We are honored to share that all seven of our eligible hospitals have been named top performers in the 2025 Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Rankings by Vizient Inc., a trusted national benchmark for hospital performance.
This year, five of our hospitals ranked in the top five of their …
Lead, Research Data Scientist - Cancer, Dr. Cullen lab
Location:
Houston Methodist Academic Institute
6670 Bertner Ave, Houston TX, 77030
6670 Bertner Ave, Houston TX, 77030
- Job Ref:
- 2025-77721
- Talent Area:
- Quality and Research
- Job Shift:
- Day
- Job Type:
- Full Time
- Posted Date:
- Jan. 5, 2026
At Houston Methodist, the Lead Research Data Scientist position is responsible for guiding and leading other members of the Center for Health Data Science and Analytics team in the best uses of data science and informatics development for providing a competitive advantage or addressing pressing research, clinical or business problems in Houston Methodist (HM) operations and care, as well as to effectively communicate informed conclusions and recommendations across an organization's leadership structure in consultation and with the guidance of the Director, Center for Health Data Science and Analytics (HDSA). In addition to performing the duties of a Sr Research Data Scientist, the Lead Research Data Scientist position will lead, mentor, and continually develop other members of the data-science and analytic team. This position will demonstrate domain expertise and vast experience of application of (Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence) (ML/AI) and other big data and data science concepts. The Lead Research Data Scientist position will examine, collate, quality control, manage, and analyze heterogenous data from multiple disparate sources (including complex data from medical imaging and physiological wave forms). This position will lead/co-lead a data science/research/business team targeted at fulfilling the organization's needs to access and understand research, clinical, financial, operational, population health, social, behavior, and marketing data and lead members of the research data science team in these practices and processes. Under the guidance and direction of Director, Center for Health Data Science and Analytics (HDSA), The Lead Research Data Scientist position should leverage the information in HM enterprise data warehouse and electronic medical record as well as several other external sources made available and adhere to data definition standards set by the Hospital Data Governance committee.
FLSA STATUS
Exempt
QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
EXPERIENCE
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
Exempt
QUALIFICATIONS
EDUCATION
- Master’s degree in computer science, Clinical Informatics, Public Health Administration, Business Administration, or Data Science, or Engineering, or an MD with experience in Informatics and Statistics or related field
- PhD degree preferred
EXPERIENCE
- Seven years’ experience in health care data analytics and/or database management in a healthcare organization
- Advanced skill in fields of computer science or mathematics and applications, modeling, statistics, and analytics
- Experience with cloud computing and working with big-data and common health care data models strongly preferred
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS
Required
- Credentials or experience working with AWS and/or i2b2 or other common clinical data models strongly preferred
- EPIC - Certification (EPIC) Current Epic™ Certification or Proficiency in Clarity, Caboodle and Cogito preferred
SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
- Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
- Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
- Demonstrated advanced proficiency in SQL, Python, R or other common data-science tools and languages
- Strong research and business acumen
- Mastery in ability to communicate findings to internal and external business and IT leaders in a way that can influence how an organization approaches a business challenge
- Maintains current Human Subjects Research credentials as defined by the Houston Methodist Research Institute
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Manages multiple client/researcher relationships by leading the delivery of innovative strategies and solutions for our clients. Assigns projects to other data scientists.
- Oversees project progress and presents results to the stakeholders.
- Mentors and guides less experienced members of the data-science and analytics teams in their development of skills and proficiencies to be more effective in their roles.
- Drives contributions towards improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e., peer-to-peer accountability.
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Leads the research data analytics insights across the hospital system.
- Leads/co-leads a data science/research/business team targeted at fulfilling the organization’s needs to access and understand research, clinical, financial, operational, population health, social, behavior, and marketing data.
- Leads a portfolio of advanced and complex projects that require more experience and expertise. Assigns the execution of multiple, complex analytical plans and projects and leads lower-level data scientists.
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Leads, as subject matter expert, on clinical data quality issues and assurance as well as patient privacy and data security and compliance.
- Oversees documenting the project requirements and results on a timely basis and reviews documentation and code submitted by lower-level research data scientists.
- Facilitates quality improvement process evaluations to improve data research analytics. Reviews presentation ideas prior to being viewed by leadership.
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Provides guidance to HDSA leadership on strategic and infrastructural needs for the organization.
- Leads the continuous improvement of clinical and operational data and analytics.
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
- Actively seeks out innovative solutions to the many challenges facing researchers in the clinical outcomes space and explores solutions to collaboration across and external to the institution. solutions with the clinicians, hospital administration, and other stakeholders.
- Translates the findings into implementable informatics solutions with the clinicians, hospital administration, and other stakeholders, leading assisting the Technical and Research Data Scientists with these tasks.
- Seeks opportunities to identify self-development needs and takes appropriate action. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.
SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS
- WORK ATTIRE
- Uniform: No
- Scrubs: No
- Business professional: Yes
- Other (department approved): No
- On Call* No
- May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
- May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No
ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**
Company Profile:
Houston Methodist Academic Institute oversees the Education Institute and Research Institute. The Academic Institute aligns our research and education initiatives in service to the clinical mission, providing solutions that answer the call for new technologies and skills our clinicians need for patient care. Houston Methodist Education Institute coordinates our primary academic affiliation with Weill Cornell Medicine and other joint programs, including the Engineering Medicine Program at Texas A&M University Intercollegiate School of Engineering Medicine. The Education Institute also oversees continuing medical education and graduate medical education, and supports trainees in residence for medical, nursing, allied health and research education programs. Houston Methodist Research Institute supports research programs and infrastructure that enable faculty across the system to bring new scientific discoveries to patients as rapidly as possible through the full cycle of a cure from conceptual bench research, to prototyping and development, to clinical trials and FDA approval. The Research Institute supports clinical research protocols and extramurally funded translational research programs.
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