University of Pennsylvania · 4 months ago
Senior Data Scientist, Wharton Graduate Division
Philadelphia, PA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$100K/yr - $140K/yr
5+ years expThe University of Pennsylvania is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. The Senior Data Scientist will support the Wharton Graduate Division by advancing analytics-driven solutions to enhance the student experience and improve productivity, particularly through the development and maintenance of the Course Match registration system.
Continuing EducationEdTechEducationSTEM EducationUniversities
Responsibilities
Lead development and ownership of Course Match
Serve as the primary developer and systems owner for Course Match registration system, including algorithm and infrastructure integration
Algorithmic and performance refinement
Design and implement enhancements to Course Match’s algorithmic infrastructure, including optimization tuning, performance analysis, heuristic development (e.g., Tabu Search), mixed-integer programming (MIP), and system diagnostics
Internal and external collaboration and system integration
Partner with internal stakeholders and external vendors to support the integration of a new optimization engine. Participate in vendor evaluation, architecture planning, and system design discussions to ensure successful deployment and infrastructure integration
Data science project contributions beyond Course Match
Contribute to high-impact academic affairs and data science initiatives beyond Course Match, including AI integration, process automation, and machine learning. Build robust Python-based solutions that promote reusability, automation, and scalability
Infrastructure development and automation
Develop and maintain analytics infrastructure and automation pipelines to support data workflows across the MBA Program Office and Wharton Computing. Apply best practices in software development, testing, and version control
Qualification
Required
Master's degree and 1-2 years of experience in a quantitative field such as Engineering, Data Science, Computer Science, Operations Research, Mathematics, or a related discipline is required; however, a Master's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience is strongly preferred
Strong programming proficiency in Python is required, including experience developing modular, well-documented, and production-grade code
Demonstrated expertise in algorithmic systems or large-scale computational frameworks, with hands-on experience in one or more of the following: heuristic search methods (e.g., Tabu Search), combinatorial optimization, mixed-integer programming (MIP), or algorithmic market design
Experience working within multi-component software environments and integrating external libraries, APIs, or platforms
Applied experience with core data science methods, including statistical modeling, predictive analytics, and machine learning
Preferred
A Master's degree and at least 5 years of relevant experience is strongly preferred
Familiarity with version control systems (e.g., Git) and test-driven development is strongly preferred
Familiarity with systems integration and data engineering practices is preferred
Experience supporting or participating in vendor evaluations or third-party system integrations is strongly preferred
Proficiency with tools such as R, SQL, and Power BI is a plus
Benefits
Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.
Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.
Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.
Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.
Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.
Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.
Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.
University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.
Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.
Flexible Work Hours: Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.
Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.
Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.
Company
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is an American private Ivy League Research University that excels in producing future leaders.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
University of Pennsylvania has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (7)
2024 (3)
2023 (2)
2022 (3)
2021 (5)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$81.46MKey Investors
National Science FoundationUS Department of EnergyParent Project Muscular Dystrophy
2024-08-28Grant
2023-06-26Grant· $18M
2022-09-15Grant· $55M
Leadership Team
Mark Dingfield
Executive Vice President
Angela Duckworth
Secondary Appointment at the Graduate School of Education
Recent News
2026-01-16
The Philadelphia Inquirer
2026-01-16
Company data provided by crunchbase