Surgo Health · 1 month ago
Senior Research Scientist (Maternal Health)
Washington, DC
Full-time
Hybrid
Mid, Senior Level
4+ years expSurgo Health is a human-centric AI company that delivers deep understanding of human behavior to improve health outcomes. As a Senior Research Scientist, you will lead the implementation of the Maternal Health Taskforce project, conducting advanced analyses and generating actionable insights to influence maternal health decisions across the US.
Health CareInfrastructureWellness
Responsibilities
Design and oversee the research strategy and analytical roadmap for the US Maternal Health Task Force (together with our advisory board), including survey research, narrative analysis, quantitative modelling, segmentation, and triangulation across data sources
Identify opportunities to advance the science, in particular leveraging natural language processing (NLP), large language models (LLMs), causal inference, and AI–based methods for analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data
Conduct rigorous literature reviews and lead the development of behavioral-science-informed research instruments, using Surgo’s LLM-powered tools combined with geospatial data
Lead high-complexity analyses on maternal health, wellbeing, behavioral drivers, and system-level factors affecting US pregnant people
Build and validate models for analyzing structured and unstructured data
Apply strong inferential and statistical reasoning to ensure our insights are scientifically sound and grounded in evidence across multiple datasets
Analyze data generated from conversational AI tools used with mothers (e.g., structured dialogues, open-text responses, narrative prompts), ensuring rigorous methodological handling, bias assessment, and validity checks
Translate analytical outputs into crisp, actionable insights that funders, policymakers, and service providers can understand and use
Co-develop strategic recommendations based on evidence, showing not just what the data says, but what should happen next
Produce compelling materials (reports, slide decks, briefs, press releases) that elevate evidence while remaining accessible
Collaborate closely with US-based partners including funders, public sector organizations, policy makers, advocacy groups to ensure insights meet real needs
Support partners in integrating findings into policies, service models, and implementation plans that improve maternal health
Contribute to Surgo’s growing portfolio in maternal health
Identify scientific and methodological innovations that can strengthen Surgo’s products and tools, including novel applications of LLMs, narrative analytics, and AI-driven measurement
Support proposal development and pitches by bringing deep subject-matter and methodological expertise
Qualification
Required
4+ years of experience in applied research, public health, maternal health, epidemiology, behavioural science, data science, or a related field
Advanced degree (PhD strongly preferred; Master's considered with significant experience)
Deep familiarity with the US youth maternal health data landscape and relationships with key actors
Demonstrated experience working with complex maternal health datasets, including survey data, and qualitative or narrative data
You are highly experienced in R and/or Python, and are experienced in / eager to learn Databricks
Strong technical and methodological expertise, including research design, measurement, and advanced analytical techniques
Detail-oriented with excellent research validation skills, able to spot inconsistencies, errors, and methodological gaps
Able to implement and uphold rigorous scientific processes, serving as a methodological steward accountable for strong QA, transparent workflows, and high-quality outputs
Statistical and methodological expertise in analyzing qualitative data and transforming it into quantitative insights, including coding frameworks, embeddings, clustering, model-based text analysis, and mixed-methods integration
Comfortable managing the full analytical workflow—from instrument design to modelling to interpretation—with a strong commitment to accuracy, transparency, and scientific integrity
Benefits
Fantastic, fun and collaborative colleagues; opportunity to solve tough challenges in healthcare
Ability to be entrepreneurial and tremendous opportunities for growth
Public Benefit Corporation with an impact and equity mission
Competitive compensation and health benefits
Generous PTO, 10+ holidays
Highly competitive 401K
Professional Development opportunities
Company
Surgo Health
Surgo Health aims to revolutionize the effectiveness of healthcare by understanding people’s behavior at the individual level.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$5MKey Investors
Springboard Enterprises
2023-09-13Non Equity Assistance
2023-03-02Seed· $5M
Leadership Team
Sema Sgaier
CEO and Co-Founder
Recent News
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