Sr Clinical Imaging Scientist

Company Description

It started with a simple idea: what if surgery could be less invasive and recovery less painful? Nearly 30 years later, that question still fuels everything we do at Intuitive. As a global leader in robotic-assisted surgery and minimally invasive care, our technologies—like the da Vinci surgical system and Ion—have transformed how care is delivered for millions of patients worldwide.

We’re a team of engineers, clinicians, and innovators united by one purpose: to make surgery smarter, safer, and more human. Every day, our work helps care teams perform with greater precision and patients recover faster, improving outcomes around the world.

The problems we solve demand creativity, rigor, and collaboration. The work is challenging, but deeply meaningful—because every improvement we make has the potential to change a life.

If you’re ready to contribute to something bigger than yourself and help transform the future of healthcare, you’ll find your purpose here.

Job Description

Fluorescence Imaging at Intuitive Surgical

The Fluorescence Imaging Team at Intuitive is developing agents designed to work seamlessly with Intuitive's robotic platforms and Firefly imaging technology. The agents have the potential to highlight critical anatomy and disease in real time—giving surgeons clearer information at the moment decisions matter most and helping improve outcomes for patients.

Primary Function of Position

The Senior Clinical Scientist is responsible for supporting the scientific design and execution of clinical evidence-generation activities across Intuitive's fluorescence imaging ecosystem. The role focuses on developing robust clinical endpoints, defining data collection strategies, establishing data quality and monitoring processes, and supporting the generation of evidence used to evaluate imaging agents, software tools, and future ecosystem applications.

The position serves as a bridge between clinical development, data science, engineering, and external partners, helping ensure that scientific questions are translated into clinically meaningful, measurable, and regulatory-defensible outcomes. The successful candidate will combine expertise in clinical research methodology with a strong understanding of diagnostic performance assessment, clinical data interpretation, and evidence generation in support of innovative surgical technologies.

Roles and Responsibilities

Clinical Study Design and Endpoint Development

• Support execution of clinical studies evaluating fluorescence imaging agents and ecosystem technologies.
• Translate protocol-defined endpoints into operationally executable study procedures and data collection requirements.
• Partner with Clinical Development, Data Management, and Biostatistics to ensure endpoint assessments are implemented consistently across sites.
• Develop study-specific guidance supporting accurate and reproducible endpoint determination.
• Support review of protocols and statistical analysis plans to ensure alignment between study procedures, data collection methods, and endpoint assessments.
• Conduct literature reviews and scientific assessments supporting ongoing clinical development activities.

Clinical Data Collection & Quality Strategy

• Develop data collection frameworks supporting assessment of imaging performance and clinical outcomes.
• Partner with Data Management to design CRFs, edit checks, and data review workflows.
• Define procedures for collection of imaging, pathology, surgical, and clinical outcome data.
• Establish data quality metrics and review processes to promote completeness, consistency, and protocol compliance.
• Identify potential sources of variability, bias, and missing data and recommend mitigation strategies.
• Support ongoing review of clinical data throughout study conduct.

Data Monitoring and Evidence Generation

• Develop risk-based data monitoring and data review approaches for fluorescence imaging programs.
• Conduct scientific review of emerging study data and identify trends requiring further investigation.
• Support blinded image review workflows and centralized assessment activities.
• Collaborate with Clinical Development and Biostatistics on interpretation of study results.
• Assist with database lock activities, clinical study reports, publications, abstracts, and presentations.
• Contribute to development of evidence packages supporting clinical, scientific, and business objectives.

AI & Data Science Collaboration

• Partner with Data Science and Engineering teams to develop high-quality datasets supporting AI-enabled imaging applications.
• Support development of annotation strategies, reference standards, and validation datasets.
• Assist in evaluating algorithm performance against established clinical endpoints and reference standards.
• Provide clinical and workflow expertise to support future computational and ecosystem initiatives.
• Contribute to evidence-generation activities supporting AI-enabled features and third-party ecosystem applications.

Regulatory & Scientific Communication

• Author and review scientific content for protocols, study reports, publications, and internal development documents.
• Support preparation of materials for regulatory interactions and health authority submissions.
• Present scientific findings to internal stakeholders and external collaborators.
• Maintain consistency of endpoint definitions and scientific rationale across development documents.

Qualifications

• PhD, PharmD, MD, MPH, or MS in biomedical sciences, clinical research, epidemiology, biomedical engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in clinical research, clinical development, medical affairs, diagnostics, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, or related healthcare industries.
• Experience supporting clinical study design and endpoint development.
• Strong understanding of clinical research methodology and evidence generation.
• Experience interpreting clinical and diagnostic performance data.
• Familiarity with protocol development, clinical databases, and data review processes.
• Ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong scientific writing, presentation, and communication skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in oncology, surgical oncology, medical imaging, molecular imaging, or fluorescence-guided surgery.
• Experience supporting regulatory submissions or health authority interactions.
• Familiarity with diagnostic accuracy studies, including sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and reference standard methodology.
• Experience working with imaging datasets, digital pathology, AI/machine learning applications, or quantitative image analysis.
• Experience collaborating with software, data science, or engineering teams.
• Knowledge of robotic-assisted surgery and image-guided procedures.

Additional Information

Due to the nature of our business and the role, please note that Intuitive and/or your customer(s) may require that you show current proof of vaccination against certain diseases including COVID-19.  Details can vary by role.

Intuitive is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees, and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, without regard to race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, genetic information or any other status protected under federal, state, or local applicable laws.

Mandatory Notices

U.S. Export Controls Disclaimer:  In accordance with the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR §743.13(b)), some roles at Intuitive Surgical may be subject to U.S. export controls for prospective employees who are nationals from countries currently on embargo or sanctions status.

Certain information you provide as part of the application will be used for purposes of determining whether Intuitive Surgical will need to (i) obtain an export license from the U.S. Government on your behalf (note: the government’s licensing process can take 3 to 6+ months) or (ii) implement a Technology Control Plan (“TCP”) (note: typically adds 2 weeks to the hiring process).  

For any Intuitive role subject to export controls, final offers are contingent upon obtaining an approved export license and/or an executed TCP prior to the prospective employee’s start date, which may or may not be flexible, and within a timeframe that does not unreasonably impede the hiring need. If applicable, candidates will be notified and instructed on any requirements for these purposes. 

We will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records in accordance with fair chance laws.

Preference will be given to qualified candidates who do not reside, or plan to reside, in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, or Tennessee.

This position may be filled at a different job level than listed here depending on
business need and/or on the selected candidate’s experience, knowledge and skills.
Compensation will be based primarily on the job level at which the role is filled and the
candidate’s qualifications, consistent with applicable law.

Accommodation & Accessibility Notice:

Intuitive is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or an accommodation during any part of the application or interview process, please contact People Services at [email protected].

We provide market-competitive compensation packages, inclusive of base pay, incentives, benefits, and equity. It would not be typical for someone to be hired at the top end of range for the role, as actual pay will be determined based on several factors, including experience, skills, and qualifications. The target compensation ranges are listed.

Base Compensation Range Region 1: $186.100 USD - $267.900 USD
Base Compensation Range Region 2: $158.200 USD - $227.700 USD
Shift: Day
Workplace Type: Onsite - This job is fully onsite.