Overview
At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.
Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.
The Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate's (PCSD’s) strengths in experimental, computational, and theoretical chemistry and materials science, together with our advanced computing, applied mathematics and data science capabilities, are central to the discovery mission we embrace at PNNL. But our most important resource is our people—experts across the range of scientific disciplines who team together to take on the biggest scientific challenges of our time.
The Advanced Computing, Mathematics, and Data Division (ACMDD) focuses on basic and applied computing research encompassing artificial intelligence, applied mathematics, computing technologies, and data and computational engineering. Our scientists and engineers apply end-to-end co-design principles to advance future energy-efficient computing systems and design the next generation of algorithms to analyze, model, understand, and control the behavior of complex systems in science, energy, and national security.
Responsibilities
The Data Sciences & Machine Intelligence group in ACMDD seeks a multifaceted Data Scientist to join the group to lead and support scientific research in the broad areas of data science and artificial intelligence (AI) with a focus on advancing the methods in natural language processing (NLP) and their applications.
This is an excellent opportunity to develop your scientific career in an outstanding research institution by joining an interdisciplinary research team that focuses on accelerating scientific discovery. The primary emphasis of this position will be growing existing and crafting new capabilities in the areas of AI/ML, NLP and scientific machine learning to strengthen the group’s leadership position in data science and machine intelligence.
A successful candidate will have shown expertise in the broad areas of data science and NLP such as: (i) training and evaluation of language models; (ii) application of NLP methods to domain problems/tasks; (iii) large language model (LLM)-based agents and agentic frameworks; (iv) high level languages such as Python, and AI/ML libraries such as PyTorch/Hugging Face and (v) contribution to proposals/white paper. We are looking for a proactive, highly motivated individual with an aptitude for contributing on multi-disciplinary teams.
Key responsibilities include:
Designs, develops, and implements methods, processes, and systems to analyze diverse data.
Applies knowledge of statistics, machine learning, advanced mathematics, simulation, software development, and data modeling to integrate and clean data, recognize patterns, address uncertainty, pose questions, and make discoveries from structured and/or unstructured data.
Produces solutions driven by exploratory data analysis from complex and high-dimensional datasets.
Designs, develops, and evaluates predictive models and advanced algorithms that lead to optimal value extraction from the data.
Demonstrates ability to transfer skills across application domains.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- BS/BA or higher
Preferred Qualifications:
Masters in Data Science, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, or closely related fields + 2 years of experience.
Experience working in Python, including PyTorch, and libraries commonly used in machine learning for NLP (e.g.,HuggingFace, deepspeed, dockers).
Hands-on experience with using LLM-based applications and LLM agents, including multi-agent frameworks, for specific tasks/domains.
Solid knowledge of core skills in data science and machine learning, including data/information curation from large unstructured data in the form of PDFs (text, image).
Proficiency in computer science engineering skills. Experience in a production-grade deployment team is a big plus, especially with applications in a cloud environment (AWS, Azure, VertexAI).
Demonstrable experience in conducting scientific exploration and research in NLP through artifacts such as scientific publications, patents, and/or software tools.
Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment
Not Applicable.
Additional Information
Not Applicable.
Testing Designated Position
Not a Testing Designated Position.
About PNNL
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce committed to the values of Integrity, Creativity, Collaboration, Impact, and Courage. Every year, scores of dynamic, driven people come to PNNL to work with renowned researchers on meaningful science, innovations and outcomes for the U.S. Department of Energy and other sponsors; here is your chance to be one of them!
At PNNL, you will find an exciting research environment and excellent benefits including health insurance, and flexible work schedules. PNNL is located in eastern Washington State—the dry side of Washington known for its stellar outdoor recreation and affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is only a 45-minute flight (or ~3 hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, and is serviced by the convenient PSC airport, connected to 8 major hubs.
Commitment to Excellence and Equal Employment Opportunity
Our laboratory is committed to fostering a work environment where all individuals are treated with fairness and respect while solving critical challenges in fundamental sciences, national security, and energy resiliency. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. PNNL considers all applicants for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), protected veteran status, and any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local laws.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures and in employment. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, contact us at careers@pnnl.gov .
Drug Free Workplace
PNNL is committed to a drug-free workplace supported by Workplace Substance Abuse Program (WSAP) and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs.
If you are offered employment at PNNL, you must pass a drug test prior to commencing employment. PNNL complies with federal law regarding illegal drug use. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug. If you test positive for any illegal controlled substance, including marijuana, your offer of employment will be withdrawn.
Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements
As a national laboratory, PNNL is responsible for adhering to the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which require new employees to obtain and maintain a HSPD-12 Personal Identify Verification (PIV) Credential. To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete the applicable tier of federal background investigation post hire and receive a favorable federal adjudication. The tier of federal background investigation will be determined by job duties and national security or public trust responsibilities associated with the job. All tiers of investigation include a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last 1 to 7 years (depending on the applicable tier of investigation). Illegal drug activities include marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.
For foreign national candidates:
If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) Federal risk determination to maintain employment. Once you meet the three-year residency requirement thereafter, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment. The tier of federal background investigation required to obtain the PIV credential will be determined by job duties at the time you become eligible for the PIV credential.
Mandatory Requirements
Please be aware that the Department of Energy (DOE) prohibits DOE employees and contractors from having any affiliation with the foreign government of a country DOE has identified as a “country of risk” without explicit approval by DOE and Battelle. If you are offered a position at PNNL and currently have any affiliation with the government of one of these countries, you will be required to disclose this information and recuse yourself of that affiliation or receive approval from DOE and Battelle prior to your first day of employment.
Rockstar Rewards
Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company funded pension plan and may enroll in our 401k savings plan. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.
- Research Associates excluded.
**Once eligibility requirements are met.
Click Here For Rockstar Rewards (https://careers.pnnl.gov/rockstar-rewards)
Notice to Applicants
PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual’s relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.
As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.
Minimum Salary
USD $88,600.00/Yr.
Maximum Salary
USD $141,500.00/Yr.