytic resources, and direct meeting of needs.

Skills

Python

R

Education

Master's degree in computer science, statistics, economics or related fields

Job description

Primary LocationExploration AvenueDepartmentBiomedical InformaticsShiftDay (United States of America)ScheduleFull timeWeekly Hours40FTE1Employee StatusRegular*Expected Starting Pay Range$100,526.40 - $130,686.40*Starting pay is based on experience, skills, and equity; exceptions may apply for highly qualified candidates. Additional pay (e.g., shift, on-call, or weekend differentials) and benefits may apply. Annual pay may vary based on FTE status.

As a Lead Research Data Scientist, you will provide technical leadership and strategic direction across multiple high-impact research initiatives while helping shape the future of data science and AI applications in pediatric healthcare.

This is a unique opportunity to apply data sciences to one of the most urgent problems in pediatric medicine: understanding, predicting, and helping prevent mental health crises in young people. We're seeking a Research Data Scientist to join Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC)'s Decode Program and work across three interrelated, frontier-pushing efforts. In support of the first initiative, you'll identify, ingest, and test remarkably diverse clinical and biological data - from thought markers to biomarkers - and integrate it with virtual humans. As part of the second initiative, you'll help build a reusable, standardized national multimodal data repository for a flagship federal health program - a resource designed to power not only today's work but future initiatives for years to come. And in the final initiative, you'll help move a clinical mental-health risk-prediction model out of shadow-mode evaluation toward real clinical impact. This is a hands-on, cross-project research and methods role centered on identifying, ingesting, testing, and curating heterogeneous multimodal clinical and biological data into high-quality, reusable resources, integrating that data with virtual humans. In the near term, much of the emphasis will be on integrating disparate datasets including clinical notes, environmental data, biometric devices, and other modalities for use by virtual humans and clinicians. The successful candidate is comfortable working with messy, varied real-world data sources (structured clinical data, free text, thought markers, biomarkers, and digital/physiological signals), building well-documented and standardized datasets, and collaborating closely with clinicians, computer scientists, data scientists, developers, and biostatisticians.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Analysis & Portfolio management
• Guide and inspire the organization about the potential and strategy of data science and artificial intelligence.
• Work with teams to understand, document and respond to requirements to meet moderate to highly complex analytic needs and identify data-driven opportunities.
• Responsible for a portfolio with metrics and analytics for a particular domain or at enterprise level.
• Communicate and follow Data/AI Governance principle.
• Participate in Enterprise level initiatives to mature data science at CCHMC.
• Data Exploration, presentation and operationalization
• Create and evangelize datasets using Enterprise data preparation tools.
• Display drive and curiosity to understand the business/clinical process and collaborate with domain experts to better understand the system workflows and generation of data.
• Drive & develop standards and best practices for reports, presentations and visualizations to share insights with clinical, operational and research teams.
• Collaborate with data engineers, Xops teams and appropriate IT teams to automate and deploy solutions using established best practices, including source control and continuous monitoring.
• Integrate performance management and data quality tools into the current business infrastructure.
• Lead comprehensive efforts to improve quality throughout the organization.
• Analytics leadership
• Serve as the analytic liaison to cross-functional leadership/management teams that collectively are charged to improve outcomes and care for a designated customer base.
• Make colleagues and customers aware of Data/Analytics resources, including knowledge base, skill sets, prior experience.
• Provide coaching, mentoring and support to Analysts who are customers' primary analytic contacts, offering guidance on best ways to meet customers' needs, including relevant historical information, availability of other analytic resources, and direct meeting of needs.
• As needed, serve as the customer's analytic consultant, and primary point of analytic contact.
• Help develop system-wide plans to build customers' internal capacity for reporting and for basic analysis.
• Determine plans for building internal capacity.
• Technical and Analytical Skill
• Develop mastery in IT skills in coding languages (Python, R, etc) and database programming languages for both relational and non relational data structures.
• Develop expertise in data wrangling, data mining, data & quantitative analysis.
• Develop proficiency in distributed data/computing tools: MapReduce, Hadoop, HIVE etc.
• Become proficient in using the Enterprise Data tools as appropriate.
• Develop strong understanding of Xops methods to partner on data pipelines.
• Develop ability to communicate complex results to technical and non-technical audiences, using storytelling and creative visualizations.
• Continue to upskill through courses, local academia, networking etc.
• Ability to mentor & coach junior level data science analysts.
• Managerial Support
• Provide managerial support to direct reports including oversight on the quality initiatives supported.
• Ensure that teams have the resources they require, and that clinical partners feel that they are well-supported.
• Work with initiative leaders and clinical partners to prioritize requests.
• Ensure that leadership remains aware of customers' goals and activities, and how analysts assigned to customers can proactively meet those needs.
• Communicate strategic vision and tactical plans for customers regularly with the leader and team.
• Escalate issues when necessary, for resolution with CCHMC senior leadership.
• Participate in related team meetings.
• Participate in strategic thinking about Data/Analytics human and technical infrastructure to optimize ability to provide analytic support to meet objectives and goals specified in CCHMC strategic plan.
• Mentor and develop the analytic skills of less experienced analysts within the group.
• Develop training and on-boarding materials for new hires.
• As needed, assist in the development of materials and support for Training Courses.

JOB QUALIFICATION

• Master's degree in computer science, statistics, economics or related fields
• 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline
• PREFERRED Experience in other IT roles or functions such as quality assurance/testing, development, enterprise architecture, or project management.
• Demonstrated the ability to manage large data science projects and various teams
• 3+ years of relevant project experience in successfully launching, planning AND executing data science project

About Us

At Cincinnati Children's, we come to work with one goal: to make children's health better. We believe in a holistic team approach, both in caring for patients and their families, and in advancing science and discovery. We strive to do better and find energy and inspiration in our shared purpose. If you want to be the best you can be, you can do it at Cincinnati Children's. Cincinnati Children's is: Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as atop 10 best Children's Hospitals in the nation for more than 15 years Consistently among the top 3 Children's Hospitals for National Institutes of Health (NIH)Funding Recognized as one of America's Best Large Employers (2025), America's Best Employers for New Grads (2025) One of the nation's America's Most Innovative Companiesas noted by Fortune Consistently certified as great place to work A Leading Disability Employer as noted by the National Organization on Disability Magnet designated for the fourth consecutive time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) We Embrace Innovation-Together. We believe in empowering our teams with the tools that help us work smarter and care better. That's why we support the responsible use of artificial intelligence. By encouraging innovation, we're creating space for new ideas, better outcomes, and a stronger future-for all of us. Comprehensive job description provided upon request.

Cincinnati Children's is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to creating an environment of dignity and respect for all our employees, patients, and families. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, genetic information, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status. EEO/Veteran/Disability