The Research Scientist is part of the Institute for Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University and is a leader responsible for conducting advanced, ground-breaking research in all areas of Software-Integrated Systems. The Research Scientist position is expected to work on specific research topics relevant for the project, collaborate with other researchers, and potentially supervise engineers, and graduate students, as needed.

A Research Scientist conducts advanced, ground-breaking research in areas of Software-Integrated Systems. The Research Scientist is a key contributor to the success of sponsored research projects at ISIS, serving as a functional lead on a team of researchers composed of research engineers, graduate students, and undergraduate students. A Research Scientist, along with their supervising faculty member, is also responsible for developing and maintaining strong collaborative research with relevant groups at other academic and research institutions.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly contributes to the technical mission(s) of ISIS and our sponsors, through activities including analysis, modeling, testing, design activities, and publication of research results
• Collaborates with internal and external stakeholders to reach desired project outcomes
• Provides leadership and direction to team members
• Maintains familiarity with emerging knowledge, technologies, techniques relevant to ISIS research discipline(s) and strategic goals
• Communicates regularly, effectively, and professionally with sponsors
• Functionally oversees work of research staff and graduate students.
• Obtains independent external funding; demonstrates ability to maintain and grow sponsor-funded research
• Specifically for the current position, works to develop learning and training environments, and also to use multimodal learning analytics to support learners and their instructors
• Other tasks as assigned

Education and Certifications:

• A PhD in computer science, electrical engineering, or related field is required.
• 5+ years of experience in scripting runtime languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript) is required.
• 5+ years of experience in software architectures and runtime frameworks within the learning environment is required.
• Technical and mathematical practical expertise in model-based design machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision techniques, and modern data science is required.
• Hands-on expertise in computing hardware as it relates to the learning environment is required.
• Systems engineering experience working across disciplines is required.
• Strong written and oral communication skills - technical reports, published articles - is required.
• Strong project management skills are preferred.
• Experience working with a variety of partners from different backgrounds, and conveying complex technical concepts to each partner is preferred.
• Strong hands-on technical skills to help deliver an end-to-end functioning system that accomplishes research goals is preferred.
• An ability to deliver educational technology tools inn K-12 environments for STEM learning, and more advanced environments for professional training is preferred.

Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

At Vanderbilt University, we are intentional about and assume accountability for fostering advancement and respect for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all students, faculty, and staff. Our commitment to diversity makes us who we are. We have created a community that celebrates differences and lets individuality thrive. As part of this commitment, we actively value diversity in our workplace and learning environments as we seek to take advantage of the rich backgrounds and abilities of everyone. The diverse voices of Vanderbilt represent an invaluable resource for the University in its efforts to fulfill its mission and strive to be an example of excellence in higher education.

Vanderbilt University is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please note, all candidates selected for an offer of employment are subject to pre-employment background checks, which may include but are not limited to, based on the role for which they have been selected: criminal history, education verification, social media review, motor vehicle records, credit history, and professional license verification.