What are the responsibilities and job description for the Data and Statistical Analyst position at University of South Carolina?
Posting Number
RTF00079PO26
USC Market Title
Data and Statistical Analyst
Link to USC Market Title
https://uscjobs.sc.edu/titles/156421
Business Title (Internal Title)
Data and Statistical Analyst
Campus
Columbia
Work County
Richland
College/Division
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
CAS Psychology
Anticipated Hiring Range
$58,000
Location of Vacancy
Columbia, SC
Part/Full Time
Full Time
Hours per Week
37.5
Work Schedule
- Standard schedule is Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with one hour for lunch.
- Must be willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the department.
Type of Staff Position
Staff Research Grant (SRGP)
Basis
12 months
Job Search Category
Other Professional
About USC
About University of South Carolina
From the Upstate to the Lowcountry, the University of South Carolina system is transforming the lives of South Carolinians through the impact of our eight institutions and 20 locations throughout the state. More than 50,000 students are enrolled at one of eight institutions, including the research campus in Columbia and comprehensive four-year universities in Aiken, Upstate and Beaufort. In addition, our Palmetto College campuses in Salkehatchie, Union, Lancaster and Sumter enable students to earn associate or bachelor’s degrees through a combination of in-person, online or blended learning. All of our system institutions place strong emphasis on service — helping to build healthier, more educated communities in South Carolina and beyond.
Benefits for Research Grant or Time-Limited Positions Are Indicated Below
The University of South Carolina (UofSC), through the State of SC and Public Employee Benefit Authority (PEBA), offers employees a valuable benefits package, including health and life insurance, generous paid leave and retirement programs. To learn more about UofSC benefits, access the "Working at USC" section on the Applicant Portal at https://uscjobs.sc.edu. Research Grant or Time-limited positions may be eligible for all, some, or no benefits, based on the grant or project funding.
South Carolina Retirement
Yes
State Insurance Programs
Yes
Annual Leave
Yes
Sick Leave
Yes
Position Description
Advertised Job Summary
To ensure the ESD Lab remains on track with the five -year NIH grant timeline, a dedicated Data and Statistical Analyst is required to manage the critical transition from raw data to high-impact results. This role is essential for bypassing the technical backlogs that often delay papers and reports. Working closely with the Principal Investigator (PI) and Research Associates, the analyst will provide the specialized computational support needed to execute machine learning (ML) aims, handling large, complex datasets that exceed the capacity of general staff. By integrating daily data cleaning with advanced modeling, this position directly helps the team meet grant milestones and ensures the lab stays in constant compliance with modern NIH Data Management and Sharing (DMS) standards.
Job Related Minimum Required Education and Experience
- Requires a bachelor’s degree in a job related field and 2 or more years of job related experience, which may be substituted by an equivalent combination of job related certification, training, education, and/or experience.
Required Certification, Licensure/Other Credentials
Preferred Qualifications
- Technical Expertise: Proficiency in R or Python for longitudinal modeling (e.g., Latent Growth Curve Modeling or Mixed-Effects models) to track developmental changes over 36 months.
- Machine Learning: Experience applying ML to heterogeneous datasets (e.g., combining behavioral scores, clinical observations, and environmental variables) to predict diagnostic outcomes.
- Domain Knowledge: Familiarity with standard autism assessments (e.g., ADOS-2, M-CHAT, Mullen Scales) and the unique challenges of “noisy” behavioral data in infants and toddlers.
- NIH Compliance: Expertise in formatting and uploading data to the National Database for Autism Research (NDA), which has specific, rigorous requirements for every six-month data submission cycle.
- Data Cleaning: Specialized skills in handling missing data and attrition, which are common in 3-year longitudinal studies with families and young children.
Knowledge/Skills/Abilities
- Advanced Programming: Expert-level proficiency in R (Tidyverse, lme4) or Python (Pandas, Scikit-learn) for reproducible data pipelines.
- Trajectory Modeling: Ability to perform growth curve analysis, mixed-effects modeling, and latent class growth analysis to track development over 36 months.
