Senior Data Scientist

Stanford University; Palo Alto (CA); Vor Ort; USD 117.000 - 130.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Stanford University’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab (RegLab) is seeking a Senior Data Scientist for a one-year fixed term role, with potential extension. The position focuses on designing and implementing AI and data projects that support public sector applications and policy.

The Senior Data Scientist will partner with the Faculty Director, research leadership, and the broader RegLab team to identify and deliver research initiatives. The role is onsite in Stanford, CA.

Qualifikationen

• Bachelor’s degree and at least three years of relevant experience.
• Strong coding in Python with maintainable, tested code.
• Experience with ML, NLP, and information retrieval on large datasets.
• Experience with data modeling and database systems for structured and unstructured data.
• Experience building reliable, scalable data pipelines with data quality and validation.
• Ability to communicate results to technical and non-technical audiences.

Aufgaben

• Collaborate with leadership to identify and deliver research initiatives.
• Lead design and development of AI models and statistical methods for public sector outcomes.
• Work with large datasets including health, environmental data, satellite imagery, and legal text.
• Develop prototype software and participate in release processes.
• Create charts, databases, and visualizations for publications and presentations.
• Mentor junior data scientists.
• Ensure data governance and regulatory compliance.

Kenntnisse

Python

Machine learning

NLP

Information retrieval

SQL

Data modeling

Data pipelines

Security best practices

Communication

Ausbildung

Bachelor’s degree and 3 years of relevant experience

Tools

Python

SQL

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Scikit-Learn

Docker

GCP Cloud Run

Cloud SQL

Cloudflare

Jobbeschreibung

Stanford University’s Regulation, Evaluation, and Governance Lab (RegLab) is seeking a Senior Data Scientist for a one-year fixed term role, with potential extension. The position focuses on designing and implementing AI and data projects that support public sector applications and policy.

Role Overview

The Senior Data Scientist will partner with the Faculty Director, research leadership, and the broader RegLab team to identify and deliver research initiatives. Work includes developing AI and statistical approaches, mentoring colleagues, and communicating results to technical and non-technical audiences. The role is onsite in Stanford, CA.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the Faculty Director, research leadership, and the RegLab team to explore, identify, and implement research projects.
• Lead the design and development of multiple projects using state-of-the-art AI models, algorithms, and statistical models to improve public sector outcomes.
• Work with large, untapped datasets, including health and environmental enforcement data, mass adjudication records, high-resolution satellite imagery, and a large publicly available legal text corpus.
• Adapt and refine existing AI models for public sector constraints and ethical considerations, including fairness, transparency, and interpretability.
• Develop and test prototype software, and participate in the approval and release process for new software.
• Prioritize and extract data from multiple sources such as reports, legal documents, notes, survey results, and satellite imagery while maintaining accuracy and completeness.
• Identify additional data collection and reporting requirements.
• Create complex charts and databases, perform statistical analyses, and develop graphs and tables for publication and presentations.
• Serve as a resource for non-routine inquiries, including requests for statistics or surveys.
• Provide documentation aligned to audit and reporting criteria for investigators and research staff.
• Communicate findings and technical insights clearly through reports, visualizations, presentations, and academic publications.
• Design and customize reports based on database content.
• Oversee and monitor regulatory compliance for data utilization.
• Use system reports and analyses to detect potentially problematic data, implement corrections, and address root causes or justify solutions for implementation by others.
• Mentor and/or manage other data scientists and junior researchers.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and external stakeholders to identify high-impact applied data science opportunities.
• Engage with partners to understand data environments, shape project goals, and ensure technical outputs align with real-world needs and constraints.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant professional experience, or a combination of education and relevant experience.
• Programming strength in Python or a similar language, including debugging and writing maintainable code.
• Solid knowledge of machine learning, NLP, and information retrieval methods, with experience applying them to large or complex datasets.
• Experience with data modeling and database systems for both structured and unstructured data (for example, SQL and document or vector stores).
• Experience building reliable, scalable data pipelines with attention to data quality and validation, including evaluating new tools and frameworks.
• Understanding of security best practices for web applications and backend systems, including authentication, access control, and handling sensitive data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including documenting systems, decisions, and recommendations for technical and non-technical audiences.

Tools and Technologies

• Python, SQL, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit Learn, Docker
• GCP Cloud Run, Cloud SQL, Cloudflare

Preferred Qualifications

• Specialization in machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, TF, PyTorch, Scikit Learn, etc.), NLP, LLM evaluation, LLM-assisted workflows, computer vision, or related fields.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and compute resources (for example, GCP Cloud Run, Cloud SQL), including recommending tech stacks for research projects.
• Familiarity deploying containerized web applications (for example, Docker, Cloudflare Pages), such as results dashboards or validation interfaces for partners reviewing LLM pipeline outputs.

Compensation and Terms

• Compensation range: USD 117,134 - 130,006 per year (budgeted range).
• Position type: One-year fixed term (with potential extension).
• Location: Stanford, CA (onsite).

Application Process

There will be two rounds of application review. The first-round deadline is 7:00AM PST on Friday, October 30, 2026, and applications received before this date are guaranteed to be read while there is a spot open. After this date, applications received by December 1 will still be accepted, with preference given to first-round applications.

Applicants with Optional Practical Training (OPT) temporary employment authorization are eligible to apply. Depending on circumstances, Stanford may sponsor J-1 visas for this position.

Minimum Education and Experience Notes

• Minimum education requirement includes a Bachelor’s degree and three years of relevant experience, or a relevant combination of education and experience.
• Minimum experience includes experience in a quantitative discipline such as economics, finance, statistics, or engineering.
• Additional expectations include substantial experience with MS Office and analytical programs, excellent writing and analytical skills, and the ability to prioritize workload.