GIS Specialist

The Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR), led by Director Dr. Amy Kind and Deputy Directors Drs. Nicole Rogus-Pulia and Andrea Gilmore-Bykovskyi, invites applications from highly motivated individuals to join our dynamic, growing, and multidisciplinary team. As a Geographic information system (GIS) specialist with CHDR, you will have the opportunity to contribute to research projects with far-reaching influence, including the largest study of its kind on social determinants of health in the context of Alzheimer’s Disease. Broadly, our work is focused on mechanisms of health disparities – the ways fundamental factors such as race, ethnicity, and identity interact with a complex array of geopolitical, socioeconomic, health care, cultural, social, psychological, physiological, genetic, and cellular factors to produce different population health outcomes.

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to join our team and provide technical and analytical expertise for spatial analyses and research. The individual will conduct geospatial data analysis, manage and produce datasets, and create maps and other data visualizations in support of various projects currently being conducted at the Center for Health Disparities Research. The specialist will join a dynamic team that works on multi-unit projects, both internal and external to UW-Madison. These projects range from the production of a robust geospatial research dataset in an Azure cloud platform for distribution among a 24-site consortium, the creation of data visualizations for publications, and working with data analysts and IT professionals in moving forward research in health disparities.

Under the guidance of CHDR’s Director of Geospatial Operations, the successful GIS specialist will assist the CHDR scientific team with the expansion of geographically-based metrics and tools for research and the development and validation of geographically-linked metrics of socioeconomic factors related to healthcare disparities and outcomes. The Neighborhood Atlas® https://www.neighborhoodatlas.medicine.wisc.edu demonstrates the impact of geographic information science on furthering research on and interventions in the social determinants of health.

• This position may require some work to be performed in-person, onsite, at a designated campus work location. Some work may be performed remotely, at an offsite, non-campus work location.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Excellent organizational skills, strong attention to detail, and the flexibility to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with strong oral and written communication skills.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Collaborates with other IT staff to deliver project deliverables and visuals

• Gathers, verifies, and coordinates data used for spatial analysis, data sciences, field operations, mapping, and data visualizations across programs and other agencies

• Creates maps and performs a wide range of geospatial analyses in support of a variety of projects

• May support geospatial field data collection efforts

• Adheres to established cartographic standards and quality assurance/quality control processes

• May train and consult with GIS users as needed

• Manages a wide variety of project-specific and reference geospatial data in accordance with defined data management standards

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of one year of experience with geographic information science, cartography, geography, or a related field

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with data collection, data management, REDCap, or similar research databases.
• Experience in harmonizing varied data sources and manipulating geospatial time series data.
• Experience with large scale geocoding processes including custom geocoding solutions.