Lead Scientist–Computational Physics, Signal Processing, and Machine Learning (REQ 342)

Applied Physical Sciences (APS) is seeking a highly motivated Scientist to join our growing multidisciplinary research and development team. This position will develop advanced computational methods that combine first-principles physics, numerical modeling, signal and image processing, and machine learning to solve challenging maritime and national security problems.

About the role

The successful candidate will contribute across several APS technical areas, including sonar and sensing systems, undersea communications, computational hydrodynamics, acoustic and non-acoustic platform analysis, and underwater electromagnetic modeling. The work will include high-fidelity simulation, inverse methods, physics-informed machine learning, reduced-order modeling, uncertainty quantification, and high-performance computing.

The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in computational physics, applied mathematics, or signal processing; experience implementing advanced numerical algorithms; and an interest in applying those skills across multiple physical domains. Direct experience in every application area is not expected. APS is seeking a technically curious scientist who can learn new physics, formulate difficult problems mathematically, and develop efficient computational solutions.

This position provides visibility into cutting-edge R&D initiatives and the opportunity to influence the technical direction of next-generation capabilities supporting critical U.S. Navy programs. The successful candidate will collaborate with experts in acoustics, hydrodynamics, electromagnetics, corrosion control, signal processing, communications, and machine learning to transition innovative concepts into practical engineering solutions.

Join a dynamic R&D environment where scientists and engineers from multiple disciplines collaborate to address complex national security challenges. Our close-knit organization offers the agility of a small company while valuing technical depth, operational excellence, and innovative thinking. You will have the opportunity to take initiative, contribute new ideas, and see your work directly support meaningful, mission-driven outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Develop physics-based, data-driven, and hybrid computational models for maritime sensing, communication, platform performance, and environmental interaction.
• Develop and evaluate sonar signal-processing algorithms for detection, classification, localization, imaging, array processing, and acoustic scene understanding.
• Apply advanced signal and image processing methods, including inverse methods, compressed sensing, regularization, estimation, filtering, and data assimilation, to reconstruct physical states from limited or noisy measurements.
• Develop models and algorithms for underwater acoustic systems operating in multipath, bandwidth-limited, time-varying, and strongly attenuating channels.
• Develop machine-learning surrogate and reduced-order models for computationally intensive acoustic, electromagnetic, hydrodynamic, structural, and coupled multiphysics simulations.
• Develop computational electromagnetic models for underwater electric and magnetic fields, electromagnetic sensing, and non-acoustic platform effects.
• Apply computational methods such as finite-element, boundary-element, integral-equation, particle, spectral, or mesh-free methods to large-scale physics problems.
• Design scalable algorithms for CPU, GPU, cluster, and distributed high-performance computing environments.
• Improve the speed, memory efficiency, numerical stability, and accuracy of existing simulation and signal-processing software.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to define requirements, formulate technical approaches, create software interfaces, and integrate algorithms into embedded, desktop, and distributed systems.
• Support laboratory, field, and at-sea testing through experimental planning, data analysis, model validation, and interpretation of results.
• Document algorithms, software, and technical results, and present findings to customers, sponsors, peer-review groups, and technical working groups.
• Contribute to technical proposals, research plans, demonstrations, and the transition of research software into operational engineering capabilities.

Requirements

• PhD and 3+ years relevant experience in Physics, Applied Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Ocean Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline.
• Relevant experience developing numerical algorithms for computational physics, signal processing, inverse problems, scientific computing, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of numerical linear algebra, optimization, differential equations, probability and statistics, or computational modeling.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate complex physical or signal-processing problems mathematically and translate those formulations into reliable software.
• Proficiency in one or more scientific programming languages, such as C++, Python, CUDA, MATLAB, or Fortran.
• Experience developing or optimizing software for multicore, GPU, cluster, or other high-performance computing environments.
• Ability and interest in applying computational expertise across multiple physical domains, including areas in which the candidate may not yet be a subject-matter expert.
• Demonstrated experience communicating technical results through presentations, reports, design reviews, or technical working groups.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary research and development team.
• Occasional travel required, typically less than 10%.
• Active security clearance or the ability to obtain a Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with machine learning for scientific, signal-processing, or engineering applications.
• Proficiency with a machine-learning framework such as PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.
• Experience developing reduced-order models, surrogate models, emulators, or data-driven corrections to first-principles simulations.
• Experience with sonar, radar, acoustic imaging, array processing, compressed sensing, filtered back projection, detection and estimation, or other advanced signal and image formation methods.
• Experience with computational electromagnetics, magnetostatics, electrostatics, boundary-element methods, fast multipole methods, or integral-equation solvers.
• Experience with underwater electromagnetic fields, corrosion-related electric fields, cathodic protection, electrochemistry, or ICCP system modeling.
• Experience optimizing scientific algorithms using CUDA or other GPU programming environments.
• Experience with MPI, distributed-memory parallelism, or large-scale simulation workflows.
• Proficiency with GitLab, GitHub, or similar collaborative software-development tools.
• Experience developing technical proposals and related documentation.
• Experience working with experimental or operational data and validating computational models against measurements.

Location

On site in Groton, CT or Arlington, VA.

Benefits

APS, a wholly owned subsidiary of the General Dynamics Corporation, offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and comfortable working conditions.

Candidates must possess or be able to obtain a DoD security clearance. Please note, obtaining a security clearance is a condition of employment which typically requires US citizenship and a thorough background investigation.