Faculty Position - Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control

The Department of Epidemiology and Cancer Control at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is recruiting an innovative data scientist to join our multidisciplinary team advancing research in childhood cancer survivorship as a Faculty Member at the FULL, ASSOCIATE, or ASSISTANT level. We are looking for a scholar to apply state-of-the-art computational methods to extract insights from high-dimensional, multimodal health data and develop predictive and integrative models that transform survivorship care.

Our Department’s mission is to conduct cutting-edge clinical, biological, and population-health research, and translate findings into effective strategies to avert or mitigate cancer-treatment-related complications and improve the quality of life of childhood cancer survivors. We are seeking a creative and collaborative data scientist to lead a vibrant research program at the intersection of data science and clinical/biological sciences.

We actively collaborate across Cancer Center Programs, engaging with both clinic- and laboratory-based researchers to advance clinical care and knowledge of childhood cancer and associated late effects. Our research leverages diverse and complex data streams, including:

• Time-series and cross-sectional sensor data from wearable devices

• Image and video-based phenotyping for functional assessments

• Multi-omics (whole genome/whole exome sequencing, RNA-seq, methylation, proteomics/metabolomics, CHIP) and biomarker profiles from biological samples

• Physiological signals such as EKG

• Longitudinal clinical, functional, and behavioral assessments

• Usability evaluation

• Geographical and spatiotemporal data on environmental and socioeconomic context

Ideal expertise/experience includes:

• Advanced machine learning (deep learning, representation learning, probabilistic modeling)

• Natural language processing and large language models for extracting, structuring, and modeling high-dimensional, unstructured clinical notes, patient-reported narratives, and speech-derived phenotypes

• AI-driven approaches for multimodal data integration and predictive analytics

• Computational pipelines for large-scale biomedical datasets

• Interest in causal inference, risk stratification, and precision medicine

• Experience in transforming complex clinical/biological data into meaningful representations (including advanced feature engineering)

• Experience applying pretrained foundation models or self-supervised learning approaches to biomedical data

• AI agents for orchestrating multi-stream data integration, real-time analytics, and decision-support workflows in survivorship research

Our department is home to both the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study with over 38,000 childhood cancer survivors diagnosed from 1970-1999 in North America, and the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort with over 6,000 clinically assessed childhood cancer survivors treated at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 1962. These foundational studies are funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and are unparalleled resources for research, with comprehensive characterizations of cancer treatment exposures/doses. 

Our department encompasses a strong T32 Postdoctoral program, >130 staff members who supports maintaining and expanding activities of the two cohort studies and many ongoing R01- equivalent projects which are built on the two cohort studies. Apply 

Join us in the exciting, rewarding mission of improving lives of childhood cancer survivors through rigorous, cutting-edge research that has strong institutional support and commitment! 
 

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is a world-class research institution dedicated to pediatric cancer and other catastrophic diseases of childhood. We are the first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children and have been recognized with the highest possible ranking of “exceptional” in our two most recent five-year reviews by the NCI. Our mission is to advance research and cures for pediatric cancer, the number one cause of death by disease for U.S. children past infancy. St. Jude is a highly interactive environment offering its faculty a remarkable opportunity to perform cutting-edge independent and collaborative research while receiving long-term institutional support past start-up to facilitate innovation and discovery.

We value different perspectives and intellectual discourse. We are committed to building an intellectually diverse community. St. Jude is consistently ranked on Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Places to Work For” and is No. 9 on the 2018 Glassdoor “Best Place to Work” list for companies with 1,000 or more employees.

St. Jude is located in the heart of Memphis, Tennessee, a vibrant and friendly city at the historic American crossroads of music, trade, food, and culture. Mild winters and beautiful green outdoor spaces are part of the reasons why Forbes recently named Memphis the 4th happiest city in which to work. Cost of living and high quality of life are other attractions; in fact, Money magazine listed Memphis as one of the least expensive cities in which to raise a child. St. Jude facilities and salaries are highly competitive, and a generous start-up and benefit packages are included.

Learn more about us at www.stjude.org.

Successful applicants must hold a PhD or equivalent degree in the field of data science, have at least three years of relevant postgraduate experience, and have a proven track record of productivity. 

How to Apply:
Interested applicants should submit a curriculum vitae AND a 2-3 page summary of research interests directly online.

More information:
Gregory T. Armstrong, MD, MSCE
Chair, Epidemiology and Cancer Control
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
262 Danny Thomas Place, MS 735
Memphis, Tennessee, 38105

greg.armstrong@STJUDE.ORG

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