Job Openings
The Department of Biostatistics and the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine community invite you to become part of an outstanding research environment where your experience is valued and emphasis is placed on continued learning. First among academic medical centers in growth of NIH funding, we seek all levels of master’s and PhD biostatisticians to join us in contributing to advancements in science and medicine.
We currently have openings at all levels: full professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and senior and junior MS biostatisticians, and BS biostatisticians. We are especially seeking associate professors, faculty-level senior MS biostatisticians, and persons with leadership experience in a data coordinating center who will create and direct a new center in the department.
All candidates should have excellent written and verbal communication skills along with knowledge of modern statistical computing, especially R/S-Plus. We are particularly looking for individuals with expertise in clinical trials, health services and outcomes research, Bayesian methods, high-dimensional data analysis, statistical methods in epidemiology, or multicenter clinical trial data management.
Information for BS Statisticians
The department is actively recruiting applicants for biostatistician I positions. Job requirements include a bachelor's degree in biostatistics, statistics, or mathematics, as well as strong skills in communication, computer science and other quantitative fields. Knowledge of R/S-Plus, Java, Python, Perl, Ruby, or related languages is strongly preferred. Employees will focus on data management, programming and statistical computing, and will be supervised by a senior biostatistician or faculty member. These positions will allow room for growth in statistical skills.
Information for MS Statisticians
Job requirements:
- master’s degree in biostatistics or statistics
- excellent computing and written and verbal communication skills
- ability to work well with both fellow statisticians and other researchers
- thorough knowledge of modern statistical methods, computing and software (especially R or S-Plus; also includes SAS and MATLAB)
Exceptional qualities:
- experience in consulting and teaching
- background in areas such as clinical trials, health services and outcomes, high-dimensional data, and longitudinal data
- 2+ years of experience for junior statisticians and 5+ years for senior statisticians
MS statisticians perform a variety of duties depending on their assigned research areas and interests. Some examples include grant writing, statistical programming, data management, statistical teaching, assisting with methodological research, and analysis of various types of data, including small pilot studies, clinical trials and epidemiological databases.
The department has a defined career path for all employees. Junior biostatisticians are supervised by a faculty member, while the most senior MS biostatisticians have faculty appointments. There is a weekly meeting for MS statisticians in which topics such as career development and statistical methods are discussed. All MS biostatisticians are eligible for generous benefits, including professional development funds, medical, dental and vision insurance, and tuition benefits for employees, spouses and dependents. More information on benefits can be found through Vanderbilt’s Human Resources department at
http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/benefits.
Information for Faculty (Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor)
These positions require a PhD in biostatistics or statistics with significant experience in biomedical research. Extensive expertise in biostatistical methodology is essential. These positions require the candidate to vigorously pursue extramural funding, publish in prominent journals, and actively participate in teaching programs of the Department of Biostatistics and School of Medicine. Specific skills necessary are statistical modeling and inference, clinical trials, health services research, Bayesian methods, study design, and collaboration.
About the Department
Growth
The biostatistics department was created in 2003 under the leadership of
Frank Harrell and has grown tremendously in the past three years. We currently have 20 PhD faculty biostatisticians, 6 senior and 13 junior MS biostatisticians, and 10 computer systems analysts, with plans to expand over the next several years. We also plan to establish an MS program in biostatistics in 2009 and a PhD program in the next few years.
Education
We emphasize lifelong learning for all department members. Many opportunities for continued education are available within the department, including
seminars, master’s meetings, and workshops on subjects such as
R,
Linux, and scientific writing. Each employee receives funds annually for additional professional development.
Collaboration
Rather than focusing on short-term consulting projects, we develop long-term relationships with departments in the School of Medicine so that we learn about the diseases and processes we are studying, improving our ability to contribute to scientific advances. To facilitate these relationships, the department has a defined
collaboration plan for biostatisticians and researchers.
The University Community
The Department is an integral part of Vanderbilt’s School of Medicine. In addition to our relationships with many departments in the School of Medicine, we provide statistical expertise to those who are not part of our official collaboration plan through events such as
seminars, workshops and daily biostatistics
clinics. Department members often participate in journal clubs and seminars with their medical research colleagues, and several of our faculty teach courses in Vanderbilt’s
MPH and
MSCI programs.
For more information on the department, our philosophy and our goals, see our
department goals page.
About the University
Vanderbilt University is an independent, private research university with an enrollment of over 11,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. The University comprises 10 schools and colleges, a public policy institute, a distinguished medical center and the Freedom Forum First Amendment Center, all located on the 330-acre campus. With over 20,000 employees, Vanderbilt is the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee and the second largest private employer in the state.
The
School of Medicine is ranked in the
ISI top five for research impact in clinical medicine and pharmacology and received
$282.3 million in total NIH funding in 2007, representing a ranking of 10th out of US medical schools. The School has interdisciplinary relationships with other University departments in areas such as imaging, proteomics and developmental disorders.
147 Reasons to Work at Vanderbilt
About Nashville
Best known as the home of country music, our city has many other characteristics that make it a great place to live. The city is a center for the health care, finance, publishing, music, and transportation industries, is home to several universities, and has a diverse population. Nashville was chosen as Kiplinger’s
#1 Smart Place to Live for 2006. Vanderbilt's Human Resources department has prepared an excellent
video about the city.
