Data Scientist III - Mathematician​/Statistician

Position: Data Scientist III - Mathematician / Statistician
** Overview*
* 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, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational 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.

** Responsibilities*
* PNNL is seeking a Data Scientist III - Mathematician / Statistician with expertise in the fundamentals of mathematics and statistics in one or more areas including artificial intelligence, operations research, modeling of complex systems or events, risk analysis, scientific machine learning, and optimization.

The selected candidate will contribute to research and development programs within the AI and Data Analytics Division which specializes in data science, applied mathematics, advanced analytic architectures, software engineering, and human-centered computing. The Data Scientist will work as part of interdisciplinary teams to deliver data-driven solutions that address critical national security challenges. The candidate will support PNNL's mission by contributing to impactful R&D projects that help tackle national challenges.

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to grow professionally while working on diverse, mission-focused projects. At PNNL, we foster a collaborative and innovative work environment aimed at lifelong learning, creative problem-solving, and advancing interdisciplinary, data-driven innovation.

Key Responsibilities:

+ Conduct and lead research to develop mathematical or statistical models of data and algorithms to analyze those models. Execute experiments to gather insight into the data and systems that generate the data. Use artificial intelligence approaches where appropriate.

+ Ensure experiments are statistically sound, including standard performance metrics, and results are reproducible. Assess empirical results to guide future research and experimental steps.

+ Maintain awareness of emerging trends in mathematics and statistics for data science challenges in national security to shape future research directions and identify new opportunities for impact.

+ Take ownership of defined tasks or small projects, proactively identifying technical challenges and proposing solutions to senior staff or project leads.

+ Engage with stakeholders to understand project requirements and translate them into actionable technical approaches aligned with sponsor goals.

+ Team with and lead others to develop high-quality research code demonstrating proficiency with data science techniques and tools.

+ Serve as a mentor to junior staff or interns within the team, fostering a collaborative and inclusive research environment.

+ Support proposal development and business development by contributing to proposals and/or briefing sponsors.

+ Build effective working relationships and communicate effectively within your immediate team, as well as across interdisciplinary teams at the group or division level.

+ May require conducting work in secure environments and executing work from an operational security perspective.

** This position is based in either Richland, WA or Seattle, WA and requires an onsite presence.*
* ** Qualifications*
* Minimum Qualifications:

+ BS/BA and 5+ years of relevant work experience
-OR
- + MS/MA and 3+ years of relevant work experience
-OR
- + PhD with 1+ year of relevant experience

Preferred Qualifications:

+ Degree in mathematics, statistics, data science, or related fields.

+ Expertise in the fundamentals of mathematics and statistics in one or more areas including artificial intelligence, operations research, modeling of complex systems or events, risk analysis, scientific machine learning, and optimization.

+ Experience in applying mathematics and statistical methods within one or more specialty domains---e.g., communications, geospatial data, nuclear nonproliferation, radiography, remote sensing---and willingness to dive in and learn domain-specific knowledge in new applications.

+ Passion for agentic AI and large language models including…