POSITION SUMMARY

Reporting to the Senior Scientist at SFARI and working in collaboration with the SFARI Data & Biospecimens Repository (SDBR) and Informatics Teams, the Data Specialist, Clinical Research will support various data activities for clinical cohorts supported by SFARI, including SPARK, Simons Searchlight and other clinically focused research activities. SFARI’s mission is to improve the understanding, diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorders by funding innovative research of the highest quality and relevance. The Data Specialist, Clinical Research will contribute to data standardization and release, quality assurance of clinical datasets, liaise with external researchers to ensure their datasets are returned to the foundation, collaborate with Informatics on platform development for new clinical measures, handle data queries and prepare descriptive statistics for internal and external inquiries, presentations, publications and community reports.

The Data Specialist, Clinical Research may also serve as a subject matter expert and help define clinical study protocol measures and lead various data activities for new projects. The Data Specialist, Clinical Research will assist the SFARI Science Team in promoting the research goals of SFARI, including providing a high-quality public data resource to qualified researchers and promoting its use in the research community.

This is a full-time position located at the Simons Foundation’s offices in New York City. For more information, visit simonsfoundation.org/careers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Contribute to data quality/cleaning and release efforts for all SFARI cohorts and other clinical data sets.
• Contribute to data standardization to be applied across cohorts and datasets hosted by SFARI and test workflows for clinical issues/accuracy.
• Assist with developing and testing relevant data collection and review platforms.
• Advise Informatics team on the management and release of clinical data and the implementation of data standardization.
• Assist the Informatics team in gathering requirements for software development related to data collection and release.
• Update SFARI Base documentation (welcome packets, data dictionaries, release notes, etc.).
• Collaborate with SPARK and Simons Searchlight teams at Boston Children’s Hospital as well as external subject matter experts to identify relevant measures for use in cohorts and plan order of release based on research priorities and other needs.
• Assist with providing phenotype data from clinical cohorts.
• Prepare data for internal and external inquiries, publications, posters, presentations and community reports.
• Collaborate with SFARI Senior Scientist and Communications team to develop effective methods to disseminate reports and other relevant information to participant and research communities (e.g., webinars, articles, social media, etc.).
• Aid other data-related projects at the Simons Foundation as needed (e.g., answering questions from internal staff or external researchers).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Ph.D./Ed.D and/or Master’s degree and 2 or more years’ experience in related research or clinical field using the above skills preferred

Experience

• Experience with human participants research preferred
• Experience with data entry, scoring and/or summarizing surveys and common psychological measures (e.g., IQ tests, ASD instruments such as ADOS, ADI, SCQ etc., a plus) and familiarity with interpretation of measures and scores
• Familiarity with ASD and other neurodevelopmental diagnoses
• Proficiency with basic data “cleaning” and preparing basic descriptive summary statistics with social science data
• Proficiency with manipulation of data files (csv/xls) and using functions and formulas in Excel
• Experience aggregating EHR, clinical EEG and/or MRI data or digital data preferred
• Experience querying using SQL and/or use of statistical packages such as SPSS, STATA or R
• Experience with preparing graphics (such as histograms) and figures for publication, conference posters and presentations

Related Skills & Other Requirements

• Must be self-motivated with the ability to take on independent tasks and work collaboratively with others
• Must be detail oriented with excellent organizational skills and logical reasoning ability
• Must be efficient and able to combine information across sources
• Must have knowledge of published standards and written documentation with regard to clinical data
• Must be able to take direction and sustain work on fine detail tasks
• Must have excellent written and verbal communication skills

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

• Please submit a résumé and cover letter stating your interest in the position.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• The full-time annual compensation range for this position is $77,000 - $85,000, depending on experience.
• In addition to competitive salaries, the Simons Foundation provides employees with outstanding benefits package.

The Simons Foundation’s Diversity Commitment

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment. The Simons Foundation actively seeks a diverse applicant pool and encourages candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.