Opportunities

Data Scientist Positions in Natural Language Processing for Mental Health

The University of British Columbia Data Science Institute (DSI) is seeking Data Scientists to join our research team. Specifically, we are seeking outstanding individuals with experience and interest in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to develop novel text processing methods that can be effectively applied in mental health research.

To apply and view details, please visit: UBC Staff Careers Job Posting.

Postdoctoral Position in Natural Language Processing for Mental Health

Department of Psychiatry & Data Science Institute

University of Britisch Columbia (UBC) Vancouver, BC, Canada

We are seeking an outstanding postdoctoral candidate with an interest in Natural Language Processing (NLP) to develop novel text processing methods that can be effectively applied in mental health research. These include:

• Text Categorization and Topic Modeling
• Information Extraction
• Sentiment Analysis
• Text-based Predictive Modeling

We have a funded Health Canada project entitled “A comprehensive online detection and intervention approach to opioid and alcohol use in university students.” The goals are to detect University students at-risk for and affected by opioid use, harmful alcohol use, cannabis use, and common underlying mental problems, such as depression and anxiety; to identify barriers to internet-based prevention and care; to engage students in the co-development and improved delivery of these e-interventions; and to offer online psychoeducation, prevention, and care, with the goal of reducing opioid use, harmful alcohol use, and common mental problems that frequently lead to substance use. In order to do this, we screen the student population using a version of the World Health Organization-World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview adapted to students in five Canadian universities. Specific to the NLP part of the project, one objective is to develop (NLP)-enabled tools to automatically extract relevant substance use and mental health information from the unstructured text collected. Another objective is to collect student reddit posts on various topics, and analyze them by applying sentiment analysis to capture discourse about life on campus, focusing on positive and negative sentiments. Finally, a longer-term objective is to develop personalized questions to ask the students in future interviews, so as to inform suggested e-interventions to the students if necessary.

The ideal candidates will have a strong publication record in areas including NLP, text mining, visual analytics, health informatics, computer science, and related fields. Experience working in the medical domain and/or some degree of clinical knowledge is an asset, but not a requirement. Applicants should be qualified at the PhD level (or equivalent) and must have excellent interpersonal, writing and research skills, strong time management and organizational skills, the ability to prioritize and meet deadlines and work both independently and as a member of the research team.

The successful applicants will join a thriving NLP research Lab with a long history of publishing in top NLP venues, as well as a strong psychiatry research team, providing the clinical relevance and real-life application of the research project.

Timescale of Appointment: 1 year, renewable for second year

Target start date: Any time; exact start date is negotiable

Salary: renumeration commensurate with experience and qualification

Application closing date: May 31, 2022

Informal inquiries are welcome and may be made to: rng@cs.ubc.ca.

If interested, please submit:

• Complete CV
• Research statement (max two pages)
• Country of citizenship and date of availability
• Names and contact information of three references

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Electronic Health Records (EHR) Analytics

Description: The UBC Data Science Institute is seeking at least two post-doctoral fellows to join our new program specializing in Electronic Health Record (EHR) analytics. This is a joint program with the British Columbia (BC) Provincial Health Services Authority, the BC Centre for Disease Control and the Department of Medicine at UBC. As key members of this program, you will work across these health organizations to build cutting-edge data platforms and conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of data science, machine learning and public health. Research topics of interest include, but not limited to, predictive modelling, longitudinal analysis, natural language processing, data visualization, and data privacy. You will also work closely with a team of postdoctoral fellows and students. If you are interested in teaching, there will be opportunities for you to contribute to course development in data science and health for graduate students in the Department of Medicine. Each post-doctoral position is guaranteed for one-year, with a second-year extension given satisfactory progress in the first year.

Stipend: $65,000 to $90,000 annually (inclusive of benefits; actual stipend will depend on experience).

Applications closed.

The Data Science Institute and UBC believes that equity and diversity are essential to research excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. While all qualified candidates are encouraged to apply, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

The UBC Data Science Institute is a Faculty of Science initiative designed to incubate and accelerate research, innovation and training in data-intensive science. Working across the university’s data science community and advanced computing teams, the DSI focuses on building interdisciplinary research teams tackling data-rich problems. Visit: dsi.ubc.ca/research to view some of the most recently funded projects. Even though the DSI works in various application domains such as manufacturing, the DSI has a strong record of conducting diverse health and biomedical projects. The new program on EHR analytics builds upon such a foundation and seeks to make direct, if not immediate, impact to public health and health services in British Columbia.