Ready to join a workforce UNLIKE any other?

Advertising Summary: The Bioinformatics Shared Resource at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is seeking an AI Research Scientist to develop and deploy advanced machine learning, deep learning, and large language model solutions for cancer research. The ideal candidate will combine strong bioinformatics expertise with full-stack development and HPC/cloud deployment experience and will help expand AI-enabled research capabilities in support of Massey's Data to Discovery initiative.

Benefits: All full-time university staff are eligible for VCU’s robust benefits package that includes comprehensive health benefits, paid annual and holiday leave granted up front, generous tuition benefits, retirement planning and savings options, tax-deferred annuity and cash match programs, employee discounts, well-being resources, abundant opportunities for career development and advancement, and more.

• Continuing education for undergraduate and graduate tuition for a maximum of 6 credits per semester;
• Professional development opportunities encouraged and offered for employees as part of annual career development, e.g. certifications, seminars, courses, annual conferences, mentorship;
• 28 Vacation Days, 12+ State Holidays, and 4 Days to volunteer;
• Medical, Dental and Vision Health Benefits to meet the needs of employees and their eligible family members from the Commonwealth of Virginia as well as optional FSA; 
• Participation in the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) and other retirement saving options;
• Parental and Caregiver Leave, Short Term Disability (STD), Disability Insurance, Voluntary Long Term Care Insurance, and Employee Assistance Program.

Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center

Mission: To reduce the state cancer burden for all Virginians by addressing the confluence between biological, social, and policy drivers through high-impact, cutting-edge research; person-centered care across the continuum, from prevention through survivorship; community integration; and training the next generation of community-centric researchers and healthcare professionals

Vision: To be a premier community-focused cancer center leading the nation in cancer health equity research and ensuring optimal health outcomes for all

About Virginia Commonwealth University

We are the university for Virginia. We know that the unique backgrounds and life experiences of the VCU community are what drive the university forward. Together, we’re forging a future that is built by us. Here, artists and engineers, doctors and designers come together to reimagine the human experience and tackle the problems of tomorrow.

VCU dates to 1838 with the formation of the Medical Department of Hampden-Sydney College, whose mission was to educate physicians in central Virginia and which was later renamed Medical College of Virginia. In 1968, Richmond Professional Institute merged with the Medical College of Virginia to become what is now known as Virginia Commonwealth University.

Located in downtown Richmond, the state capital of Virginia, VCU enrolls more than 28,000 students in more than 200 degree and certificate programs across its urban campuses: the downtown Monroe Park and MCV campuses in Richmond; the Rice Rivers Center in Charles City, Virginia; satellite locations in Fairfax, Virginia, and Abingdon, Virginia; and a campus in Doha, Qatar, for the School of the Arts.

Ignited by the energy of the city, we’re ready to lead industries — or disrupt them. We seek out the unexpected, the experimental, the never-been-tried. VCU is designated as a research university with very high research activity by the Carnegie Foundation, garnering more than $500 million in sponsored research from federal and other agencies in FY2024. The National Science Foundation ranked VCU among the top 50 public research universities in the country, and we are one of only 69 public universities nationwide to be designated by the Carnegie Foundation as “Community Engaged” with “Very High Research Activity.”

This research enterprise, and the influence of having one of the nation’s top-ranked public graduate arts schools, ensures students receive unique educational experiences that equip them with a creative mindset that sets them apart.

VCU’s contributions in talent, innovation and entrepreneurialism, regional stewardship and local culture shape the economic impact and overall quality of life in the region. VCU as a whole generates more than $9 billion in economic activity. It is the largest employer in Richmond with more than 26,000 employees at VCU and VCU Health, and it supports approximately 58,000 jobs in Virginia. In addition, Virginia classifies VCU with a Tier III status — the highest possible status for universities and colleges — allowing VCU more flexibility in managing its operations to implement best practices and streamline processes. To learn about VCU’s finances, visit about.finance.vcu.edu.

VCU’s mission drives us to remain dedicated to the success and well-being of our students, patients, faculty, staff and community.

Welcome to VCU. A world unlike any other.

Unit: Massey Comprehensive Cancer Ctr MBU

Department: Massey Central Admin

Position Summary

The Bioinformatics Shared Resource at Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is seeking a highly motivated AI Research Scientist to strengthen the cancer center's capabilities in artificial intelligence and to accelerate the use of AI across cancer research.

The successful candidate will work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, and software engineering to develop, adapt, fine-tune, and deploy machine learning, deep learning, large language models, and biomedical foundation models for cancer-focused applications. The position will support research spanning cancer genomics, single-cell and spatial biology, multi-omics, tumor microenvironment studies, digital pathology, and precision oncology.

