Research Scientist

Special Information

• NAU is currently engaged in transitioning to a new employment category called University Staff, which aligns the current Classified Staff, Service Professional, and Administrator classifications into a single, unified employment group. As a result, while this position is currently classified as Service Professional, effective July 1, 2026, this position will be automatically transitioned to the University Staff category. 
• This position is a hybrid position which allows the incumbent to complete their work at both an NAU site, campus, or facility and at a non-centralized site with or without accommodation.
• This position is subject to the availability of funding. The incumbent is not eligible for Service Professional non-renewal notice, or Classified Staff layoff or recall status.
• Due to a university-wide staff classification transition, the expected start date for this position is on or after July 6, 2026.

About the Department/College

The Center for Community Health and Engaged Research (CHER) is a vibrant research center focused on public health issues impacting local, regional, and national populations. Our core faculty have a variety of research foci and manage collaborative, interdisciplinary grants and foundation projects.

About the Position

We are seeking a highly motivated, independent Research Scientist to join our transdisciplinary team using data-driven approaches to advancing evidence on child autism services, disparities, and outcomes in the United States. This position offers the unique opportunity to collaboratively work at the intersection of public health, social science, and computational science and make a meaningful difference in the lives of autistic individuals.

Responsibilities Include

50% - Independent Research

• Leads the harmonization and management of and curates large, complex datasets from public sources (Medicaid claims data, National Survey of Children's Health, and state Early Intervention programs).
• Develops and implements machine learning models to identify patterns, predict outcomes, and generate insights into pediatric autism services.
• Collaborates with health, social, and data scientists to design robust analytical pipelines.
• Applies an analytical approach to the solution of a wide variety of problems and applies specialized techniques in selecting and evaluating approaches to unforeseen or novel problems.
• Designs, performs, and/or oversees experiments and data collection to ensure data integrity, quality control, and protocol compliance.
• Maintains currency of knowledge with respect to relevant state-of-the-art practices, protocols, technology, equipment, and/or systems.

20% - Dissemination

• Writes manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.
• Writes abstracts for conference presentation consideration.
• Presents methods and results informally at project team meetings and at conferences.

15% - Mentorship

• Mentor students who are working on the project by providing guidance on research methods, teaching new skills, and supporting them throughout their engagement with the project.

10% - Research Administration

• Lead grant writing activities.
• Lead and coordinate project reporting requirements.

5% - Other

• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• PhD in computer science, statistics, data science, biostatistics, computational social science, or a related field.
• 6 years experience in a research or academic role.

*A combination of related education, experience, and training may be used as an equivalent to the above Minimum Qualifications.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10 years experience in applied data analytics.
• Experience with cloud computing or high-performance computing.
• Background in public health, developmental disorders, or autism research.
• Background in demographic, epidemiologic, or spatial research.
• Project management and reporting experience.
• Peer-reviewed publications as lead or co-author.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

Knowledge

• Advanced knowledge of relevant research discipline.
• Expert knowledge of research methods, protocols, data collection, and analysis.
• Knowledge of proper safety and compliance practices related to the conduct of research.
• Interest in understanding autism disparities for children, youth, and families.

Skills

• May have distinguishing or unique skills related to particular field of research.
• Developing and executing innovative data collection and analysis practices.
• Preparing materials for research proposals, presentations and/or publications.
• Expert programming skills in Python and/or R.
• Expert communication skills.
• Proficiency in data wrangling and cleaning, as well as the integration of heterogeneous datasets.
• Proficiency in machine learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, mlr3) and statistical modeling.
• Working knowledge of applying advanced algorithms with high-dimensional data.

Abilities

• Analyzes and synthesizes complex data and information to derive conclusions.
• Identifies and organizes research priorities and anticipates needs.
• Identifies appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods and analyzes data.
• Communicates effectively to coordinate research and convey results of research.

Compensation

Budgeted salary is $73,000. Annual salary commensurate with candidate's qualifications and related experience.

Pre-Employment Check

Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, an employment history verification and a degree verification (in some cases) prior to employment. You may also be required to complete a fingerprint background check. Also, as an employer in the state of Arizona, NAU is required to participate in the federal E-Verify program that assists employers with verifying new employees' right to work in the United States.

This position has been identified as a safety/security sensitive position. Therefore, per AZ Revised Statute, Northern Arizona University requires satisfactory results for the following: a criminal background investigation, employment history investigation, degree verification (in some cases) and fingerprinting. If you are applying for a job that requires a CDL, you will be required to register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse and adhere to the clearinghouse requirements.

Notice of Availability of the Annual Fire and Security Report

Each year Northern Arizona University releases an Annual Security Report. The report is a result of a federal law known as the Clery Act. The report includes Clery reportable crime statistics for the three most recent completed calendar years and discloses procedures, practices and programs NAU uses to keep students and employees safe including how to report crimes or other emergencies occurring on campus. In addition, the Fire Safety Report is combined with the Annual Security Report for the NAU Flagstaff Mountain Campus as this campus has on-campus student housing. This report discloses fire safety policies and procedures related to on-campus student housing and statistics for fires that occurred in those facilities. If you would like a free paper copy of the report, please contact the NAUPD Records Department at (928) 523-8884 or by visiting the department at 525 E. Pine Knoll Drive in Flagstaff.

Immigration Support/Sponsorship

Northern Arizona University will not provide any U.S. immigration support or sponsorship for this position.

Submit your Application

To apply for this position, please click on the "Apply" button on this page. You must submit your application by midnight of the application deadline.

If you are an individual with a disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact the Disability Resources Office at 928-523-8773, DR@nau.edu, or PO Box 5633, Flagstaff AZ 86011.