Arts
Nashville is most famous for its history with country music: the
Grand Ole Opry hosts shows every weekend, the
Ryman Auditorium (the “Mother Church of Country Music”) is a favorite venue for intimate concerts, and the country music industry is based on midtown’s Music Row. However, there is far more to Nashville’s music community. Artists from every genre come here to live, record and perform. The newly renamed
Sommet Center (formerly the Gaylord Entertainment Center/Nashville Arena) hosts several large
concerts yearly. There is a vibrant local music scene, encompassing genres from Americana to punk. The
Bluebird Cafe is a renowned venue for songwriters to perform their own material in a very personal environment.
Bonnaroo, a music festival held every summer in nearby Manchester, TN, brings an impressive
lineup of both up and coming and well-known artists to the state.
Art lovers will enjoy the
Frist Center for the Visual Arts, housed in an art deco former post office and home to rotating exhibits and the ArtQuest gallery for hands-on learning. Centennial Park, across West End Avenue from the Vanderbilt campus, includes an art museum inside the
Parthenon and is the base for the annual
Shakespeare in the Park series. The
Tennessee Performing Arts Center hosts Broadway shows, operas and ballets. Smaller venues such as Franklin’s
Boiler Room Theatre allow more intimate performances and involvement by local actors. The
Nashville Symphony will soon start its second season in the
Schermerhorn Symphony Center, which has advanced acoustical features, natural lighting, a custom-built organ, and a convertible seating system to accommodate performance types from classical to cabaret.
Sports
Athletics is a favorite Nashville pastime, as the city has professional, semi-professional, and university teams in several sports. The city’s best-known team is the NFL’s
Tennessee Titans, who play at LP Field on the banks of the Cumberland River. Hockey fans will enjoy going to
Nashville Predators games at downtown’s
Sommet Center, located on historic Lower Broadway. For a great night out with the family, head to a
Nashville Sounds baseball game. The Sounds are a AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Belmont and Lipscomb Universities play in the Atlantic Sun Conference; their
“Battle of the Boulevard” is an anticipated local event. Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro plays in the Sun Belt Conference.
Vanderbilt plays in the highly competitive
Southeastern Conference and made it to the Sweet 16 round of the 2007 NCAA men's basketball tournament. The VU baseball team advanced to the regional championships in the 2007 NCAA tournament, and pitcher David Price received the 2007 Golden Spikes award for national player of the year. Football, baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball tickets are available to Vanderbilt faculty and staff at reduced rates.
Outdoors
Middle Tennessee is home to many recreational areas, but there are great places for outdoor recreation right inside the city. Nashville’s
parks and recreation department organizes sports leagues for all ages. The
Edwin and Percy Warner parks are the largest city-administered parks in the state, with 2684 acres for picnics, sports, walking, running, golf, horse trails, and hiking. Municipal golf courses are available at seven locations.
Radnor Lake State Park has six miles of hiking trails, all within Nashville’s borders. Percy Priest Lake and Old Hickory Lake are both partially located within Nashville city limits, as are the Harpeth and Cumberland rivers.
Outside metropolitan Nashville,
Montgomery Bell State Park in nearby Dickson County has cabins, campgrounds, and a golf course.
Fall Creek Falls, about an hour and a half drive east from Nashville, is one of the highest waterfalls east of the Rockies; the state park has accommodations and trails for biking and hiking. The
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most visited parks in the country, is a four-hour drive east of town. The Smokies contain not only great hiking trails, fishing, biking, and camping, but also historic sites such as Newfound Gap and Cades Cove.
Living
Whatever style of living you choose can be found in the Nashville area. Loft apartments, condominiums and townhouses are common in the downtown and West End areas. East Nashville and Sylvan Park feature Victorian houses and tight-knit neighborhood atmospheres. For those looking for a suburban lifestyle, Nashville has plenty to choose from. If you like a more rural setting, try adjoining Wilson or Cheatham counties.
Nashville is growing quickly, and has the retail and restaurants to prove it. East Nashville and the Vanderbilt/Belmont areas are home to a variety of independent shops and cafes. Tiffany & Co. and Louis Vuitton recently opened in Green Hills, just down the road from the Vanderbilt campus.
Cool Springs, just south of Nashville, is a large retail area drawing customers from all over southern Middle Tennessee.
Opry Mills, in northeast Nashville, adjoins the
Opryland Hotel complex and features shopping outlets, the Rainforest Café and Aquarium restaurants, Dave & Buster’s, and an IMAX theater.
Southern cooking is, of course, prevalent around the area; local favorites include Swett's meat-and-three and the
Loveless Cafe. But thanks to Nashville's diversifying population, many ethnicities are also represented on the restaurant scene, including everything from Italian and Mexican to Ethiopian and Persian, casual family restaurants to swank fine dining.
More information on Nashville's demographics, population, leisure, weather, and history, as well as relocation information and a cost-of-living comparison, can be found at the
Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce website.
How to Apply/More Information
To apply or request more information for
faculty positions, email a cover letter and CV to
biostat@vanderbilt.edu. Please send CVs in
pdf format.
To apply for
bachelor's or master's positions, go to the
Vanderbilt Jobline and search for "biostatistician," or enter requisition number SF58396. For more information regarding staff positions, contact Jennifer Thompson at
ms_recruit@vanderbilt.edu or (615) 322-9301.
Please note that this email address is for information and questions only. We cannot accept applications via email; you must apply through Jobline. Thank you.
For what to expect during the staff statistician application and hiring process, please see our
application process page.
Additional Links
Vanderbilt
Attractions
Sports
Around the State
Nashville Information
to top
