Bioinformatics Analyst

Department: MED-Physical Med & Rehab

Salary/Grade: EXS/8

Target hiring range for this position will be between $85,000-$110,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Job Summary:

Master's-level Biostatistician to support cutting-edge clinical, translational, and rehabilitation research. The Biostatistician will partner with faculty investigators, clinicians, and research teams working on musculoskeletal disorders, pain interventions, device-assisted mobility, neurorehabilitation, functional outcomes, and multi-site clinical trials.

The role involves study design, statistical analysis, data quality oversight, and dissemination of results, supporting a rapidly growing research portfolio across PM&R and affiliated centers such as the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Planning

• Collaborates with PM&R faculty to design studies involving rehabilitation interventions, gait and biomechanics, imaging, electromechanical devices (e.g., Lokomat/exoskeleton systems), pain and osteoarthritis trials, and functional outcomes research.
• Develops analytic plans, statistical analysis plans (SAPs), and supports IRB and protocol submissions.
• Performs sample size and power calculations for randomized trials, longitudinal observational studies, pilot studies, and device-based evaluation projects.
• Advises on optimal statistical methods for repeated-measures outcomes, movement/biomechanics metrics, and clinically meaningful change thresholds.
• Works with data engineers, coordinators, and device teams to ensure accurate capture and integration of clinical, biomechanical, wearable/device, and PROM-based data.
• Conducts data cleaning, quality checks, and preparation of analysis-ready datasets.
• Guides decisions about missing data handling, longitudinal data structure, and harmonization across multi-site studies or differing device outputs.

Administration

• Reviews reports before presentation to ensure quality and accuracy.
• Develops and maintains documentation of process for quality assurance and reporting methodology
• Defines, develops and communicates new standards and best practices.

Development

• Develops queries and quality metrics.
• Interprets results using a variety of techniques, ranging from simple data aggregation via statistical analysis to complex statistical analysis.
• Determines data structure for local datasets.

Performance

• Develops and documents standards for data quality and regulatory compliance pertaining to reporting.
• Ensures quality and compliance by reviewing reports

Supervises

• Provides work direction and/or supervises staff such as team members, subordinates, contractors, vendors, students, etc.
• Recommends staff hires/terminations.
• Coaches and mentors staff.
• Manages projects ensuring timelines and deliverables are met and meet expectations.

Miscellaneous

Performed other duties

Minimum Qualifications: (Education, experience, and any other certifications or clearances)

• Master's degree in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, Data Science, or related field.
• Proficiency with R or SAS (R preferred); familiarity with Python or MATLAB for biomechanics/device data a plus.
• Strong foundation in study design, mixed-effects models, longitudinal data, and clinical trial methodology.
• Experience managing complex datasets from clinical or rehabilitation research.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate with clinicians, engineers, and research staff.
• Ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects in a fast-paced research environment.
• Commitment to reproducible research and version-controlled workflows.

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Familiarity with outcomes such as gait parameters, imaging-derived metrics, patient-reported outcomes (PROMIS, WOMAC), and device-generated data.

Preferred Qualifications: (Education and experience)

• Master's degree in Biostatistics, Statistics, Epidemiology, Data Science, or related field.
• Experience working in a medical rehabilitation or physical medicine research setting.
• Familiarity with outcomes such as gait parameters, imaging-derived metrics, patient-reported outcomes (PROMIS, WOMAC), and device-generated data.
• Experience with data from wearables, sensors, exoskeletons, or motion capture systems.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Prior involvement in multi-site or industry-sponsored clinical trials.
• Experience contributing to peer-reviewed manuscripts and abstracts.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:

Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.

We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:

Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, including disability and veteran status. View Northwestern's non-discrimination statement. Job applicants who wish to request an accommodation in the application or hiring process should contact the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance. View additional information on the accommodations process.

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