Data Scientist I - Windreich Department for AI & Human Health Research

The Data Scientist will join the PREVENT pAKI project (NHLBI-funded), which uses federated and pooled machine learning on EHR data from 15 hospitals and more than 320,000 non-cardiac surgery patients. The aims are to predict postoperative acute kidney injury (pAKI) and to learn personalized prevention strategies that generalize across patient subgroups. You will work directly with the PI, a nephrologist co-investigator, and site teams at Mount Sinai, UCLA and Vanderbilt. The role will leverage and create cutting edge machine learning techniques and emphasize statistical rigor, reproducibility and scientific publication.

Ideal candidate is a Master’s graduate who will use their 2+ years of background experience in healthcare data science/analytics to successfully build cohorts of pAKI patients and develop deep learning models to predict pAKI risk in future patients. This candidate is comfortable with independently performing statistical analyses, can communicate effectively and collaborate well with project stakeholders/peers. Within 1 year, candidate will have deployed a successful deep learning model using PyTorch and be able to demonstrate performance of outcome prediction suitably for technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

• Build and curate analytic cohorts from OMOP-mapped and perioperative data warehouse sources, including AKI outcome definitions (AKIN/KDIGO) and quality checks for consistency, plausibility and missingness.

• Develop and validate prediction models (gradient-boosted trees, graph neural networks) with uncertainty quantification, and report discrimination, precision-recall and calibration.

• Implement and compare site-specific, pooled and federated (stacked) models across three institutions and various subgroups and implement mitigation strategies for underperforming groups.

• Apply causal inference methods (causal forests, policytree) and reinforcement learning to identify sub-phenotypes and personalized prevention strategies.

• Maintain version-controlled, reproducible code and documentation sufficient for external replication, and prepare code and models for public release.

• Contribute to manuscripts, abstracts and presentations, and communicate methods and results clearly to clinicians and non-technical audiences.

• Coordinate with site teams on data requests, local model training, and project milestones.

• Stay current with federated learning, causal ML and algorithmic fairness literature and propose methodological improvements.

• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a quantitative discipline (e.g., Statistics, Operations Research, Bioinformatics, Economics, Computational Biology, Computer Science, Information Technology, Mathematics, Physics) or equivalent practical experience.
• 2 years of work experience in data science, software engineering, or data analysis
• Experience with at least one programming language among Scala, Python, Java, C, or C++.
• Experience with database languages (e.g., SQL, NoSQL)
• Familiarity with cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Experience with version control systems (e.g., Git)
• Knowledge of big data technologies (e.g., Hadoop, Spark)
• Self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to work independently, and to exercise independent judgment in developing complex techniques or programs in a dynamic environment

Preferred:

• Experience with EHR data (OMOP preferred) and clinical prediction modeling, including calibration and external validation.

• Causal inference or heterogeneous treatment effect methods (e.g., grf/policytree).

• Deep learning (PyTorch, graph neural networks), federated learning, or algorithmic fairness evaluation.

• Cloud or HPC experience (AWS, Azure, GCP); PhD; first-author publications.

Strength through Unity and Inclusion

The Mount Sinai Health System is committed to fostering an environment where everyone can contribute to excellence. We share a common dedication to delivering outstanding patient care. When you join us, you become part of Mount Sinai’s unparalleled legacy of achievement, education, and innovation as we work together to transform healthcare. We encourage all team members to actively participate in creating a culture that ensures fair access to opportunities, promotes inclusive practices, and supports the success of every individual.

At Mount Sinai, our leaders are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to grow. We strive to create an environment where collaboration, fairness, and continuous learning drive positive change, improving the well-being of our staff, patients, and organization. Our leaders are expected to challenge outdated practices, promote a culture of respect, and work toward meaningful improvements that enhance patient care and workplace experiences. We are dedicated to building a supportive and welcoming environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and advance professionally. Explore this opportunity and be part of the next chapter in our history.

About the Mount Sinai Health System:

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes more than 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics, top 5 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and top 20 in Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is ranked No. 11 nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding and in the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Newsweek’s “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals” ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally.

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