Data Scientist & Data Manager

Job Purpose

The KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative (KCRI) is a large-scale coral reef restoration program in the Red Sea in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). KCRI was established in 2021 and is funded by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),a world-class graduate research university in Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. The KCRI will take place at Shusha Island, in partnership with NEOM, a region in northwest Saudi Arabia that is being sustainably developed from the ground up with the world's most advanced technologies to redefine how people live, work, and play.

Digital technologies play a key role in supporting this ambitious project. As part of the program, we are developing a digital twin of the coral reef system. The digital twin of the coral reef and nurseries is a virtual replica that collects, displays, analyses, and interacts with real-world data. It will serve as the centralhub of the project, aggregating data from the coral reefs to generate actionable insights for strategy and planning. The digital twin supports coral reef monitoring and protection, facilitates coral restoration management, enables research, and provides KCRI with a platform and portal to engage the public and other stakeholders.

In the Monitoring Visualization and Database Management Team, the Data Scientist & Data Manager leads the data science, analytics, and data management work. The role ensures data quality and governance and develops the analytics layer that makes the digital twin intelligent by integrating models and smart analytics. It acts as the main point of contact for all data science and analytics, maintaining data integrity, advancing AI/ML development, and delivering insights that help users understand reef health and support restoration operations.

This role will be a part of KCRI's Monitoring, Visualization, and Database Management Team, but will work across all project teams to aid in data continuity across the project. This role is based at KAUST but may require travel to our project site in NEOM periodically to support project needs.

Major Accountabilities

The KAUST Coral Restoration Initiative's Data Scientist and Data Managerspecific responsibilities include:

• Define and oversee the data strategy, architecture, and governance framework for the digital twin.
• Own the analytics and AI/ML layer, integrating modelsand smart analyticsto make the platform intelligent and predictive.
• Engage with digital twin users to identify, prioritise, and translate AI/MLuse cases into practical solutions.
• Develop and manage the roadmap for ML models,analytics, and data tools, ensuringalignment with project goals.
• Engage with domain expertsto ensure data quality, integrity, and validity
• Manage relationships with external modelling contractors, serving as the primary contact for data science and analytics guidance.
• Ensure data quality, accessibility, and interoperability through strong data management practices, cataloguing, and metadata standards.
• Responsible for performing statistical analysis for our program and developing data incites beyond basic dashboards.

Person Requirements

Competencies

• Works well in a fast-paced and diverse team environment yet can progress individually on tasks
• Pays close attention to detail
• Excellent English written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to be adaptable in challenging and remote environments that will be developing during the life of the project
• Ability to organize workload, adapt quickly to change, and deliver under the pressure of deadlines
• High problem-solving and time management skills

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Information Systems, Statistics, or Mathematics.

Experience

• 8+ years in data science/management with leadership experience
• Strong in Python/R and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch).
• Experience handling large-scale datasets and analytics pipelines
• Experienced in ML/ LLMdevelopment and maintenance with strong data management expertise
• Expertise in relational and spatial databases (PostgreSQL/PostGIS).
• Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, Azure,GCP, Data Bricks).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement.
• Practical experience with ecological datasets preferred