Research Data Technologist

Job Title
Research Data Technologist

Job Category
Non Union Technicians and Research Assistants

Job Profile
Non Union Salaried - Research Assistant /Technician 3

Job Family Group
Staff - Non Union

Department
Keown Laboratory Division of Nephrology | Department of Medicine | Faculty of Medicine

Compensation Range
$4,845.17 - $5,713.66 CAD Monthly

Job End Date
March 31, 2027

Posting End Date
October 23, 2026
Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the Posting End Date.

Please note this is a one (1) year fixed term position. However, there is a possibility of renewal.

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career. 

Job Summary
The Research Data Technologist will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team including clinicians, research scientists, statisticians, software developers, and trainees at UBC and collaborating institutions. The incumbent will support research activities by organizing, processing, analysing, and reporting biomedical data under the direction of senior research team members. In addition, they will support the preparation, quality control, analysis, and interpretation of biomedical datasets, including clinical, molecular, genomic, and imaging data. The incumbent will use established analytical methods and software tools and contribute to data organization, visualization, reporting, and other research activities supporting translational research projects. The incumbent will participate in projects involving data processing, visualization, clinical data integration, and selected applications of statistical and computational methods. Work will be performed using established procedures and under the guidance of senior members of the research team.

The Department of Medicine provides excellence in research, teaching, and clinical services related to the nature, cause, and prevention of adult diseases. As the largest Department in the Faculty of Medicine, comprising 18 Divisions and more than 1,200 faculty and staff located throughout British Columbia, the Department is committed to fostering research excellence, supporting learners and faculty, and contributing to the health of the Province of British Columbia.

Organizational Status
The successful candidate will report to the Principal Investigator (Dr. Paul Keown), with day-to-day oversight provided by the Research Associate, Data Manager and/or senior research team members. The Research Data Technologist will work as a member of an interdisciplinary team including clinicians, research scientists, statisticians, and trainees at UBC and collaborating institutions. The Research Data Technologist will receive direction and training appropriate to assigned projects and will provide regular updates on assigned activities and findings, with the day-to-day oversight given by the Research Associate in the Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine

Work Performed
Perform routine data preparation, cleaning, quality checks, and organization for biomedical research datasets.
Use established analytical methods, software tools, and procedures to support research data analysis.
Prepare datasets and analysis outputs for use by researchers, statisticians, and other members of the research team.
Support the processing, quality control, integration, and management of molecular, genomic, clinical, and imaging data.
Develop or modify basic scripts, spreadsheets, and analytical tools to support data processing, visualization, and reporting.
Assist with the application of statistical, machine learning, or other computational methods under the direction of senior team members.
Support data visualization, image analysis, and other analytical activities as required by research projects.
Assist with maintaining research data files, analysis environments, and related computational resources.
Work with researchers and other team members to clarify data requirements and support agreed research activities.
Identify and report data quality issues, workflow problems, or unexpected results to senior research team members.
Assist with testing, documentation, quality assurance, and reproducibility of analyses and data workflows.
Assist with the organization, storage, security, and appropriate handling of research data in accordance with institutional and ethical requirements.
Prepare clear documentation, data summaries, tables, figures, and other research materials.
Assist with established analytical and data management procedures for new and ongoing research projects.
Contribute data summaries, figures, and other materials to scientific reports, presentations, publications, and grant applications.
Maintain familiarity with relevant data analysis tools and procedures and participate in training as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement
All duties performed by the Research Data Technologist must adhere to data privacy and confidentiality policies, standard operating procedures, and UBC policies. Errors in data handling, analysis, or reporting could affect research results, delay study activities, or compromise data integrity. The Research Data Technologist is expected to follow established procedures and seek guidance from senior research team members when non-routine issues or decisions arise.

Supervision Received
The Research Data Technologist will report to the Principal Investigator (Dr. Paul Keown) with day-to-day oversight provided by the Research Associate. The incumbent may also receive direction from senior research team members and/or senior project co-lead(s), dependent on project. They will also receive necessary training from the Bioinformatician, as well as other members of the research team. The candidate is expected to provide regular research activity updates and present research findings to the team members

Supervision Given
The Research Data Technologist will not have formal supervisory responsibilities. The incumbent may provide basic guidance to students or other team members on routine data procedures when requested.

Minimum Qualifications
Completion of a relevant technical program or a university degree in a relevant discipline and a minimum three years of related experience or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

- Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
- Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Preferred Qualifications
Education, Training and Experience
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Bioinformatics, Statistics, Computational Biology, or a related discipline.
Additional training or a Master's degree is considered an asset.
Demonstrated experience in data analysis, research, bioinformatics, statistics, or a related area is preferred.
Experience working with research, healthcare, or scientific datasets is preferred.
Experience in biomedical research, healthcare, genomics, imaging, or related environments is considered an asset.
Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one's own.

Skills and Abilities
Working knowledge of common data analysis and spreadsheet software and/or a programming language such as Python or R.
Ability to clean, organize, and perform basic quality checks on research data.
Ability to use established analytical methods and software tools to support research activities.
Familiarity with data visualization and preparation of tables, figures, and reports.
Familiarity with research databases, data management practices, or biomedical datasets is an asset.
Familiarity with version control or other reproducible research practices is an asset.
Ability to follow established procedures for data privacy, confidentiality, and responsible data stewardship.
Ability to communicate clearly with technical and non-technical team members.
Demonstrated ability to work independently on assigned tasks and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and time management skills.
Ability to manage assigned tasks and meet established deadlines.
Commitment to privacy, confidentiality, and responsible data stewardship.
Ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
Commitment to privacy, confidentiality, and responsible data stewardship.