Senior Data Scientist IV – Gen AI Development & Evaluation

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments called Directorates, each focused on a specific area of scientific research or function. The National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science-based, mission-focused solutions to address complex, real-world threats. The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of NSD, combines domain expertise with advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions for complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering and operations, providing tools to innovate quickly and field results faster.

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Data Scientist to blend foundational research with real-world implementation, addressing complex challenges at the intersection of artificial intelligence and national security. This role supports PNNL’s mission through impactful, applied R&D projects tackling national challenges. You will serve as a senior technical leader, driving mission-driven research, proposal development, and stakeholder engagement. Hands-on experience is required in areas such as model internals (e.g., architectures, training pipelines, weight-level optimization) or developing and deploying agentic AI solutions (e.g., tool use, retrieval-augmented generation, multi-step reasoning, autonomous decision-making workflows).

Responsibilities

• Lead innovative projects developing and applying generative AI and foundation model development (pretraining, fine-tuning, agentic systems, and training strategies) and evaluation (T&E, robustness) for key modalities, including:
  • Transform hyperspectral imaging (HSI) and geospatial applications using advanced AI techniques to extract actionable intelligence from complex, multi-layered data.
  • Drive breakthroughs in multi-int fusion by integrating diverse intelligence sources to deliver robust, mission-ready solutions that elevate operational capabilities and decision-making.
  • Advance knowledge discovery, support decision intelligence, and enable robust analytical processes by leveraging AI to extract, synthesize, and integrate insights from unstructured, semi-structured, or large-scale text and documents.
• Engage with stakeholders to understand project requirements and translate them into actionable technical approaches aligned with sponsor goals.
• Direct the design, development, and iteration of foundation models, frontier AI research, and agentic AI systems addressing complex, real-world problems involving diverse data modalities (e.g., remote sensing imagery, sensor fusion, text).
• Apply deep expertise in model internals (e.g., tokenization, attention mechanisms, weight adaptation, loss optimization) to customize and improve model performance for domain-specific applications.
• Lead evaluation and verification of AI and agentic systems across multiple axes, including performance metrics, uncertainty quantification, generalization to out-of-distribution settings, and mission-specific assurance criteria.
• Lead proposal development and business development through proposals and/or sponsor briefings.
• Serve as a technical resource and mentor to junior and senior staff, fostering a collaborative research environment and mission awareness.
• Maintain awareness of emerging trends in AI, AI security, and national security to shape future research directions and identify new opportunities for impact.

Requirements

• Demonstrated proficiency in leading proposals, writing technical reports, and communicating complex findings to diverse audiences (technical and executive).
• Knowledge of compute environments and their cybersecurity concerns, including secure ML ops, access control, and model/data governance.
• Demonstrated impact in Generative AI, Frontier AI, or foundation model research (e.g., peer-reviewed publications, recognized awards, contributions to community standards).
• Deep knowledge of the current ML research landscape, especially AI safety, adversarial machine learning, xAI/interpretability, uncertainty quantification, and the science of deep learning.
• Hands-on experience analyzing internal structures of deep learning models, particularly LLMs and large vision/multimodal models (tokenization, attention mechanisms, routing, weight adaptation, loss optimization) or modalities including hyperspectral imagery.
• Hands-on experience with LLM/LVM/Foundation Model and Frontier AI evaluation, red teaming, uncertainty analysis, or safety control implementation.
• Experience designing and executing T&E campaigns for AI systems, including test planning, dataset curation, metrics, statistical analysis, and reproducibility.

Qualifications

• Minimum Qualifications:
  • BS/BA and 7+ years of relevant work experience, or
  • MS/MA and 5+ years of relevant work experience, or
  • PhD with 3+ years of relevant experience.
• Preferred Qualifications:
  • Degree in computer science, statistics, mathematics, or related fields.
  • Experience serving as PI, technical lead, or project manager for federally funded R&D projects, with publications, open-source contributions, or deployable prototypes.
  • Software engineering foundations: Python, ML frameworks (PyTorch/TensorFlow), experiment tracking, and data pipeline tooling.
  • Familiarity with agentic AI safety (tool-use governance, retrieval hygiene, autonomous decision workflows) and evaluation of multi-step reasoning systems.
  • Prior work in national security environments, with an understanding of mission needs and operational constraints.
  • Active DOE Q or TS/SCI clearance.

Work Location & Requirements

• Based in Richland, WA or Seattle, WA with onsite presence required.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance (DOE Q or TS/SCI). Background investigation includes review of employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with references, neighbors, and co-workers.
• Travel may be required for stakeholder engagement or project events.
• This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP), subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana. Applicants must demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

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. Located in eastern Washington State, PNNL offers an exciting research environment, excellent benefits (including health insurance and flexible work schedules), and a stellar outdoor recreation scene with an affordable cost of living. The Lab’s campus is a 45-minute flight (or ~3-hour drive) from Seattle or Portland, serviced by the convenient PSC airport.