Research Engineer II – AI Building Energy Systems

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments referred 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. The Energy and Environment Directorate delivers science and technology solutions for the nation’s biggest energy and environmental challenges.

The Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, is accelerating the transition to an efficient, resilient, and secure energy system through basic and applied research. We leverage a strong technical foundation in power and energy systems and advanced data analytics to drive innovation, transform markets, and shape energy policy.

This position is in the Building Simulation and Design Group (BS&DG) within PNNL’s Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division. BS&DG conducts modeling and analysis to evaluate the impacts of building energy policies, codes, and standards; develops tools and workflows to support building research and decision making; and helps accelerate adoption of energy efficient technologies.

BS&DG is seeking a Research Engineer II – AI for Building Energy Systems in Portland, OR, Richland, WA, or Seattle, WA. The successful candidate will be accountable to Project and/or Task Managers for performing assigned roles, following applicable procedures, and completing tasks on time and within budget. The candidate will also be accountable to the Group Leader and Team Leader for staff performance and development, operational discipline, and project execution.

This role will contribute to AI‑enabled building energy systems research under DOE mission areas, with applications that may include building energy modeling, code compliance checking, permitting, large‑scale performance data analysis, workflow automation, building controls and operations, workforce training, data mining, and AI‑enabled software tools.

The successful candidate will join multidisciplinary project teams and focus on developing and applying AI methods, computational methods, and technical workflows that support building research, analysis, and decision making. The candidate will contribute to mission‑relevant tools, workflows, and technical products for internal research teams as well as external stakeholders and tool users.

• Conduct independent research and develop technical approaches in AI‑enabled building energy systems research, including generative AI, large language models, and agentic systems for building research applications.
• Develop, fine‑tune, test, evaluate, and apply generative AI, large language model, and agentic methods for building research applications, including data curation and technical evaluation.
• Develop and implement analysis methods, modeling workflows, tools, and prototypes for building research applications, including integration of AI methods into software tools and technical workflows.
• Contribute to mission‑relevant tools and technical products that support building research and decision making.
• Support and contribute to existing building research and engineering projects in these application areas, including projects with established workflows and projects transitioning toward AI‑enabled approaches.
• Lead defined technical tasks or project components with responsibility for assigned scope, schedule, and deliverables.
• Work with project teams, collaborators, and stakeholders to understand technical needs and contribute to technical approaches.
• Work effectively across interdisciplinary teams and provide guidance to interns, students, or junior staff, as appropriate.
• Contribute technical ideas, analyses, and writing to proposal development.
• Contribute to technical reports, publications, and conference presentations, and present research results in project and technical meetings.
• Maintain awareness of relevant technical developments and emerging methods that support current and future research…