Research Programmer

Job Details

Research Programmer

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn's distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning.

Posted Job Title
Research Programmer

Job Profile Title
Data Analyst C

Job Description Summary
The Research Programmer will design, develop, and deploy artificial intelligence and machine learning models to advance kidney disease research through the Nephrobase platform. This position involves building and maintaining database infrastructure and data pipelines, implementing AI/ML algorithms on large-scale multi-omic and clinical datasets, and collaborating closely with wet lab scientists, bioinformaticians, and clinicians in the Susztak Laboratory.

Job Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement machine learning and deep learning models to analyze kidney disease genomic and clinical data in the Nephrobase platform
• Build and maintain Nephrobase database infrastructure, including data ingestion pipelines and query APIs
• Process and analyze large-scale multi-omic datasets (genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, clinical) to support kidney disease research
• Develop interactive data visualization tools and dashboards to communicate research findings to the broader team
• Collaborate with wet lab researchers, bioinformaticians, and clinicians to integrate and interpret diverse data types
• Write, document, and maintain clean and reproducible code, data pipelines, and computational workflows
• Assist in preparation of figures, data tables, and code for grant reports, presentations, and manuscripts
• Implement data quality control, validation workflows, and testing to ensure integrity of research data
• Coordinate data sharing and communication with external collaborators under established data governance protocols
• Perform additional duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science and 2 to 3 years of experience or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.
• Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, or a closely related field preferred.
• Coursework or project experience in machine learning, deep learning, or artificial intelligence. Proficiency in Python and familiarity with common ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn).
• Preferred: Experience with biological or biomedical data (genomic, transcriptomic, or clinical); familiarity with SQL or NoSQL databases; experience with data visualization libraries (e.g., Plotly, Dash, Tableau).
• Strong communication skills and ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.