Sr. Biostatistician

Department
 

BSD PHS - Biostat Lab Staff

About the Department
 

Public Health Sciences (PHS) is the home in the Biological Sciences Division to biostatistics, epidemiology and health services research. These core fields in public health research share a focus on the development and implementation of complex analytic methods to understand the determinants of health, the efficacy of experimental treatments, and the structure of health care at the population level. Bringing together these fields in one department underscores their commonality and enhances opportunities for interdisciplinary research. Faculty members lead local, national, and international studies, and also welcome opportunities to collaborate with faculty across the Biological Sciences Division and the university. Substantively, our research themes include social and environmental determinants of health, genetics and disease, the economics of health care, and the evaluation and implementation of new technologies in public health and clinical care. In terms of methodological expertise, areas in which our faculty has developed innovative approaches include: risk factor measurement; multilevel, clustered and longitudinal data; clinical trials; administrative health data; social networks; and statistical methods to assess the genetic and molecular basis of disease.

Job Summary
 

The senior biostatistician will be responsible for assisting investigators in the design of both basic science and clinical studies, for assisting in the implementation of these studies (e.g., randomizing treatment assignment, interim monitoring of data quality and outcomes, etc.), and for analyzing the resulting data for presentation and publication. He or she will be responsible for creating workflows for data management and analysis that are both efficient and reproducible, and for producing publishable displays, both tabular and graphical, of data and analytic results. The biostatistician will also be responsible for documenting his or her work in the form of written reports and sections to be included in grant proposals and manuscripts for publication.
This at-will position is wholly or partially funded by extramural funds (e.g., grant, gift, endowment) which is renewed under provisions set by the grantor. Your employment will be contingent upon the continued receipt of these extramural funds and your satisfactory job performance. If this position is eliminated due to the discontinuation of extramural funding, you will be given a minimum of one pay period’s written notice (If exempt: 30 days, If non-exempt: 2 weeks), or pay in-lieu of notice.

Responsibilities

• Provides statistical guidance in designing studies to answer scientific questions, including basic science experiments, animal studies, clinical trials and population-based studies.

• Advises clinical investigators in collecting, managing and analyzing their data. Generates interim analyses and statistical reports as needed.

• Assists investigators in the interpretation of the results.

• Provides support for generation of abstracts and manuscripts for publication, including writing of Statistical Methods sections.

• Performs a range of activities to facilitate the design of research projects and the publication of their results. Uses knowledge of statistics to help develop objectives and statistical procedures for the project.

• Writes statistical computer programs and reviews computer output for consistency and quality.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in Statistics, Biostatistics, Data Science, or Data Analytics.

• At least one course each in mathematical statistics (e.g., point estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, large sample theory, asymptotic efficiency, exponential families, decision theory, etc.), linear models, and longitudinal (or panel) data analysis. Course(s) in at least two of the following areas: generalized linear models, categorical data analysis, survey sampling, survival analysis, epidemiological methods, mixed, hierarchical or latent variable models, or multivariate analysis.

• Courses in computer science, especially those focusing on programming essentials, data structures and/or databases, statistical computing and machine learning.

Experience:

• At least two years of recent experience in the analysis of quantitative research data within an academic environment.

• Experimental design including basic science experiments, clinical trials and/or population-based studies, addressing issues such as sampling or recruitment, allocation to treatment(s), randomization strategies, and development of an analytic plan.

• Experience performing sample size and power calculations using both analytical methods, statistical software, and simulations.

• Experience manipulating and analyzing data from electronic medical records or health care claims.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong skills in either Stata, R or SAS; ability and willingness to learn new analytic software.

• Strong communication skills.

• Excellent writing skills, including writing papers for publication, grant proposals and technical documentation.

• Good programming skills (especially in Python), as well as a working knowledge of git.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover letter (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Research

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

40

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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