Hiring Event – Chief Data Scientist V

About the role

Great minds meet great challenges. Ready to build what’s next? 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, Integrated Discovery 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 National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to take on complex, real-world threats to our nation and the world. The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of NSD, combines profound domain expertise and creative integration of advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions that address complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering to operations, providing the tools to innovate quickly and field results faster. Our strengths are integrated across the data analytics lifecycle, from data acquisition and management to analysis and decision support. Event Details Our hiring event will take place during the weeks of October 12th to November 13th. Selected candidates may be invited to participate in virtual and onsite interviews during this timeframe and will be contacted directly with scheduling details. This role is performed full-time onsite at the PNNL campus in Richland, WA or Seattle, WA.

Responsibilities

With new projects and expanding programs, our AI and Data Analytics Division offers opportunities to advance cutting-edge research and build solutions for critical national security missions. Join a team of more than 400 data scientists, software engineers, mathematicians, and human-centered computing researchers turning ambitious ideas into real-world capabilities. We’re looking for passionate Chief Data Scientists who are motivated to advance the state of the art in AI for national security missions.

Skills

• Hyperspectral: Advance mission-focused applications of hyperspectral imaging, remote sensing, and geospatial intelligence. We are looking for experienced data scientists with strong scientific foundations and expertise in spectral sensing, radiometric and atmospheric correction, machine learning-based detection and classification, spectral unmixing, multimodal data fusion, sensor characterization, or related GEOINT workflows.
• Generative AI & Agentic Systems Research: Advance applied research in adapting and aligning foundation models, designing advanced reasoning architectures, and enhancing the performance, behavior, or capabilities of agentic frameworks. Relevant expertise includes training, alignment, parameter-efficient tuning, and augmenting LLMs/VLMs, or designing novel agentic architectures with advanced routing, retrieval, tool integration, and state-space representation. Opportunities include investigating and transitioning enhanced AI capabilities for complex, mission-specific reasoning, high-consequence decision support, reasoning over unstructured or semi-structured knowledge bases, and mission-informed tasks operating under real-world constraints.
• AI Test & Evaluation: Lead research efforts in defining, designing, and validating rigorous Test & Evaluation (T&E) methods to characterize the capabilities, limitations, and operational readiness of AI models and systems. Relevant expertise includes evaluation beyond aggregate metrics, probing model internals, explainable AI, adversarial ML (blue/red teaming), uncertainty quantification, mechanistic interpretability, robustness, and the scientific design of automated evaluation harnesses. Opportunities include shaping the technical direction of T&E for large-scale programs and conducting deep-learning research to investigate how models represent information, characterize how they behave, and develop methods to improve reliability.

Qualifications

• BS/BA and 9+ years of data science experience -OR- MS/MA and 7+ years of data science experience -OR- PhD with 5+ years of data science experience
• Experience with Python and AI/ML frameworks

Requirements

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix B.
• Drug Testing: All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP). Note: Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal