Research Data Engineer

The Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR), led by Director Dr. Amy Kind and Deputy Directors Drs. Nicole Rogus-Pulia and Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, invites applications from highly motivated individuals to join our dynamic, growing, and multidisciplinary team. As a Research Data Engineer with CHDR, you will have the opportunity to contribute to research projects with far-reaching influence, including the largest study of its kind on social determinants of health in the context of Alzheimer's disease. Broadly, our work is focused on mechanisms of health disparities - the ways fundamental factors such as race, ethnicity, and identity interact with a complex array of geopolitical, socioeconomic, health care, cultural, social, psychological, physiological, genetic, and cellular factors to produce different population health outcomes.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team and provide expertise on data pipeline management and database engineering within a research environment. This position will work with CHDR scientists and Data Operations peers to optimize current processes related to a relational database used for scholarly research. The Research Data Engineer will join a dynamic team that works on multi-unit projects, both internal and external to UW-Madison. These projects range from the management of a robust relational database in an Azure cloud platform to produce datasets for distribution among a 24-site consortium, the creation of data visualizations for publications, and working with data analysts and IT professionals in moving forward research in health disparities.

Under the guidance of one of CHDR's Research Scientists, the successful Research Data Engineer will assist the CHDR scientific team to optimize processes within a large-scale relational database to prepare and analyze data using reproducible pipelines for research purposes. Processing would include data from multiple sources, including geographically-linked metrics of socioeconomic factors and measures of health outcomes, furthering research on and interventions in the social determinants of health.

• This position is full or part-time, 80%-100%.

• This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the flexibility to work both independently and collaboratively.

• Excellent interpersonal skills related to communicating and documenting steps in the data processing pipeline.

• Develops, constructs, tests, and maintains architectures for large-scale data management and analysis

• Implements data analysis steps in collaboration with data scientists, statisticians, and/or other researchers and may use technologies that support data at scale

• Organizes both data preparation and analysis steps into reproducible pipelines that can process similar data sets automatically

• Selects appropriate technologies and optimizes pipelines for performance

• Prepares data sets for current and future analysis including cleaning/quality assurance, transformations, restructuring, and integration of multiple data sources and may use technologies that support data at scale

School of Medicine and Public Health, Center for Health Disparities Research, Data Analytics Core

The Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR) is a dynamic multidisciplinary Center housed within the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH). Broadly, CHDR focuses on mechanisms of health disparities - with a particular focus on the social exposome and its relationship to health. CHDR is the home to the team that refined and curates the Area Deprivation Index and its data democratization portal, the Neighborhood Atlas. CHDR is also home to the Neighborhoods Study, an NIH funded national initiative to examine the adverse social exposome's impact on neuropathology and brain health biomarkers. CHDR investigators represent all areas of the translational research spectrum, from basic science to community participatory research. CHDR also has strong relationships with local, state and federal government, non-profit organizations, and industry entities.

• The expected salary range for this position is $ 62,310 up to $82,000 for highly experienced candidates and actual pay within this range will depend on experience and qualifications.

• Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and sick leave; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. For more information, refer to the campus benefits webpage. SMPH Academic Staff Benefits Flyer

• Intermediate or advanced experience using R or Python to perform data processing/ETL tasks.

• Comfortable working in a command line environment.

• Demonstrated experience with large scale relational database management systems.

• Demonstrated experience in a research setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Intermediate or advanced experience using R or Python and/or SQL to perform data processing/ETL tasks.

• Demonstrated experience with data pipelining, task automation, data structures and algorithms.

• Experience developing, debugging, and testing data processing pipelines.

• Familiarity with Git or other version control systems.

• Familiarity with containerization and/or virtual environment management using Docker, conda, venv, etc.

• Familiarity with REDCap.

• Experience working with PHI and other sensitive data.

Bachelor's Degree Preferred

To apply for this position, select either "I am a current employee" or "I am not a current employee" under Apply Now. You will then be prompted to upload your application materials.

Important: There is only one attachment field. All required documents must be combined into a single file and uploaded in that field.

Required documents:

• Cover letter

• Resume

Your cover letter should address how your training and experience align with the required and preferred qualifications listed above. Application reviewers will rely on these written materials to determine which applicants move forward in the process. References will be requested from final candidates. All applicants will be notified once the search concludes and a candidate is selected.

University sponsorship is not available for this position, including transfers of sponsorship and TN visas.The selected applicant will be responsible for ensuring their continuous eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without the need of an employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of appointment.This position is an ongoing position that will require continuous work eligibility.If you are selected for this position you must provide proof of work authorization and eligibility to work.

Kim McFarlane, kmmcfarlane@wisc.edu

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

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