- Machine Learning Implementation: Skill in building and validating models (e.g., Random Forests, XGBoost, Clustering) to identify early risk factors for autism.
- Data Harmonization: Expertise in cleaning and merging multi-source data (e.g. behavioral scores, environmental exposures, and medical records.)
- Data Visualization: Ability to create clear, publication-ready visuals that “translate” complex ML findings for the PI and research team.
Job Duties
Job Duty
Machine Learning Pipeline Development & Execution Essential Function: Build, test, and deploy supervised and unsupervised ML models (e.g., Random Forests, XGBoost, or Clustering) using R or Python to identify early autism risk markers. Perform feature engineering, cross-validation, and sensitivity analyses on high-dimensional infant datasets to meet specific RO1 grant aims.
Essential Function
Yes
Percentage of Time
30
Job Duty
Analytical Strategy & Manuscript Dissemination Essential Function: Collaborate with the PI and Research Associates to translate research questions into formal statistical plans. Execute longitudinal analyses (e.g., mixed-effects modeling, latent growth curves), generate publication-quality data visualizations, and draft technical methodology and results sections for peer-reviewed journals.
Essential Function
Yes
Percentage of Time
25
Job Duty
Programming Novel Data Collection & Integration Tools Essential Function: Design and program custom digital tools and APIs (e.g., Datayu JavaScript, RedCap hooks, MatLab pulls, or mobile-syncing scripts) to automate the capture of behavioral and environmental data. Ensure new data collection streams are scalable, validated for accuracy, and integrated directly into the lab’s primary longitudinal database.
Essential Function
Yes
Percentage of Time
20
Job Duty
Automated Data Cleaning & Trajectory Harmonization Essential Function: Author reproducible scripts to clean, merge, and de-identify multi-source data across three years of infant development. Implement complex data-wrangling procedures to handle non-random attrition, perform multiple imputations for missing values, and harmonize phenotypic scores from diverse clinical assessments.
Essential Function
Yes
Percentage of Time
15
Job Duty
Technical Leadership & Peer Consultation Essential Function: Serve as the technical lead for the data team, providing expert troubleshooting for code errors and model convergence issues. Advise the PI and Research Associates on the computational feasibility of new hypotheses and maintain version control (Git) to ensure research reproducibility across the lab.
Essential Function
Percentage of Time
5
Job Duty
Data Infrastructure & HIPAA Security Management Essential Function: Manage the secure storage, backup, and access permissions for the longitudinal autism dataset in compliance with HIPAA and institutional ethics standards. Document all data transformations and maintain the “master” data dictionary to ensure the long-term integrity of the 0–3 year old cohort information.
Essential Function
Yes
Percentage of Time
5
Position Attributes
Hazardous weather category
Non-Essential
Employees in Safety-Sensitive or Security-Sensitive positions will be subject to pre-employment and post-employment drug testing in accordance with University policy HR 1.95 Drug and Alcohol Testing.
No
Posting Detail Information
Number of Vacancies
1
Desired Start Date
05/16/2026
Position End Date
05/15/2029
Job Open Date
04/21/2026
Job Close Date
06/05/2026
Open Until Filled
No
Special Instructions to Applicant
Positions are advertised for a minimum of five (5) business days on our job website. After five (5) business days, positions can be closed at the discretion of the department at any time. This employment site is updated on a regular basis. The length of the recruitment and screening process may vary from position to position, depending upon a variety of factors. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted by phone or email.
We are only accepting applications submitted by June 5, 2026.
Quicklink for Posting
https://uscjobs.sc.edu/postings/205118
EEO Statement
The University of South Carolina does not discriminate in educational or employment opportunities or decisions for qualified persons on the basis of age, ancestry, citizenship status, color, disability, ethnicity, familial status, gender (including transgender), gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDs status, military status, national origin, pregnancy (false pregnancy, termination of pregnancy, childbirth, recovery therefrom or related medical conditions, breastfeeding), race, religion (including religious dress and grooming practices), sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other bases under federal, state, local law, or regulations.
Salary : $58,000