Project Manager, Research and Data Workflow

The American Heart Association is seeking a Project Manager for their Research and Data Workflow within the Periodic Table of Food Initiative. This role involves coordinating research studies, managing complex data workflows, and supporting the translation of multi-omics datasets into actionable insights.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate research studies and deliverables across the PTFI ecosystem, including timelines, milestone tracking, data/metadata handoffs, and reporting
• Facilitate research collaboration across laboratories, researchers, and technical teams to ensure efficient project execution
• Support study design and execution in partnership with PIs and laboratories
• Coordinate procurement, tracking, and chain-of-custody of food samples, biospecimens, and associated metadata to ensure analysis-ready datasets
• Ensure datasets meet defined standards for analysis readiness and cross-omics integration
• Coordinate quality control processes across omics platforms (e.g., LC-MS/MS metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics; ICP-MS ionomics; speciation workflows)
• Review and track batch effects, drift, missingness, internal standards/QC samples, normalization alignment, outliers, and sample identity
• Implement documentation and provenance pipelines including metadata schemas, QC reports, processing logs, dataset versioning, and data dictionaries
• Maintain reproducible workflows that ensure datasets are interpretable, discoverable, and usable across research teams
• Support PIs and collaborators with data analysis workflows and interpretation
• Contribute to manuscript preparation, figures, and reproducible supplements; serve as a coauthor when appropriate
• Develop or coordinate interactive dashboards and standalone tools (e.g., R/Shiny or comparable frameworks) that translate complex multi-omics outputs into accessible insights for research teams
• Collaborate with data scientists and statisticians to prepare ML-ready datasets and support advanced analytics
• Contribute to development of AI-enabled tools, indices, and scoring systems that translate multi-omics data into actionable measures of food quality and health relevance
• Monitor emerging tools and best practices in data engineering, analytics, and governance
• Identify opportunities to improve data workflows, system reliability, and research data usability

Requirements:

• MSc or PhD strongly preferred in bioinformatics, computational biology, analytical chemistry, biomedical informatics, horticulture/plant/food sciences, or a related field
• 3+ years of experience supporting multi-omics or high-dimensional datasets in research, clinical, agricultural, or translational settings, with demonstrated project management ownership
• Experience collaborating with partners on study design, sample logistics, and publication development (e.g., coauthoring manuscripts, abstracts, or reports)
• Hands-on understanding of omics data QC concepts and assay outputs (e.g., MS-based peak/feature tables, ionomics matrices, speciation workflows), including batch effects, drift, internal standards/QC samples, normalization, missingness, outliers, and sample tracking
• Experience developing reproducible data analysis workflows in R (e.g., scripts, R Markdown/Quarto) and building or partnering to deliver interactive tools for scientific users (e.g., Shiny apps, dashboards, standalone visualization applications)
• Knowledge of data integrity, security, and compliance expectations for human-subject or sensitive data (e.g., IRB-aligned workflows; HIPAA familiarity where applicable) and best practices for controlled-access data products
• Strong written and communication skills, including ability to author clear documentation, tutorials, and troubleshooting guides and translate technical concepts for mixed audiences
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment; comfort coordinating conferences, working groups, and external partner deliverables
• Ability to travel up to 10% local and overnight stay