PhD Graduate – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning; AI​/ML Research Scientist

Overview

2026 PhD Graduate – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

Join to apply for the 2026 PhD Graduate – Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) Research Scientist role at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. This role is part of the Research And Exploratory Development Department (REDD) and aims to close the gap between frontier AI models and sponsor expectations for an AI-dominated future.

$/yr - $/yr

• Contribute to current AI/ML research initiatives and grow into a thought leadership role for the Laboratory.
• Collaborate with Program Managers to propose ideas for internal seedling funding and develop these into externally-funded projects.
• Encourage and support publication of work and engagement with the broader research ecosystem.
• Contribute to programs targeting foundational advances with cross-mission impact, such as alignment of AI agents, multimodal foundation models, autonomous robotics, and evaluating frontier model vulnerabilities.

• PhD or equivalent with dissertation work in fundamental AI research.
• Strong record of peer-reviewed publications in reputable journals and/or conferences.
• Proficient in Python with experience using PyTorch and/or Jax, including Hugging Face libraries (transformers, diffusers, datasets, tokenizers, etc.).
• Ability to acquire an Interim Secret level security clearance by start date and can ultimately acquire a final Top Secret level clearance. Eligibility requires U.S. citizenship.

• Measuring and increasing alignment between humans and AI agents.
• Techniques for training and/or fine-tuning foundation models.
• Models or agents for robotic control and problem-solving.
• Adversarial and/or natural robustness of computer vision and autonomy.
• Neural rendering techniques for 3D scene reconstruction.

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) offers a culture that values diversity and creativity, with generous benefits, education assistance, retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to protected characteristics as required by law.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process, please contact Accommodations.