Postdoctoral Research Associate - Biomedical Natural Language Processing and Deep Learning

Overview: 

We are seeking a Postdoctoral Research Associate to work on Natural Language Processing (NLP) projects that leverage state-of-the-art deep learning models, high performance computing, and large datasets of unstructured clinical text. The position will be in the Biostatistics and Multiscale Systems (BMS) group in the Advanced Computing in Health Science (ACHS) Section of the Computational Science and Engineering Division (CSED). The ACH delivers scalable and computational solutions to biomedical and healthcare delivery challenges. The BSMS Group focuses on conducting research in computational, data, and engineering sciences in the context of biomedical, clinical, and public health disciplines and applying this knowledge to support the nation’s leading health initiatives.

As a postdoctoral research associate, you will have the opportunity to help solve some of the most challenging problems this country faces. You will perform ground breaking research on a wide range of significant problems with the fastest computing platforms in the world. This position requires novel thinking, teamwork, and discovery in finding new approaches for analyzing massive and complex data, collaborating with worldwide experts, and publishing groundbreaking results.

Major Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Research, design, and implement scalable deep learning NLP solutions for clinical text classification, information extraction, and other related tasks on a dataset composed of several million cancer pathology reports
• Perform research with scalable Transformer-based models such as BERT using clinical and biomedical text data
• Author peer reviewed papers, technical papers, reports and proposals for internal and external release and represent the organization by giving technical presentations in large public forums
• Be a part of a vibrant collaborative research environment which will provide the opportunity to perform cutting-edge research in deep learning and high-performance computing using ORNL’s Leadership Class Supercomputer

Basic Qualifications:

• PhD in Computational Linguistics, Biomedical/Health Informatics, Data Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or other discipline related to the job duties of this position completed in the last 5 years
• Demonstrated experience working with text data and natural language processing techniques
• Demonstrated experience working with deep learning frameworks like Tensorflow or PyTorch
• Clear understanding of common data science methodologies and techniques, e.g. supervised and unsupervised learning, feature selection/engineering, hyperparameter optimization, dimensionality reduction, word embeddings, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous publications in Deep Learning, Natural Language Processing, or Biomedical/Health Informatics venues
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Motivated self-starter with the ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the laboratory 
• Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to ever changing needs

Applicants cannot have received their Ph.D. more than five years prior to the date of application and must complete all degree requirements before starting their appointment. The appointment length will be for up to 24 months with the potential for extension. Initial appointments and extensions are subject to performance and the availability of funding.

Moving can be overwhelming and expensive. UT-Battelle offers a generous relocation package to ease the transition process. Domestic and international relocation assistance is available for certain positions. If invited to interview, be sure to ask your Recruiter (Talent Acquisition Partner) for details.

For more information about our benefits, working here, and living here, visit the “About” tab at jobs.ornl.gov.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.