How to Apply
A cover letter is required for consideration for this position and should be attached as the first page of your resume. The cover letter should address your specific interest in the position and outline skills and experience that directly relate to this position.
Job Summary
The Michigan Institute for Data and AI in Society (MIDAS) seeks a Senior Scientist to improve the data science and AI research capacity, through coordinating and developing research resources, translating cutting-edge methodology research into practical solutions that benefit multiple research domains, planning and offering research training, facilitating the development of groundbreaking research ideas and teams, and providing consultation to researchers.
About MIDAS: MIDAS is an organization under the University of Michigan Office of the Vice President for Research. Our mission is to advance research in data science and artificial intelligence (AI), and enable their transformative use in a wide range of research disciplines to achieve lasting scientific and societal impact. We lead strategic thrusts in data science and AI research; enable collaborative grants, provide research training, and build research resources. Through these approaches, we facilitate the development of cutting-edge methods and the application of these methods to important problems in all research disciplines. We foster a world-class data science and AI research community at U-M. We also build coalitions with academia, industry, government and the community, and support the use of data and AI for positive social change.
The culture of the MIDAS core team is one that strives toward shared goals through collaboration, creativity, initiative, and excellence. The ideal candidate will be a team player who is willing to take initiative, thinks out of the box, and enjoys a fast-paced environment.
Responsibilities*
Research support:
Develop resources that improve the research capacity across research domains, including guidelines and technical tools.
Facilitate the development of innovative research ideas and teams, including consultations for research projects;
Develop and deliver technical training for faculty and other researchers.
Support communities of practice in data science and AI.
Other research activities, including participating in research proposals and projects.
Communication and Administrative:
For MIDAS research and related activities, collect data and assist in evaluation in order to assess program effectiveness, develop contents for reports.
Develop scientific content for website and newsletter, promotional materials and other forms of dissemination.
Required Qualifications*
PhD degree in a quantitative field;
More than 3 years of research experience in one or more essential areas of data science and AI, for example:
Databases and data management;
Software engineering;
Machine learning;
Neural networks;
Natural language processing;
Modern statistical methods.
Experience with collaborative online research platforms, such as GitHub, GitLab, and distributed revision control.
Professionalism, strong work ethic, demonstrated sense of responsibility, discretion and reliability.
Ability to set priorities, exercise initiative, solve problems, adapt to changes quickly, make independent judgments, and work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; timely and consistent communication and follow-through with the leadership, the team and stakeholders.
Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to drive consensus.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Desired Qualifications*
More than three years of post-graduate employment experience in a research setting.
Experience engaging with highly technical researchers across a variety of methodological fields, research domains, and computational platforms.
Broad interest in data science and AI and their application domains.
Teaching experience in data science and AI.
A track record of productive research, reflected in publications, projects, and current and past collaborations.
Familiarity with the U-M research environment.
Modes of Work
Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.
Background Screening
The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.
Application Deadline
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. The review and selection process may begin as early as the eighth day after posting. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.
U-M EEO Statement
The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.