Research Assistant

Job Description

Are you a recent university graduate looking to gain hands-on clinical research experience before pursuing an MD or PhD? UCSF Health, a world-renowned academic medical center, is currently hiring a Research Assistant to join their San Francisco team.

In this full-time, one-year term role, you will support multicenter pediatric trauma research by managing large multimodal datasets and contributing to studies on machine learning and clinical decision rules. If you have a background in computer science, data science, or a related field, this is an incredible opportunity to work alongside world-class clinical faculty and data scientists.

Job Overview

• Hiring Company: UCSF Health
• Job Role: Research Assistant
• Job Location: San Francisco, CA, USA (On-site)
• Employment Type: Full-Time (One-Year Term)
• Estimated Salary: ~$34.00 per hour (Based on local market data; actual final salary depends on UC policy, equity, and experience)
• Industry: Healthcare / Clinical Research

What You Will Do

As a Research Assistant, you will play a critical role in organizing and archiving research data for major pediatric trauma initiatives. Your daily responsibilities will include:

• Data Management: Curating, organizing, and archiving large datasets across multiple studies while maintaining meticulous version control and documentation.
• Analytical Support: Assisting with data exploration, quality control, and troubleshooting for studies involving machine learning, clinical decision rules, and time-to-intervention evaluations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Working closely with research fellows, data scientists, and medical faculty to prepare datasets for advanced analysis.
• Academic Writing: Synthesizing literature related to trauma and diagnostic imaging, and preparing research reports, abstracts, and figures for presentations and publications.
• Budget & Resource Monitoring: Tracking computing resource usage to ensure projects remain within budget and providing regular spending updates.

What You Need to Succeed

UCSF Health operates in a fast-paced environment and is looking for highly motivated, self-directed individuals with exquisite attention to detail. To qualify, you must have:

• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Data Science, or a closely related field (or equivalent training/experience).
• Technical Skills: Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office and the ability to quickly learn UCSF’s secure computational resources (such as the Research Analysis Environment and Scientific Computing Services).
• Project Management: Basic project management skills with the ability to meet precise deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Soft Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, high integrity, strong work ethic, and the ability to maintain strict confidentiality.
• Preferred Interests: Candidates with an interest in clinical research, pediatric emergency medicine, computer vision, or data science are highly encouraged to apply! Prior research experience is a great bonus, though not required.

About UCSF Health

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is the only campus in the 10-campus UC system dedicated exclusively to the health sciences. Home to five Nobel laureates, UCSF brings together leading experts to advance the understanding of major diseases and deliver excellence in patient care. The university champions an inclusive, supportive culture guided by its core PRIDE values (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence).

How to Apply

Ready to build your research portfolio at one of the nation’s premier medical institutions? Update your resume to highlight your data science background, technical skills, and academic goals, and apply directly through the UCSF Health careers portal today.