Social scientist Jobs in Tuscaloosa, AL

Pay Grade/Pay Range: Minimum: $74,200 - Midpoint: $100,200 (Salaried E12)

Department/Organization: 750502 - Global Water Security Center

Normal Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm

Note to Applicants: Position is eligible for remote work subject to University policy.

Job Summary: The Data Scientist III oversees data management and integration efforts across the university, state, and federal agencies. Develops processes to extract, transform, and load data into common data repositories. Coordinates creating new databases, performing database backups and restores, user maintenance, and ensuring database performance. Provides guidance, training, and/or oversight of other Data Scientists.

Additional Department Summary: The Global Water Security Center (GWSC) seeks an Environmental Data Scientist passionate about addressing global environmental challenges in the real world. Experience working with large datasets and with both spatial and temporal analysis. Works closely with researchers across a range of disciplines to analyze water, weather, climate, and environmental data to solve water security issues.

GWSC is a research -to-operations center, this position will be involved in a range of activities from exploratory analysis to development and implementation of data workflow to visualization and communication. This role will require a self-starter, analytically creative, willing to brainstorm, and inquisitive.

GWSC is an applied research and operational center commissioned to respond to our nation’s need for water and environmental security insights. GWSC will inform national security partners and others with global interests in water and environmental security. Our partners will include the Department of Defense (DoD), other US Government agencies, private companies, and data producers from federal agencies and academia.

Continuation in this position is contingent upon availability of external funding derived from research programs or specific projects.

Required Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree and four (4) years of data science or analytics experience; OR master's degree and two (2) years of data science or analytics experience.

Skills and Knowledge: Knowledge in a programming language or languages often applied to environmental datasets (R, Python, mySQL, MATLAB and JavaScript, or other GIScience).

Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree or PhD in environmental science, economics, geography, psychology or related field working with large data sets.

Experience in developing scientific data management tools/processes to manage large volumes of data originating from sensors or other continuous data sources. Experience with Bayesian statistics. Experience with censored datasets. Experience managing and analyzing large, multi-dimensional datasets. Experience with both spatial and temporal statistics, including experience with non-normally distributed data and statistical analyses including regressions, t-tests, nonparametric tests, power analyses, multivariate and/or ordination techniques.

Knowledge of a variety of machine learning techniques (clustering, decision tree learning, artificial neural networks, etc.) and their real-world advantages/drawbacks.

Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace discrimination is illegal poster.

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