Postdoctoral Research Scientist

The Data Science Institute (DSI) at Columbia University invites applications for the 2023 cohort of the DSI Post-Doctoral Fellows Program. This program is to produce next-generation leaders in data science. Fellows will carry out independent and novel research in an environment that fosters multi-disciplinary, collaborative research. We seek fellows who will support DSI's broad mission:

1. Advance the state of the art in data science;

2. Transform all fields, professions, and sectors through the application of data science;

3. Ensure the responsible use of data for the benefit of society.

The Data Science Institute at Columbia University, a world-leading institution in research and education of data science, is positioned to promote "Data for Good": using data to address societal challenges and bringing humanistic perspectives as-not after-new science and technology is invented. At Columbia, data science literally touches every corner of the university.

The Data Science Institute at Columbia University, started in 2012, is a university-level institute representing over 350 faculty from 18 different schools, institutes, and colleges across campus, along with a robust industrial affiliates program and strong ties with New York City's economic development, including the dynamic and fast-growing start-up community. We are focused on world-class research and training data scientists who go on to be leaders in academia, industry, and government.
Requirements
Program Goals: For the DSI Post-Doctoral Fellows Program, we seek candidates who are recent Ph.D. graduates and have explicit interests in advancing and/or applying data science to other domains. Prior experience in data science is not required. We are especially looking for candidates with the courage and interest to learn a new field, be part of a select like-minded cohort of fellows, and along with Columbia University DSI members, help define the field of data science for the long-term future. We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.

In collaboration with other schools, centers, and institutes at Columbia, the Data Science Institute also encourages candidates with specific interests in the following areas. Please indicate the area(s) within your cover letter.

• Learning the Earth with Artificial Intelligence and Physics (LEAP) seeks fellows who will contribute to our mission of developing novel machine learning algorithms to harness data from high-fidelity simulations or sparse and noisy observations to improve climate projections. We are particularly interested in candidates who use physical and causal constraints or Bayesian approaches.
  
  
• The Herbert and Florence Irving Institute for Cancer Dynamics seeks fellows who will support our shared mission of improving the understanding of cancer biology, origins, treatment, and prevention through data-driven approaches. We are particularly interested in candidates who will further advance core research in statistics, machine learning, AI and probabilistic modeling.
  
• The Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute seeks fellows who are interested in using advanced data science and computational methods to understand how the brain works, from the neuron level to the cognitive level.
  
  
• The Columbia Climate School seeks fellows who are interested in the interdisciplinary study of the science, consequences, and human dimensions of climate change. We are particularly interested in the urgent problems of Coastal Resilience, Global Decarbonization, Disaster Resilience, and Food for Humanity. We invite postdoctoral contributions in the basic and translational sciences, as well as in applied policy and direct societal interventions.
  
  
• The Neuro Technology Center seeks fellows who will assist in our shared mission to support the development of advanced optical, electrical, and computational technologies for the study of complex neurobiological systems using data-driven methods. We are particularly interested in candidates who will further advance core research in computational neuroscience and its links with machine learning and artificial intelligence.
  
  
• The Mailman School of Public Health seeks fellows who will assist in our shared mission to support and amplify health analytics. We are particularly interested in candidates who will further advance core research in the use of advanced data analytics to solve issues pertaining to population-scale health issues and preventive strategies, e.g., modeling climate effects on health, integrative-omics in large populations, impact of social networks on health, and data-streaming from personal monitoring devices.
  
  
• The Center on Poverty and Social Policy seeks fellows who will support our shared mission to address the role of social policy in reducing poverty. We are particularly interested in candidates who will further advance core research in understanding trends in historical poverty, economic insecurity, immobility, and inequality, using novel data sources, and data-driven methods. Specifically we will further advance the usage of data that utilizes scanned receipts and optical recognition software to try to assess the impacts of the recently-enacted expansion of the Child Tax Credit on spending behavior.
  
  
• The Department of Psychiatry seeks fellows interested in applying data science and cognitive systems to research on mental health, substance use disorders, and neuroscience. Opportunities for scalable data-driven science in psychiatry and clinical neuroscience are growing rapidly, and fellows would help advance the state-of-art in these areas. We are particularly interested in areas such as utilizing large and real-time medical record systems for addressing optimal patient-clinician feedback and treatment decisions; and utilizing multimodal neuroimaging data (including large consortia like the adolescent brain cognitive development [ABCD] study) for discovering underlying brain mechanism and development of psychiatric disorders.

• The Department of Statistics seeks fellows who will support our shared mission of developing statistical insights into machine learning in the context of emerging challenges such as domain adaptation, representation learning, differential privacy, fairness, causal inference, etc. We are particularly interested in candidates who will expand core statistical methods and theory, as motivated by cutting-edge data science applications with broad societal impacts. Successful candidates are expected to engage and bridge between core faculty from Statistics, and faculty in any of the many departments involved with the Columbia data science center.

Additional Information: Appointments for the cohort of DSI Fellows start on/around July 1, 2023, with guaranteed funding for two years. In addition to a competitive salary package, DSI Fellows will also be provided with a research expenditure budget of that can be used for conference travel, computing equipment, and/or other research-related costs.

Statement on Racial Equity

The Data Science Institute is committed to racial equity and justice. Research statements should explicitly state that the project will uphold these values, e.g., stating that the methods used to collect and analyze project data and the project outcomes reported are fair, just, and ethical.

Qualifications
Minimum Degree Required: For the DSI Post-Doctoral Fellows Program, we seek candidates who are recent Ph.D. graduates and have explicit interests in advancing and/or applying data science to other domains.

Preferred Qualifications: Prior experience in data science is not required. We are especially looking for candidates with the courage and interest to learn a new field, be part of a prestigious cohort of like-minded fellows, and along with Columbia University DSI members, help define the field of data science for the long-term future. We encourage applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and identities.

Application Instructions
Required Application Materials

• A cover letter that explains your motivation for applying to this program and indicates your choice of mentors (and special interest area if applicable).
• A curriculum vitae, including a list of publications
• A brief research statement that summarizes current research interests, past accomplishments, and future research goals. It should contain a short proposal for the research activities you plan to do as a DSI Fellow, including a schedule with milestones, and statement and commitment to racial equity.
• Up to three representative research papers.
• Three letters of reference submitted directly by the recommenders

Mentor Selection

Candidates should identify between two and five potential mentors who are current Columbia faculty members, including DSI faculty affiliates. Candidates are welcome to look beyond this list. If you are interested in applying data science to a specific domain, we encourage you to identify mentors from both a foundational area (applied mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, machine learning, optimization, statistics, etc.) and a domain area. Using your input, the DSI will ensure the best possible match of mentor(s) for you.

Dates and Deadlines

Application Deadline: December 15, 2022.

Candidates are encouraged to apply as early as possible. There may be limited space for postdoctoral researchers beyond this deadline, and the DSI may consider applications from exceptional candidates.

If you would like more information, please reach out to Ming Yuan, Associate Director of Research and Education.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
Columbia University is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran