Summer Research Assistant Jobs in Utah (NOW HIRING)

Announcement
Details
Open Date
03/26/2026
Requisition Number
PRN44571B
Job Title
Graduate Research Assist (RA)
Working Title
Graduate Research Assist (RA)
Career Progression Track
A00
Track Level
FLSA Code
Professional
Patient Sensitive Job Code?
No
Standard Hours per Week
20
Full Time or Part Time?
Part Time
Shift
Day
Work Schedule Summary
Hybrid; the candidate must be available to work on-site or attend meetings in person during part of their scheduled hours.
VP Area
U of U Health - Academics
Department
00952 - Division of Epidemiology
Location
Campus
City
Salt Lake City, UT
Type of Recruitment
External Posting
Pay Rate Range
per TBP guidelines
Close Date
06/26/2026
Priority Review Date (Note - Posting may close at any time)
03/26/2026
Job Summary
The Division of Epidemiology in the Department of Internal Medicine is seeking a Graduate Research Assistant to support applied research at the intersection of healthcare, artificial intelligence, and data analysis The primary focus of this role will be large language model (LLMs) and other machine learning model evaluation/deployment, clinical data pipeline development, and natural language processing (NLP)-based chart abstraction. The work will be performed using publicly available data, such as MIMIC-IV, and protected data from the University of Utah Health and the Veterans Health Administration within the UofU CHPC and VA VINCI secure computing environments. This position offers meaningful opportunities to engage in translational research that directly impacts patient care and health system operations.
Appointment Details:

• FTE: 0.5 FTE (approximately 20 hours/week); potential full-time effort during the summer semester.
• Duration: Initial one-year appointment beginning mid-May 2026.
• Tuition Benefit: Tuition support is available per university policy.
• Capstone/Thesis: This assistantship can support capstone or thesis projects aligned with the research program.
• Direct Report: To Dr. Senthil Nachimuthu, who will provide structured technical oversight and weekly task direction.

Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled master's student in computing, informatics, data science, biomedical informatics, or a closely related discipline.
• Intermediate to advanced proficiency in Python and SQL.
• Experience applying NLP or machine learning methods to real-world datasets (e.g., clinical text, scientific text, or similarly complex unstructured data)
• Intermediate to advanced experience with Linux system administration (shell scripting, package management, user and service configuration).
• Ability to execute defined tasks independently while receiving structured technical guidance.
• Availability to attend on-site meetings or work in person for part of the scheduled time.
• This position requires eligibility for a VA appointment to access VA research systems (e.g., VINCI). Due to federal requirements, eligibility may be limited based on citizenship or visa status.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and optimize data processing pipelines for clinical and research datasets using Python and SQL.
• Assist with the design, training, and evaluation of machine learning models applied to healthcare problems.
• Support research workflows within established Linux-based environments under technical supervision.
• Conduct exploratory data analysis and prepare visualizations and summary reports for research collaborators.
• Contribute to manuscript preparation, documentation, and reproducible research practices.
• Collaborate with clinical and research faculty, staff, and other trainees.
• Work within secure, access-controlled computing environments (e.g., VA VINCI, CHPC) following data governance and compliance requirements

Minimum Qualifications
Current University of Utah graduate student who is supported on the Tuition Benefit Program
Preferences

• Experience using or modifying machine learning models such as decision trees, Bayesian models, deep learning architectures, transformers, or LLMs.
• Familiarity with healthcare data standards (e.g., SNOMED CT, LOINC, RxNorm) or electronic health record systems.
• Experience with version control (Git/GitHub) and collaborative software development practices.

Type
Benefited Staff
Special Instructions Summary
Please submit your resume or CV, including relevant coursework, work experience, and technical skills. A link to your GitHub repository or portfolio of technical work and writing (peer-reviewed papers or other technical/scientific articles, blogs, etc.) is strongly preferred. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
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.
Online reports may be submitted at https://oeo.utah.edu
https://publicsafety.utah.edu/safetyreport/ This report includes statistics about criminal offenses, hate crimes, arrests and referrals for disciplinary action, and Violence Against Women Act offenses. They also provide information about safety and security-related services offered by the University of Utah. A paper copy can be obtained by request at the Department of Public Safety located at 1658 East 500 South.
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.