Synthetic Population Engineer

Epistemix; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Remote; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity & Incentives

Flexible Time Off

Health, Welfare and 401(k) Programs

Meaningful Impact on decision-making

Job summary

A data science company is seeking a Synthetic Population Engineer to refine and expand its synthetic population dataset. This role involves improving the accuracy and applicability of synthetic populations for varied clients, using advanced data science techniques. Candidates should have strong experience with Python, relational databases, and a relevant academic background. This position offers remote working options and a chance to make a meaningful impact in data-driven decision-making across sectors.

Qualifications

• Proficient experience in Python for data science applications.
• Empathy for users by explaining dataset creation clearly.
• Strong passion for improving decision making using synthetic populations.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and enrich synthetic population with empirical datasets.
• Use simulation techniques to project demographic trends.
• Improve geographical plausibility of synthetic environments.
• Expand global coverage of the Epistemix synthetic population.
• Create visualizations for marketing and productizing synthetic populations.
• Support external users integrating Epistemix populations with their data.
• Collaborate with external vendors and data providers to broaden the ecosystem.
• Engage with customer success, professional services, and engineering to understand project requirements.

Skills

Data Science applications using Python

Relational databases (PostgreSQL)

Geospatial data

Simulation or machine learning models

Education

PhD or master's degree in Data Science or relevant field

Tools

PostgreSQL

Job description

6 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

The Synthetic Population Engineer uses cutting edge data science techniques to continuously improve the Epistemix synthetic population. A synthetic population is a statistically representative model of a population of real people and their environment, including personal attributes, social connections, and associations between people and places. These datasets empower customers to solve problems in domains where empirical data is unavailable due to legitimate concerns for personal privacy or where desired data simply does not exist. The Synthetic Population Engineer contributes to profitable growth by making the synthetic population more useful and accessible to customers, increasing adoption and utilization. Having a synthetic population that is continuously updated and improved over time is critical to building trust in the models and solutions built with our platform.

About Epistemix

Epistemix helps organizations forecast outcomes and manage risk by modeling how people behave. Our platform consists of two core products: Populus, which provides access to realistic, high-resolution synthetic population data, and Polaris, which enables scenario planning through advanced data science and simulation. Together, they empower customers to evaluate the potential impact of strategies before deploying them in the real world.

Organizations across healthcare, consumer industries, insurance, and government use Epistemix to reduce uncertainty, optimize decisions, and accelerate time to value. Whether estimating total addressable market, testing public health interventions, or forecasting behavior change, our tools help teams make confident decisions when pre-existing data may not exist.

Leading up to our Series B financing, we are hiring key roles onto the team and entering an exciting phase of growth and innovation. Join us to combine cutting-edge technology with a purpose-driven mission to make the world a better place.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate empirical datasets and use them to enrich the synthetic population to enable new use cases, including through adding new individual attributes and detailed social networks.
• Utilize simulation techniques, including ABMs, to project future demographic trends.
• Improve the geographical plausibility of synthetic environments, ensuring realistic placement of homes, workplaces, schools, and other points of interest (e.g., along roads, close to real world population centers).
• Expand the geographical region covered by the Epistemix synthetic population, with the goal of creating a fully integrated and consistent representation of the global population.
• Create visualizations for marketing and productizing synthetic populations.
• Develop innovative methods for supporting external users in augmenting Epistemix synthetic populations with their own proprietary data.
• Work with external vendors and marketplaces to expand the ecosystem of data providers that can be integrated with the synthetic population.
• Support the synthetic populations team in engaging with customer success, professional services, and engineering teams to understand project specific synthetic population requirements.

Qualifications

• Proficient experience in:
  • Using Python for data science applications.
  • Working with relational databases such as PostgreSQL (additional database management experience preferred).
  • Working with geospatial data.
  • Working with simulation or machine learning models.
• Demonstrate empathy for users and decision makers by explaining how the synthetic population was created (e.g., which data sources and models were used) in an accessible way for all.
• Possessing the passion to build the standard for synthetic populations globally to improve decision making across social, health, economic, and environmental policies and advancing data science into more commercial applications.
• A PhD or master’s degree in Data Science or a relevant technical discipline such as Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Epidemiology, or Public Health.
• Proven track record of success building data products and/or data marketplaces.
• Having a startup mentality with understanding the risks and the ability to flex across needs of an evolving team in a fast-paced environment.

Why Join Epistemix?

• Equity & Incentives – Participation in our stock option program.
• Flexible Time Off – Autonomy to manage your schedule and work-life balance.
• Health, Welfare and 401(k) Programs – Eligibility for benefits (for U.S. employees).
• Meaningful Impact – Apply your creative talents to revolutionize data-driven decision-making and make a real-world difference.

This is a remote position open to applicants globally with a strong interest in US and Europe based candidates. Candidates must possess the legal right to work in their intended work location, as we are currently unable to sponsor or transfer employment visas for any country, including the United States.

Seniority level

Mid-Senior level

Employment type

Full-time

Job function

Engineering and Information Technology

Industries

Software Development