Inside Higher Ed is the leading source for the latest news, analysis, and services for the entire higher education community. We deliver independent news and analysis that informs the world about higher education, while providing essential tools and services to help organizations and professionals be more effective.

Go to www.insidehighered.com/newsletter/signup and sign up for our free Daily News Update email.

Higher Education News - www.insidehighered.com

Jobs & Careers - careers.insidehighered.com

Industry: Online Audio and Video Media
Company Size: 51-200 employees

Inside Higher Ed

Savvy Admin PROD

**Logo:**

**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 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.

**South Carolina Retirement:**

Yes

**State Insurance Programs:**

Yes

**Annual Leave:**

Yes

**Sick Leave:**

Yes

**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.

**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 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.

**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.

**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.

**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.

**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.

**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

**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.

Data and Statistical Analyst

Find Statistical Analyst jobs in Columbia, SC with Savvy's AI Recruiter. Browse opportunities from top companies and get matched with roles that match your skills using our intelligent recruitment system.