Computational Scientist-GIS

Computational Scientist-GIS

Location: Chicago, IL

Time Type: Full time

Posted On: Posted 30+ Days Ago

Job Requisition ID: JR26292

Department
Provost Research Computing Center

About the Department
The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC), a unit in the Office of Research, provides high-end research computing resources to researchers at the University of Chicago. It is dedicated to enabling research by providing access to centrally managed High Performance Computing (HPC), storage, and visualization resources. These resources include hardware, software, high-level scientific and technical user support, and the education and training required to help researchers make full use of modern HPC technology and local and national supercomputing resources.

Job Summary
The job develops software to support the data acquisition, ingestion, and integration for research projects. Assists in the development of user interfaces and scalable back-end services to automate and accelerate the scientific output of multi-institutional research projects. The University of Chicago Research Computing Center (RCC) is seeking a highly motivated Computational Scientist with expertise in Geographic Information System (GIS) to work closely with faculty and researchers. The person in this position will serve as a technical domain expert, supporting and advising faculty and students in enabling their research from a range of disciplines. The successful candidate will be part of the RCC-GIS initiative and will be experienced in GIS software and spatial analysis methods with a focus on innovative uses of GIS technologies and spatial data.

Responsibilities

• Implement and support a variety of GIS applications and software.
• Support faculty and researchers with large and small-scale management and analysis of primarily spatial data.
• Coordinate and lead the implementation and usage of GIS applications, software and tools; oversee and participate in creating, maintaining, and updating new and existing data layers and databases.
• Work with local, national, and international data repositories and historical datasets to support or advance research.
• Design tutorials, hands-on workshops, and documentation for researchers and students with the help and coordination of other RCC staff.
• Keep abreast of new developments in GIS, particularly in remote sensing, aerial, and mapping data, and be pro-active in introducing them to the faculty.
• Help faculty with grant proposals by contributing sections describing the interplay between research objectives and new or expanded data resources.
• Participates in the product development life cycle, providing professional assistance to the design of front-end applications and database systems back-end schema.
• Develops and presents technical training materials and web-based documentation. Ensures timely systems support and updates.
• Evaluates past and present technologies to help develop new tools. Ensures all the new tools have been through quality control reviews.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Ph.D. in Geography, Urban Planning, Remote Sensing, Information Sciences, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Experience working with raster and vector geospatial datasets on one or more GIS software platforms (ESRI’s ArcGIS, Quantum GIS, GeoDa, GeoMedia, etc.).
• Principles and methods of GIS systems, database management, and strong knowledge in cartographic composition techniques.
• Hands-on experience in developing and carrying out data analytical strategies and pipelines on GIS data in a high-performance computing environment.
• Experience and general proficiency with use of one or more high-level analysis tools or statistical languages (e.g., R, SAS, MATLAB, IDL, etc.).
• Numerical and/or GIS computing experience using Python and/or R.
• Fluency in data organization, manipulation and analysis.
• Experience in a UNIX/Linux-based environment.

Preferred Competencies

• Understand and translate researchers' scientific goals into computational requirements.
• Work well with faculty and researchers.
• Identify and gain expertise in appropriate new technologies and/or software tools.
• Function as part of an interactive team while demonstrating self-initiative to achieve project's goals and Research Computing Center's mission.
• Strong analytical skills and problem-solving ability.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (preferred)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
Research

Role Impact
Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
Exempt

Pay Frequency
Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
37.5

Benefits Eligible
Yes

Drug Test Required
No

Health Screen Required
No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
No

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.