As a core member of the Bioinformatics Shared Resource, the scientist will work closely with basic, translational, and clinical investigators to translate cancer research questions into scalable, reproducible AI-enabled computational solutions. The position will also help build the infrastructure and expertise needed to advance Massey's Data to Discovery pillar.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, adapt, and evaluate machine learning and deep learning approaches for cancer genomic, transcriptomic, single-cell, spatial omics, imaging, and other high-dimensional datasets.
• Fine-tune, evaluate, and deploy large language models and biomedical foundation models for cancer research applications, including data interpretation, knowledge integration, and scientific workflow support.
• Develop AI agents and language model-based systems to support cancer bioinformatics analysis, research navigation, workflow automation, and scientific decision-making.
• Build full-stack applications integrating AI models, bioinformatics workflows, databases, visualization tools, APIs, and user-facing interfaces.
• Deploy and optimize AI models and computational workflows on institutional high-performance computing clusters and cloud platforms, and develop scalable training, inference, model-serving, and data-processing pipelines.
• Consult with Massey investigators on study design, project scoping, analytical strategy, data interpretation, and application of AI to cancer research questions.
• Collaborate on cancer-focused studies involving multi-omics, tumor microenvironment, spatial biology, digital pathology, precision oncology, and related areas.
• Develop, validate, document, and maintain reproducible AI and bioinformatics workflows that can be incorporated into ongoing Bioinformatics Shared Resource services.
• Evaluate model accuracy, robustness, reproducibility, computational efficiency, and suitability for cancer research applications.
• Provide technical guidance and training to BISR staff, trainees, and investigators in the appropriate use of AI-enabled computational approaches.
• Contribute to manuscripts, grant proposals, scientific presentations, progress reports, and dissemination of software and analytical methods.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in bioinformatics, computer science, biomedical informatics, computational biology, artificial intelligence, data science, or a closely related field or equivalent combination of education, experience, and training
• At least 2 years of demonstrated experience in machine learning and deep learning.
• At least 2 years of experience working with large language models, including model evaluation, prompt design, retrieval-augmented generation, fine-tuning, agentic systems, or model deployment.
• Strong programming skills in Python and experience with modern machine learning frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, or comparable platforms.
• Experience deploying computational models or applications on high-performance computing clusters and/or cloud environments.
• Experience with modern software development, including backend services, APIs, databases, containers, version control, and full-stack application development.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a multidisciplinary cancer research and shared-resource environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts for experimental, translational, and clinical cancer researchers.
• Demonstrated experience working in and fostering an environment of respect, professionalism and civility with a population of faculty, staff, and students from various backgrounds and experiences, or a commitment to do so as a staff member at VCU

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience applying AI or machine learning to cancer genomics, transcriptomics, single-cell data, spatial omics, biomedical imaging, digital pathology, or multi-omics integration.
• Experience with biomedical foundation models, transformer architectures, multimodal learning, graph neural networks, diffusion models, or other generative modeling approaches.
• Experience developing agentic AI systems, tool-using language models, or automated scientific analysis workflows.
• Experience with retrieval-augmented generation, vector databases, knowledge graphs, and biomedical or cancer knowledge resources.
• Experience with precision oncology, tumor microenvironment analysis, biomarker discovery, or other cancer-focused computational research.
• A record of scientific publications, open-source software development, or contributions to collaborative biomedical or cancer research.
• Experience supporting investigators through a research core, shared resource, or other collaborative scientific environment.

Research and Collaborative Environment 

The Bioinformatics Shared Resource supports investigators across Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center and the broader VCU research community by providing expertise in cancer bioinformatics, computational biology, multi-omics analysis, single-cell and spatial biology, data integration, visualization, and emerging AI-enabled research methods.

The AI Research Scientist will join a multidisciplinary team and collaborate with experimental, translational, and clinical investigators on high-impact cancer research. The position offers an opportunity to help establish next-generation AI capabilities within the cancer center, create broadly useful computational platforms, and accelerate the translation of complex cancer data into biological and clinical insight.

Professional Expectations

The successful candidate will demonstrate scientific rigor, intellectual curiosity, strong collaborative skills, and a commitment to developing dependable and reproducible computational tools for cancer research. The individual will be expected to balance innovative AI research with the practical requirements of deployment, documentation, maintenance, data security, reproducibility, and user support in a shared-resource environment.

Please let us know if you were referred by a current Massey employee to ensure we honor our commitment to the Employee Referral Program.

VCU is committed to hiring veterans! VCU will include a veteran’s period(s) of military service in the calculation of their annual leave accrual rate. This may provide veterans with an increased leave accrual!

Salary Range: Starting at $100,000 - commensurate with experience

FLSA Exemption Status: Exempt

Hours per Week: 40

Restricted Position: No

ORP Eligible: Yes

Flexible Work Arrangement: Hybrid

University Job Title: Senior Scientist RS - Open

Contact Information

Contact Name: Massey HR
Contact Email: Masseyhr@vcu.edu