Data Scientist

Job Summary:

Join Language, Reasoning and Knowledge Lab (LARK) at the forefront of developing and integrating cutting-edge natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence (AI) to revolutionize real-world applications in medicine and health. This role offers a unique opportunity to be part of a pioneering team that develops advanced AI solutions to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare. As a Data Scientist (NLP/AI) in our lab, you will be instrumental in advancing language technologies that improve the accuracy and efficiency of medical diagnostics, patient care documentation and biomedical scientific discovery. This position not only allows you to contribute to meaningful and transformative projects but also to grow professionally in a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment.

Day-to-day, you will be immersed in a variety of exciting projects, such as enhancing and evaluating large language models (LLMs) for decision-making, optimizing LLM training for low-resource environments, and assessing model explainability. You'll work closely with a team of graduate students, postdocs, and other collaborators to develop innovative AI models, create software tools, and establish robust data processing pipelines. Your contributions will directly impact our ongoing efforts to transform healthcare through AI, making this role crucial to the success of our department and the broader university community.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct comprehensive literature reviews to identify existing solutions and their limitations, and develop advanced NLP algorithms for multimodal data.

• Design and conduct experiments to validate hypotheses using applied statistics, clean and preprocess data for model training, and debug code to analyze complex datasets.

• Develop reproducible research pipelines and maintain thorough documentation on GitHub.

• Assist the Principal Investigator (PI) with grant writing and the development of research proposals.

• Present research findings and progress at lab and collaborative meetings, also prepare and submit manuscripts and abstracts for publication in scientific journals and conferences.

• Support lab members and collaborators with research tasks and manage lab logistics, including the lab website and server infrastructure.

• Adhere to responsible conduct of research guidelines, participate in ethics training sessions, and monitor compliance with research ethics.

Work Location:

Hybrid - This role offers a hybrid work arrangement, requiring 3 days per week on University of Colorado, Anschutz campus. The position is based in Aurora, Colorado.

Why Join Us:

Join the Language, Reasoning and Knowledge (LARK) Lab in the burgeoning Department of Biomedical Informatics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus-a dynamic and innovative environment where cutting-edge NLP and AI research meets practical medical applications. Collaborate with medical doctors and other healthcare professionals to develop solutions that have immediate and tangible effects on patient care.

As the largest academic health sciences campus in the Rocky Mountain region, CU Anschutz encompasses six health professional schools, over 60 centers and institutes, and two nationally ranked partner hospitals. This vibrant department offers unique opportunities for growth, collaboration, and impact. Our location not only provides unprecedented access to urban amenities and cultural experiences in Denver but also places you minutes away from some of the nation's best outdoor activities, including hiking in the Rocky Mountains and skiing in Vail and Aspen.

Why work for the University?

We have AMAZING benefits and offer exceptional amounts of holiday, vacation and sick leave! The University of Colorado offers an excellent benefits package including:

• Medical: Multiple plan options

• Dental: Multiple plan options

• Additional Insurance: Disability, Life, Vision

• Retirement 401(a) Plan: Employer contributes 10% of your gross pay

• Paid Time Off: Accruals over the year

• Vacation Days: 22/year (maximum accrual 352 hours)

• Sick Days: 15/year (unlimited maximum accrual)

• Holiday Days: 15/year

• Tuition Benefit: Employees have access to this benefit on all CU campuses

• ECO Pass: Reduced rate RTD Bus and light rail service

There are many additional perks & programs with the CU Advantage.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, management/computer information systems, computer engineering, information technology, or a directly related field from an accredited institution

• 1 years of related natural language processing and artificial intelligence experience

• An advanced degree (Masters or PhD) may be substituted for experience on a year-for-year basis if the degree is in a field of study directly related to the work assignment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in Computational Linguistics, Analytics, Search, and Informatics

• Documented opensource contributions

• Experience with NLP/deep learning frameworks such as pytorch and tensorflow

• Experience with NLP state-of-the-art models and agentic workflow (Llama, Claude, LangGraph, etc)

• Experience with training models on GPUs

• Experience working with Unix and/or Linux, including shell scripting

• Experience implementing NLP/AI algorithms and models for real-world applications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA's):

• Ability to communicate effectively, both in writing and orally

• Ability to document software system, APIs, and codebases clearly

• Ability to design, develop, and maintain scalable software systems for AI and natural language processing applications.

• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with employees at all levels throughout the institution and with geographically distributed collaborators

• Advanced knowledge of NLP and AI principles, including concept in computational linguistics, neural networks, deep learning, searching algorithms

• Advanced knowledge of basic statistical principles relevant in medical research

• Demonstrated proficiency in Python, with a focus on NLP frameworks such as Transformers, SpaCy, and expertise in training large language models (LLMs) on GPUs, including skills of prompting, fine-tuning methodologies such as full fine-tuning, using Adapters, and applying LoRA.

• Experience with biomedical data is a plus, but not a must

• Experience contributing to peer-reviewed publications or open-source technical projects in NLP, or AI systems is a plus

• Ability to interact with people of varying technical levels to gather requirements and understand existing systems relevant to the challenges at hand

• Ability to interact effectively and respectfully in a team with complementary competencies

How to Apply:

For full consideration, please submit the following document(s):

1. Curriculum vitae / Resume

2. Links to 1-3 source code repositories with open source contributions, if applicable.

3. Three to five professional references, including name, address, phone number (mobile number if appropriate), and email address

Questions should be directed to: DBMI.HR, dbmi.hr@cuanschutz.edu

Screening of Applications Begins:

Immediately and continues until 4/6/26

Anticipated Pay Range:

The starting salary range (or hiring range) for this position has been established as

Intermediate Professional: $80,430-$102,307

The above salary range (or hiring range) represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. This position may be eligible for overtime compensation, depending on the level.

Your total compensation goes beyond the number on your paycheck. The University of Colorado provides generous leave, health plans and retirement contributions that add to your bottom line.

Total Compensation Calculator: http://www.cu.edu/node/153125

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

ADA Statement:

The University will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the employment application process. To request an accommodation pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, please contact the Human Resources ADA Coordinator at hr.adacoordinator@cuanschutz.edu.

Background Check Statement:

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is dedicated to ensuring a safe and secure environment for our faculty, staff, students and visitors. To assist in achieving that goal, we conduct background investigations for all prospective employees.

Vaccination Statement:

CU Anschutz strongly encourages vaccination against the COVID-19 virus and other vaccine preventable diseases. If you work, visit, or volunteer in healthcare facilities or clinics operated by our affiliated hospital or clinical partners or by CU Anschutz, you will be required to comply with the vaccination and medical surveillance policies of the facilities or clinics where you work, visit, or volunteer, respectively. In addition, if you work in certain research areas or perform certain safety sensitive job duties, you must enroll in the occupational health medical surveillance program.