Assistant Professor (TRISH Space Health Research Scientist)

Baylor College of Medicine - Houston, TX

Full-time - Entry Level

Hybrid - Houston, TX

Educational Services

About the position

The Assistant Professor (TRISH Space Health Research Scientist) position at Baylor College of Medicine involves overseeing and implementing biomedical research to support the nation's human spaceflight program. The role focuses on managing the EXPAND initiative and contributing to the HERMES Initiative, requiring strong project management skills and the ability to work in resource-poor environments. The candidate will engage in hypothesis-driven research and collaborate with various stakeholders to ensure successful data collection and compliance with regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Oversee, plan, manage, and execute EXPAND daily operational research program within space and Earth-based analog settings.
• Coordinate a cohort of principal investigators, commercial spaceflight operators, and support staff to enable and carry out data collection and research studies.
• Evaluate hardware/software to ensure quality/safety in executing EXPAND data collection activities.
• Manage procedures/training protocols and conduct ongoing best-practices reviews of EXPAND data collection activities.
• Oversee/ensure regulatory compliance with Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocols as well as federal and international laws protecting the privacy and confidentiality of human subject data.
• Perform study data collection pre- and post-flight at commercial launch provider facilities or flight landing sites.
• Help the institute mature and execute its EXPAND data-sharing plan and work with vendors to ensure data quality and accessibility.
• Supervise the EXPAND program's budget, including monitoring expenditures and ensuring that the budget is in line with expectations and NASA allocations.
• Work collaboratively with external partners and with increasing frequency closer to scheduled space launches.
• Support the development of the HERMES medical system architecture, including interacting with vendors and providing technical feedback regarding data acquisition and access.
• Contribute to the CSM space medicine electives as a lecturer and advisor.
• Participate as a faculty member in department and CSM activities at BCM.

Requirements

• Doctorate (Ph.D., Sc.D.) in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics
• Four years or more of relevant experience
• Strong technical and operational background
• Experience planning and executing experiments and projects within resource-poor environments
• Demonstrated experience managing research studies and handling scientific or medical data
• Proficiency in Microsoft Windows and Apple iOS operating systems
• Strong communicator in written and oral skills.

Nice-to-haves

• Collaborative; comfortable following as well as leading
• Self-starter, fearless, and driven to plan and execute projects
• Open-minded, agile, and flexible problem-solver
• Highly organized planner with a strong capacity to pay attention to details
• Effective working in a hybrid work environment

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Hybrid work options available
• Opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research
• Collaboration with leading institutions like NASA, Caltech, and MIT