UT MD Anderson is seeking a Senior Data Scientist (Computational Biology) to support advanced translational research within the Immunotherapy Platform (IMT) at the James P. Allison Institute. The Senior Data Scientist (Computational Biology) will lead complex analyses of multi-modal cancer datasets, helping to uncover mechanisms of tumor-immune interactions and therapeutic response. This role offers the opportunity to independently drive high-impact research projects from analytical design through biological interpretation and publication.
The Senior Data Scientist (Computational Biology) will play a central role in accelerating scientific discovery within IMT by collaborating with clinicians, immunologists, and researchers, contributing to publications and grant applications, and advancing computational approaches in cancer immunotherapy.
The ideal candidate will have computational experience. Experience with multi-modal omics data, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics. Experience in academic or healthcare environment.
Responsibilities
Data Analysis
• Analyze high-dimensional biomedical datasets including single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics (CosMx, Visium, CODEX), bulk RNA-seq, and clinical datasets
• Characterize tumor microenvironment, immune cell states, and cell-cell interactions
• Integrate multi-modal datasets including genomic, spatial, proteomic, and clinical data
• Develop reproducible and scalable analytical workflows
• Apply strong programming skills in Python and/or R to data processing and analysis
• Utilize public cancer datasets such as TCGA and GEO where appropriate
Project Development
• Design and execute end-to-end computational analyses aligned with IMT research priorities
• Propose independent analytical strategies and hypotheses
• Collaborate with experimental and clinical teams to refine biological questions
• Develop reusable pipelines and analytical frameworks (e.g., GitHub)
• Contribute to cross-project standardization of analysis approaches
Research
• Generate biologically meaningful insights from complex datasets
• Contribute to manuscripts with expectation of first or co-first authorship
• Support grant development through computational analysis and data interpretation
• Stay current with emerging computational biology methods and apply them to IMT datasets
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: PhD Science, Engineering or related field.
EXPERIENCE:
Required: Five years experience in scientific software or industry programming with a concentration in scientific computing. With master's degree, three years experience. With PhD, one year experience.
Preferred: Genomic experience. Developing AI models. Ability to independently lead projects. Experience single-cell RNA-seq and/or spatial transcriptomics. Experience in academic or healthcare environment.
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.
