Data Scientist II

Classification Title:

Data Scientist II

Job Description:

The Biomedical Informatics Program (BMI) is hosted within the Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics (HOBI) and is closely affiliated with the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). It engages in a broad spectrum of informatics research and service initiatives across the University of Florida (UF). These services include building the informatics infrastructure for the OneFlorida Clinical Research Network. BMI is responsible for establishing and maintaining the software, infrastructure, and data management processes required for all these networks.

The UF Health system partners with and contributes data to the OneFlorida+ network. The UF Health Integrated Data Repository (IDR) is an enterprise clinical data warehouse that houses the EHRs of all UF Health patients (more than 2 million patient records).

The Office of Data Science and Research Implementation (ODSRI) at UF Health is dedicated to enhancing IT systems and data infrastructure to bridge research and clinical activities. This is especially vital given the advanced AI initiatives at both UF and UF Health. Under the leadership of Dr. Jiang Bian, the ODSRI aims not only to expand the capabilities of the IDR but also to establish specialized units for innovative research IT solutions and data-driven clinical implementations.

Duties to Include:

Participate in creation of novel NLP software that meets research needs. Work in an interdisciplinary team of informaticists, software developers, information quality experts, statisticians, and researchers during software development.

Assist with the development of technical project proposals to build new software or deploy and update existing software.

Handle data queries from researchers and apply software applications to pre-process EHR data and extract required data elements from EHRs.

Responsibilities:

1. Software Development: Design, develop, test, and maintain cutting-edge software applications that cater to the unique needs of the healthcare domain. You will be responsible for creating robust and scalable solutions that facilitate efficient data analysis, patient record management, and clinical decision support.
2. Natural Language Processing (NLP): Leverage NLP techniques to process and analyze unstructured text data, such as clinical notes and medical literature. Apply state-of-the-art NLP algorithms to extract valuable insights from textual data, leading to improved patient outcomes and enhanced healthcare services.
3. Integration of Open-Source Large Language Models (LLMs): Utilize open-source LLMs to build intelligent applications capable of understanding, generating, and responding to natural language inputs. Integrate these language models into healthcare applications to enhance their capabilities and provide intelligent user interactions.
4. Collaborative Projects: Work closely with healthcare professionals, researchers, and informatics experts to understand their requirements and collaborate on projects that address critical challenges in healthcare data analysis, decision support, and knowledge management.
5. Data Security and Compliance: Ensure that all software applications adhere to strict data security and privacy regulations, especially when handling sensitive patient information and medical records.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance: Conduct rigorous testing of developed applications to ensure their accuracy, reliability, and performance. Implement effective quality assurance processes to maintain high standards throughout the development lifecycle.
7. Documentation and Training: Create comprehensive documentation for the developed applications, including technical specifications and user manuals. Provide training sessions to end-users, enabling them to effectively utilize and benefit from the software tools.
8. Research and Innovation: Stay abreast of the latest advancements in NLP, open-source LLMs, and healthcare informatics. Contribute to research efforts within the department to continuously improve and innovate healthcare applications and technologies.

Expected Salary:

$75,000 to $90,000

Minimum Requirements:

A Bachelor’s Degree in data science, statistics, bioinformatics, analytics, or similar field and three years of experience; Master’s Degree in data science, statistics, bioinformatics, analytics, or similar field and one year of experience; Doctoral Degree in data science, statistics, bioinformatics, analytics, or similar field.

Preferred Qualifications:

• MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Biomedical Informatics, or related field. At least 3 years of experience in a software development position. Expertise in building secure software systems.
• Software Development Skills: Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or C++, with a strong understanding of software development principles and best practices.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP): Demonstrated experience in NLP techniques, including text preprocessing, entity recognition, sentiment analysis, and text classification.
• Open-Source Large Language Models (LLMs): Familiarity with open-source LLMs and experience integrating them into software applications. Candidates with prior experience in frameworks for LLM applications, such as Langchain and LlamaIndex, are encouraged.
• Healthcare Knowledge: Basic understanding of healthcare processes, medical terminology, and electronic health records is advantageous.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to analyze complex data to derive meaningful insights and inform application development.
• Team Player: Excellent collaboration and communication skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
• Adaptable and Creative: A self-motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is eager to explore innovative solutions to healthcare challenges.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter and resume.

The University of Florida is committed to non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status in all aspects of employment including recruitment, hiring, promotions, transfers, discipline, terminations, wage and salary administration, benefits, and training.

This is a time limited position.

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.

Health Assessment Required:
No

Advertised: 03 Oct 2023 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: 17 Oct 2023 Eastern Daylight Time