Job Summary

The Pan Lab at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), University of Utah is seeking a highly motivated computational researcher to join our interdisciplinary research team. Our lab develops artificial intelligence (AI) and computational approaches to study cancer using digital pathology and multi-omics data, with an emphasis on translating quantitative tissue phenotypes into biologically and clinically meaningful insights.

We are particularly interested in candidates with strong computational skills in computer vision, deep learning, image processing, and scientific programming. The successful candidate will work primarily on computational pathology and multimodal cancer research, including analysis of whole-slide histopathology images and integration of imaging-derived features with spatial, molecular and clinical data.

The Pan Lab is based at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the Department of Oncological Sciences at the University of Utah. Our research lies at the intersection of artificial intelligence, computational pathology, spatial biology, and precision oncology.

The successful candidate will have opportunities to work with large-scale digital pathology and molecular datasets, develop new computational methodology, collaborate across computational, biological, pathological, and clinical disciplines, and contribute to high-impact translational cancer research.

Huntsman Cancer Institute is committed to cancer prevention, care, and survivorship for all communities within the area we serve – which includes Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming – with impact worldwide.

In your cover letter or during your interview process, we invite you to share how your professional experiences have prepared you to serve as a member of our team as we work to reduce the cancer burden experienced by all people and communities. This may include description of your prior experiences related to research, prevention, clinical care, community engagement/outreach, training, administration, or other areas relevant to Huntsman Cancer Institute’s mission and this position.

Learn more about the great benefits of working for University of Utah: benefits.utah.edu

The department may choose to hire at any of the below job levels and associated pay rates based on their business need and budget.

Responsibilities

Research Areas and Responsibilities

The successful candidate will contribute to projects involving:

Development and application of computer vision and deep learning methods for pathology images, including tissue and cellular segmentation, classification, and quantitative image analysis.
Development and maintenance of scalable and reproducible computational pipelines for large pathology and multi-omics datasets.
Characterization of tumor morphology, tissue architecture, immune and stromal microenvironments, and spatial heterogeneity.
Integration of digital pathology with spatial transcriptomics, spatial proteomics, and other molecular data.
Development of multimodal approaches for biomarker discovery, patient stratification, and outcome prediction.
Analysis of large datasets using Linux-based high-performance and GPU computing environments.
Collaboration with bioinformatician, pathologists, cancer biologists, and clinical investigators to design analyses and interpret results.
Preparation of scientific manuscripts and presentation of research findings at internal meetings and national/international conferences.

How to Apply

Interested applicants should submit:

A CV with links to GitHub repositories or Hugging Face if available.
A cover letter describing research experience, computational expertise, and research interests (1-page);
Contact information for three references.

Applicants are encouraged to highlight their experience with Python, Linux, computer vision/image processing, computational pathology, and/or multi-omics analysis.

Minimum Qualifications

EQUIVALENCY STATEMENT: 1 year of higher education can be substituted for 1 year of directly related work experience (Example: bachelor's degree = 4 years of directly related work experience).

Department may hire employee at one of the following job levels:

Research Scientist, I: Requires a PhD in a scientific discipline, or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.

Preferences

Preferred candidates have:

A Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or substantial relevant research experience, in Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative discipline.
Strong programming skills in Python.
Experience working in a Linux/Unix environment, including command-line workflows.
Experience in image processing, computer vision, deep learning, and/or large language models.
Familiarity with modern deep-learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
Ability to independently develop, debug, and maintain scientific analysis pipelines.
Strong quantitative problem-solving skills and the ability to learn new computational methods independently.
Effective communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.

Experience in one or more of the following areas is desirable:

Computational pathology.
Deep learning for image segmentation, classification, object detection, representation learning, or related computer-vision tasks.
Spatial transcriptomics or spatial proteomics, including platforms such as 10x Visium or Xenium.
Multimodal machine learning and image–omics integration.
High-performance/GPU computing, workload schedulers, containers, and reproducible computational environments.
Scientific productivity demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, software, or other research outputs.

Candidates are not expected to have experience in all of these areas. We particularly value strong computational fundamentals, rigorous problem-solving skills, scientific curiosity, and the ability to independently learn new methods.

Additional Information

The University is a participating employer with Utah Retirement Systems (“URS”). Eligible new hires with prior URS service, may elect to enroll in URS if they make the election before they become eligible for retirement (usually the first day of work). Contact Human Resources at (801) 581-7447 for information. Individuals who previously retired and are receiving monthly retirement benefits from URS are subject to URS’ post-retirement rules and restrictions. Please contact Utah Retirement Systems at (801) 366-7770 or (800) 695-4877 or University Human Resource Management at (801) 581-7447 if you have questions regarding the post-retirement rules.

This position may require the successful completion of a criminal background check and/or drug screen.

The University of Utah values candidates who have experience working in settings with students and possess a strong commitment to improving access to higher education.

Veterans’ preference is extended to qualified applicants, upon request and consistent with University policy and Utah state law. Upon request, reasonable accommodations in the application process will be provided to individuals with disabilities.

Consistent with state and federal law, the University of Utah does not discriminate based upon race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, or protected veteran’s status. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX and 34 CFR part 106. The requirement not to discriminate in education programs or activities extends to admission and employment. Inquiries about the application of Title IX and its regulations may be referred to the Title IX Coordinator, to the Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, or both.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability or if you or someone you know has experienced discrimination or sexual misconduct including sexual harassment, you may contact the Director/Title IX Coordinator in the Office of Equal Opportunity and Title IX (OEO). More information, including the Director/Title IX Coordinator’s office address, electronic mail address, and telephone number can be located at the: University of Utah Non‑Discrimination page.

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As per University of Utah policy 5-108: Transfer of Benefits Eligible Staff Members, a new hire to the University of Utah who is still serving a 12 month probationary period will not be hired into another University of Utah job (a transfer) until the successful completion of the probationary period.

Research Scientist