Senior Data Science Strategist

The National Institute on Aging (NIA), a major research component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), is seeking exceptional candidates for the position of Senior Data Science Strategist ($163,964 - $246,400) within the Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology .  

The Data Science Strategist will advise the Division’s data and analytics efforts, including a range of collaborative data science projects and cooperative agreements conducted with partners across NIA and the NIH. The ideal candidate will have a broad understanding of data science regarding analytical methods, informatics, computational and information resources, and federal data sharing policies and will have a proven track record of designing and executing complex data science programs. Ideally possesses a doctoral-level degree in a biomedical, biostatistics, or computational research field, or related scientific field.  This position requires a senior level scientist with extensive research experience in fields such as computer science, statistics. statistical genetics, bioinformatics, computational methods, artificial intelligence research methods.  

Duty Location: Bethesda, MD or Remote: Options for performance of these activities remotely rather than at NIA’s Maryland location will be considered.  

 Key Responsibilities include:  

• Advising NIA leadership and extramural staff about strategies to apply novel data mining techniques, analytical tools, and computational methods in integrative analyses of complex biological processes related to longevity (e.g., clarifying gene networks and functional pathways), and to assess their contributions to development of novel interventions (e.g., methods for prediction of drug-target interactions). 
• Working with NIA staff and ongoing research projects to develop organizational and data management strategies to integrate data from differing human longitudinal studies spanning differing segments of the life span to provide better understand of factors influencing health over the life course, and advising NIA leadership on resource needs to implement such strategies.  
• Working collaboratively with NIA staff and awardees in the development, evaluation, and implementation of strategies to optimize use of existing NIH analytical resources (e.g., data visualization tools, cloud resources) to advance early-stage translational research on healthy aging. 
• Providing NIA leadership and extramural staff with advice on innovative data and analytical approaches to integrate AI/ML models across heterogeneous data types and sources (e.g., epidemiologic study data, electronic health records and insurance claims data) to generate novel biomedical insights regarding translation of clinical and biologic findings into new intervention development, and advising on resource needs required for such approaches.  
• Participating in NIA working groups and with NIH/NIA awardees. as well as interacting with longevity projects’ Coordinating Centers, to optimize cross-talk and synergy of multiple NIA information and data analytic activities with longevity studies.  
• Establishing and maintaining interaction with various NIH Data Science groups to inform and guide NIA extramural program staff on infrastructure needs and inform strategies for optimal leveraging of NIH cloud resources to improve capacity and interoperability of NIA cloud workspaces, and their accessibility for longevity studies. 

Required Qualifications: To be eligible for this position, candidates must be a U.S. citizen, or U.S. National. Foreign nationals or legal permanent residents are not eligible for consideration. Candidates must indicate their U.S. citizenship status on their CV or within their email application submission.   

In order to qualify for this position, candidates must possess either a doctoral-level degree in  

biomedicine or a biological related field, or a master's level or higher degree in: 

• engineering 
• bioinformatics 
• or an emerging or related scientific field. 

A doctoral-level degree or a master’s level or higher degree in fields relevant to the activities of this position, including computer science, statistics, statistical genetics, artificial intelligence and machine learning, bioinformatics, and cross-study data integration, is preferred. 

In addition, candidates must have at least one year of experience related to the position, including achievements in one or more of the following areas to demonstrate the individual has received recognition as an expert in the field: 

• Conducted original biomedical research published in peer-reviewed journals of high stature 
• Received major prizes and awards (such as visiting professorships and named lectureships) in  recognition of original contributions to biomedical research 
• Received invitations to speak at or chair major national or international meetings or symposia 
• Elected to membership in professional societies of high stature, or 
• Meets other criteria demonstrating sufficient rigor or accomplishment in a relevant or closely related field that is necessary to the accomplishment of NIH's mission. 

If you are a current Federal Title 5 employee, you must have one year of equivalent experience at the GS-14 level or above.