UNIV - Staff Scientist I - Department of PHS

Job Description Summary
Designs, develops, and maintains large language model (LLM), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and natural language processing (NLP) systems for research across MUSC, including infrastructure for the Cancer Integrated Data-Enabled Resource (CIDER) that supports research at Hollings Cancer Center. Collaborates with clinical, educational, and research teams to identify requirements and obtain the data needed to build, validate, and deploy AI-enabled research tools. Partners with investigators and project teams across MUSC to define requirements for new research initiatives. Designs and conducts experiments to evaluate model outputs for accuracy, reliability, and fitness for research use, and prepares manuscripts and presentations for scientific dissemination. Develops, implements, and oversees procedures to ensure the security, availability, and compliant operation of AI applications and supporting infrastructure. Contributes to the development and implementation of long-term plans for AI-enabled research tools and responds to requests from research teams for AI-enabled tools and analyses.

Entity
Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC - Univ)

Worker Type
Employee

Worker Sub-Type​
Research Grant

Cost Center
CC001038 COM PHS Operations CC

Pay Rate Type
Salary

Pay Grade
University-00
Pay Range
0.00 - 0.00 - 0.000

Scheduled Weekly Hours
40

Work Shift

Job Description

Job Description:

Designs, develops, and maintains large language model (LLM), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and natural language processing (NLP) systems for research across MUSC, including infrastructure for the Cancer Integrated Data-Enabled Resource (CIDER) that supports research at Hollings Cancer Center. Collaborates with clinical, educational, and research teams to identify requirements and obtain the data needed to build, validate, and deploy AI-enabled research tools. Partners with investigators and project teams across MUSC to define requirements for new research initiatives. Designs and conducts experiments to evaluate model outputs for accuracy, reliability, and fitness for research use, and prepares manuscripts and presentations for scientific dissemination. Develops, implements, and oversees procedures to ensure the security, availability, and compliant operation of AI applications and supporting infrastructure. Contributes to the development and implementation of long-term plans for AI-enabled research tools and responds to requests from research teams for AI-enabled tools and analyses.

Job Duties:

- 35% Conduct research and engineering for CIDER in support of cancer research, including designing, building, evaluating, and maintaining LLM and RAG systems for clinical data; developing retrieval, prompting, and evaluation methods; and validating outputs for research projects.
- 30% Develop, deploy, and maintain AI-assisted research pipelines and applications—such as LLM-assisted coding of clinical transcripts and adaptive learning tools—in secure, controlled environments. Responsibilities include managing cloud-hosted LLM services, containerization, monitoring, reliability, and costs.
- 15% Design and conduct experiments to evaluate AI methods, including benchmark evaluations and model comparisons; analyze and interpret results; and prepare manuscripts for peer-reviewed journals and conferences.
- 15% Prepare reports, presentations, manuscript methods sections, and proposal materials for research colleagues and institutional leadership. Gather requirements for new and ongoing funded studies by collaborating with investigators, clinical and educational teams, and data owners to define use cases, data sources, and validation criteria.
- 5% Collaborate with team members and project managers through meetings and collaborative programming to ensure assigned tasks are completed accurately and on schedule.

Additional Job Description
Physical Requirements: (Note: The following descriptions are applicable to this section: Continuous - 6-8 hours per shift; Frequent - 2-6 hours per shift; Infrequent - 0-2 hours per shift) Ability to perform job functions in an upright position. (Continuous) Ability to perform job functions in a seated position. (Continuous) Ability to perform job functions while walking/mobile. (Frequent) Ability to climb stairs. (Infrequent) Ability to work indoors. (Continuous) Ability to work in all cold temperature extremes, i.e. spot coolers. (Frequent) Ability to bend at the waist. (Frequent) Ability to twist at the waist. (Frequent) Ability to perform 'pinching' operations. (Continuous) Ability to fully use both hands/arms. (Continuous) Ability to perform repetitive motions with hands/wrists/elbows and shoulders. (Continuous) Ability to fully use both legs. (Continuous) Ability to reach in all directions. (Continuous) Possess good finger dexterity. (Continuous) Ability to maintain tactile sensory functions. (Continuous) Ability to maintain good olfactory sensory function. (Continuous) Ability to lift and carry 30 lbs., unassisted. (Frequent) Ability to lift objects, up to 30 lbs., from floor level to height of 72 inches, unassisted. (Frequent) Ability to lower objects, up to 30 lbs., from height of 72 inches to floor level, unassisted. (Frequent) Ability to push/pull objects, up to 50 lbs., unassisted. (Infrequent) Ability to lift and carry objects up to 30 lbs. a distance of five (5) floors and to outlying buildings. (Frequent) Ability to maintain 20/40 vision, corrected. (Continuous) Ability to see and recognize objects close at hand. (Continuous) Ability to see and recognize objects at a distance. (Continuous) Ability to match or discriminate between colors. (Continuous) Ability to determine distance/relationship between objects; depth perception. (Continuous) Good peripheral vision capabilities. (Continuous) Ability to maintain hearing acuity, with correction. (Continuous) Ability to perform gross motor functions with frequent fine motor movements. (Continuous) Ability to be qualified physically (by medical personnel) for respirator use, initially and annually. Ability to work alone in isolated areas, such as darkrooms. (Frequent) Additional New Requirements: Ability to obtain and maintain a valid drivers license. Computer literacy. Ability to work rotating shifts as required. Ability to work overtime as required. Ability to learn and use new processes, tools and equipment as required.

If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us!

The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need.

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