The
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is home to the
Institute for Data Science in Oncology, a multidisciplinary program focused on applying data science and emerging technologies to improve safety, quality, and access in clinical care and operations. Within the Institute's surgical data science program, the
Data Scientist - Operations Research supports translational research in image-guided surgery and collaborates closely with data scientists, engineers, clinicians, and scientific partners to advance innovative approaches in surgical care.
UT MD Anderson is a leading institution focused on cancer care, research, education, and prevention. The
Data Scientist - Operations Research contributes to the development and clinical translation of advanced imaging, image analysis, and registration methods. The Data Scientist - Operations Research works with surgeons and collaborators across the institution, with primary areas of impact in orthopaedic surgery and neurosurgery. The Data Scientist - Operations Research plays a key role in advancing computational approaches that support data-driven surgical care.
The
ideal candidate has advanced education in science, engineering, computer science, statistics, computational biology, or a related field, with preference given to candidates holding a Master's or PhD degree. Preferred experience includes clinical operations and workflow analysis in surgery, radiology, or other clinical specialties, along with knowledge of patient safety factors, systems engineering, systems integration, requirements management, risk mitigation, programming in Python and/or Matlab, statistical analysis, and advanced data science techniques.
ResponsibilitiesClinical & Research Collaboration
• Collaborate with clinicians, engineers, data scientists, and scientific partners on surgical data science initiatives
• Work closely with surgeons and collaborators in orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, and related clinical specialties
• Assist supervisors and senior research staff with reports, grant requests, and research activities
• Provide consulting support to internal teams and external collaborators regarding data models, findings, and process improvements
Research & Experimental Design
• Plan and execute experiments and evaluate, interpret, and communicate study results
• Participate in the development and revision of research techniques and methodologies
• Assemble, operate, and support laboratory apparatus and equipment used in research activities
• Develop computational modeling approaches related to surgical data science
Data Acquisition & Clinical Systems
• Work with clinical hardware and software, including anesthesia systems, imaging platforms, surgical robots, and related technologies
• Capture and curate multidimensional data from healthcare environments
• Utilize healthcare information systems including electronic medical records, EPIC, PACS, and related clinical data sources
• Support development of new data science methods in surgery
Data Engineering & Analytics
• Create data tools for analytics and data science team members
• Design and maintain optimal data pipeline architecture
• Build systems for extraction, transformation, and loading (ETL) of data from diverse clinical data sources
• Develop analytics tools that generate actionable insights related to clinical workflow and operational efficiency
Leadership & Oversight
• Supervise technicians and provide guidance on assigned work activities
• Support requirements specification, management, and risk mitigation activities
• Participate in workflow analysis, process mapping, and systems integration efforts
• Perform other duties as assigned
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
• Required: Demonstrated experience with systems engineering, systems integration, workflow analysis, process mapping, human factors engineering, clinical data analysis, specification and management of requirements, risk management / mitigation, unsupervised learning, decision trees, A/B testing, and natural language processing
• Preferred: Knowledge and experience with computing / programming (Python and/or Matlab), statistical analysis, experience with clinical operations and workflow in surgery, radiology, or other areas of clinical medicine, and experience with factors affecting patient safety
EDUCATION- Required: Bachelor's Degree Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Computational Biology, or related field.
- Preferred: Master's Degree Science, Engineering or related field.
- Preferred: PhD Science, Engineering or related field.
WORK EXPERIENCE- Required: 3 years Scientific software or industry development/analysis experience. or
- Required: 1 year Required experience with Master's degree. or
- Required: With PhD, no experience required.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center offers excellent benefits, including medical, dental, paid time off, retirement, tuition benefits, educational opportunities, and individual and team recognition.
This position may be responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of critical infrastructure, as defined in Section 113.001(2) of the Texas Business and Commerce Code and therefore may require routine reviews and screening. The ability to satisfy and maintain all requirements necessary to ensure the continued security and integrity of such infrastructure is a condition of hire and continued employment.
