Job Description

The Columbia University Center for Patient Safety Science (CPSS) is seeking a full-time Staff Associate III with a focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Advanced Analytics. CPSS was established by Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) to advance the science and tools necessary to achieve zero patient harm. The Center brings together multidisciplinary teams of clinicians, researchers, data scientists, statisticians, and other experts to solve critical patient safety challenges and improve the quality and safety of care for patients at CUIMC, NewYork-Presbyterian, and beyond.

The successful candidate will be proactive, collaborative, and able to work effectively with minimal supervision on complex assignments. This individual will play a central role in developing and implementing machine learning and large language model (LLM)-based approaches, providing technical leadership on collaborative projects, mentoring trainees, and contributing to high-impact research initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Lead and contribute to data analysis and AI-driven initiatives across CPSS projects.
• Collect, clean, preprocess, and normalize large, complex datasets from multiple sources to ensure data quality and integrity for analysis and model training.
• Organize, integrate, and manage data across various systems and formats.
• Design, build, test, and implement machine learning algorithms and predictive models using programming languages such as Python or R.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis and independently generate actionable insights.
• Coordinate with team members to ensure the accuracy and efficiency of data collection and data entry tools and processes.
• Prepare summary statistics, tables, figures, and reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Conduct advanced data analyses and contribute to study design in collaboration with data scientists and clinician investigators.
• Stay current with advancements in AI, machine learning, and data analytics tools, exploring innovative methodologies to enhance workflows and drive continuous improvement.
• Design, implement, and lead evaluation frameworks for large language models (LLMs), including prompt engineering, benchmarking, and iterative optimization.
• Lead the development and implementation of AI/ML and LLM-based applications in patient safety research and serve as the technical lead on collaborative projects with internal and external partners (e.g., MCIC).
• Translate research methodologies into scalable tools, workflows, and operational applications.
• Contribute to abstracts, manuscripts, and conference presentations.
• Supervise and mentor medical students, data science trainees, and junior analysts.
• Support the onboarding and training of new data analysts and team members.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Data Science, Computer Science, Biostatistics, or a related field, and 4-6 years of relevant experience.
• Ability to work on-site at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
• Demonstrated experience in data analysis, machine learning, or applied AI.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Biostatistics, or a related field.
• Proficiency in SQL and Python or R.
• Strong background in statistics.
• Demonstrated ability to independently perform exploratory and advanced data analyses.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to establish and maintain strong working relationships.
• Experience working with healthcare data.
• Experience with large language models (LLMs), prompt engineering, and evaluation frameworks.
• Experience applying AI/ML methods in healthcare or clinical research settings.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical projects.
• Experience mentoring or supervising students, trainees, or junior staff.
• Track record of research dissemination through publications, abstracts, and conference presentations.

Additional Requirements

• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and lead workstreams.
• Demonstrated initiative, problem-solving abilities, and leadership in complex projects.
• Ability to quickly learn new skills, technologies, and data models.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran

Pay Transparency Disclosure

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.