Data Scientist at KCMC, Kilimanjaro – January 2026

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT: Data Scientist

Organization: Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC)

Department: Ophthalmology Department

Location: KCMC Hospital, Moshi

Job Type: Full Time

Duration: 4 years and 6 months (Subject to contract terms)

1. Introduction

The program, “Preventing Sight Loss from Diabetic Retinopathy Using Artificial Intelligence,” is a five-year initiative implemented by the KCMC Eye Department. Its goal is to screen diabetic patients in the Kilimanjaro and Arusha regions to detect early features of diabetic retinopathy and provide timely treatment before irreversible damage occurs.

2. Structure of Authority

The Data Scientist will report to the Project Lead at the KCMC Eye Department and collaborate with management, project partners, and national stakeholders.

3. Main Responsibilities

• Model Development: Train and fine-tune deep learning models (CNN and Vision Transformers) for Diabetic Retinopathy screening using retinal fundus images.

• Clinical Collaboration: Work with ophthalmologists to ensure data relevance and accurate image labeling.

• Pipeline Design: Implement image preprocessing, augmentation, and quality control pipelines.

• Data Management: Curate and validate large-scale imaging datasets.

• Optimization: Use transfer learning and model optimization to enhance performance and computational efficiency.

• Evaluation: Conduct error analysis using clinically relevant metrics and address data bias or class imbalance.

• Interpretability: Implement Explainable AI (XAI) methods (e.g., Grad-CAM, attention visualization) for clinician trust.

• Technical Environment: Optimize training on GPU-enabled Linux systems and support deployment into web, mobile, or API-based systems.

4. Qualifications and Skills

Essential:

• Education: Master’s degree in Data Science, AI, Machine Learning, Computer Science, or Biomedical Engineering.

• Programming: Strong proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Keras).

• Technical Experience: Hands-on experience in computer vision, CNN architectures (ResNet, EfficientNet), and image preprocessing.

• Systems: Experience with GPU-enabled Linux environments and version control (Git/GitHub).

• Deployment: Proven ability to deploy models into practical systems (REST APIs).

Desirable:

• Prior exposure to ophthalmic datasets or Diabetic Retinopathy grading.

• History of contributing to peer-reviewed technical or medical AI publications.

5. Mode of Application

Applications should be addressed to the Executive Director and include:

1. Certified copies of relevant certificates.

2. Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV).

3. Names and telephone numbers of three referees.

Submission Methods:

• Physical: Drop off at KCMC Eye Department, Moshi.

• Email: kcmcadmin@kcmc.ac.tz (CC: kcmceyedep@gmail.com)

Closing Date: 15th January 2026