Senior data engineer - translational research liaison

• Dagwerk
• Ziekenhuis, Universitair Ziekenhuis (UZ)
• Leidinggevend
• Master/Universitair
• Microsoft SQL Server, Cloud, SQL Server
• Python, AI / Machine Learning, SQL
• ETL / Datawarehouse

Build data bridges between UZ Leuven and KU Leuven. Breaking ground as a senior data engineer - translational research liaison (UZ Leuven & KU Leuven) This pivotal role serves as the strategic connector between UZ Leuven and KU Leuven, two leading institutions at the forefront of biomedical research. By bridging the hospital's advanced data platforms with the academic research centres, you enable seamless collaboration that unlocks the full potential of multimodal clinical data. Your work transforms complex datasets, ranging from structured EHRs and medical imaging to clinical text and molecular laboratory data, into high-quality, reusable research assets that drive innovation and discovery. The importance of this role lies in its ability to foster interdisciplinary partnerships and ensure that clinical insights and research ambitions are translated into scalable data engineering solutions. As both a technical and conceptual liaison, you facilitate effective communication between clinicians, researchers, and platform teams, navigating clinical, ethical, and governance requirements to build robust research infrastructure. Your efforts directly contribute to the strategic goals of both UZ Leuven and KU Leuven, accelerating progress in population health, imaging, AI, and molecular research through responsible data stewardship and shared vision. This is a full-time, permanent position. Applications can be submitted up to and including 29-04-2026. How will you break ground?

• You will collaborate closely with academic researchers, PIs, and PhD students to understand research questions spanning population health, imaging, AI, and molecular research, and translate them into concrete data engineering specifications.
• You will design and industrialize data pipelines that integrate multimodal clinical data, including:

• structured patient-level data from EHR/EPD systems
• medical imaging data from PACS
• unstructured clinical text (reports, notes)
• omics and high-dimensional molecular data generated in research and clinical labs.

• You will build shared, reusable data infrastructure that supports cross-domain and cross-modal research, enabling combination of clinical, imaging, text, and omics data within a single trusted research environment.
• You will work at the intersection of engineering and science, partnering with data infrastructure and MLOps teams to provide standardized datasets and tooling for advanced analytics and AI research.
• You will pioneer the use of data catalogs, metadata models, and ontologies to make multimodal data discoverable, interpretable, and reusable across research groups in line with FAIR principles.
• You will guide researchers in navigating data quality, modality-specific limitations, and governance requirements early in the research lifecycle, improving reproducibility and reuse.
• You ensure that all research data assets are produced in compliance with ethical, legal, and institutional frameworks governing sensitive clinical data., Als grootste universitaire ziekenhuis van België wil UZ Leuven grenzen verleggen door gespecialiseerde zorg en innovatieve behandelingen te combineren met menselijke aandacht en respect voor elke persoon.

Wie in UZ Leuven werkt, gaat altijd een stapje verder.

Met meer dan 10.000 gepassioneerde medewerkers geven we elke dag de beste zorg op maat. We dagen onszelf uit en gaan voor kwaliteit op alle vlakken. Zelfs als het moeilijk wordt en bijna onmogelijk lijkt. We tillen elkaar naar een hoger niveau. Samenwerken zit in ons DNA.

Samen verleggen we grenzen.

Dat uit zich in ons streven om elke dag de beste zorg te bieden voor élke patiënt. Met aandacht en respect voor de mens achter de patiënt. We zetten in op toonaangevend onderzoek en we geven opleiding aan jong talent. Onze beste ambassadeurs zijn de medewerkers van vandaag. Zij maken het verschil en verleggen grenzen, elke dag opnieuw. UZ Leuven wil mensen aantrekken met diezelfde drive en openheid van geest.

• You have a master's degree in engineering, sciences, or biomedical sciences. A PhD or strong academic research background is a plus.
• Candidates who do not yet speak Dutch are welcome to apply. We expect sufficient command of English for effective collaboration within the team, and we ask non-Dutch-speaking candidates to obtain a B2 level at a recognized school within two years.
• Strong hands-on experience in data engineering on modern cloud platforms (ex. Google Cloud Platform), with production-grade ELT/ETL pipelines using SQL and Python. Experience with research data platforms like REDcap is an asset.
• Experience working with complex or multimodal datasets, or strong motivation to develop expertise across clinical, imaging, text, and omics data domains.
• Familiarity with healthcare and research data standards (e.g. HL7/FHIR, DICOM, LOINC, OMOP) and medical ontologies (SNOMED, HPO) is an asset.
• Comfort operating in an academic research environment while respecting the constraints of high-risk clinical data systems.
• A collaborative, analytical mindset with the ability to translate interdisciplinary research needs into robust engineering solutions.

UZ Leuven offers a professional, multidisciplinary working environment that keeps pace with the latest developments and provides ample opportunities for training, guidance, and personal growth. For more than 20 years, we have been committed to sustainable healthcare. Within the IT department, you will work in a domain with great variety and the newest technologies. We focus on extensive on-the-job training and personal coaching, with a view to lifelong learning and innovation. You will be offered a range of diverse, content-rich challenges and the chance to work in a constructive team within a complex hospital organisation. Our benefits include:

• A motivating salary package (salary scale IFIC 17_25 with opportunities for progression depending on profile and experience) and numerous fringe benefits such as meal vouchers, bicycle lease, group and hospitalisation insurance, transport allowance, staff restaurant, and more.
• A full overview of all benefits of working at UZ Leuven can be found on our jobsite.