Data Scientist II - AI Assurance Researcher

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorate s 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.

PNNL is seeking a Data Scientist II - AI Assurance Researcher who has experience in understanding, exploring, and manipulating the internal mechanics and behaviors of AI models and can provide valuable insights into the decision boundaries and mathematical fingerprints of data properties. The selected candidate should have extensive experience training models, accessing and working with data embeddings, the ability to derive theoretical queries from empirical results, and demonstrate the capacity to translate research papers and findings into mission relevant insights and tools.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and execute machine learning (ML) experiments that follow the current best practices within the community, including large scale experiments on HPC (e.g. experiments that take a week)
• Evaluate AI systems across multiple axes, including standard performance metrics but also generalization to out-of-distribution settings
• Write high-quality research code
• Assess empirical results to guide future research and experimental steps
• Conduct work in secure environments and execute work from an operational security perspective

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

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 2 years of relevant experience
  -OR-
• MS/MA
  -OR-
• PhD

Preferred Qualifications:

• Degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics, or related fields
• Familiarity with the current ML research landscape, especially xAI, adversarial machine learning, AI safety, and the science of deep learning
• Interest in taking research prototypes to deployable tools for AI researchers
• Familiarity with PyTorch and other associated deep learning libraries
• Hands-on experience analyzing the internal structures of deep learning models, particularly those associated with large language models and large vision models
• SCI Clearance

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

Not applicable.

This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance. A security clearance background investigation includes review of your employment, education, financial, and criminal history, as well as interviews with you and your personal references, neighbors, and co-workers to determine trustworthiness, reliability, and loyalty to the United States. The investigation also examines your foreign connections, drug and alcohol use, foreign influence, and overall conduct.

• U.S. Citizenship
• Background Investigation:
  Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified matter in accordance with 10 CFR 710, Appendix
  
  B.
• Drug Testing:
  All Security Clearance positions are Testing Designated Positions, which means that the applicant selected for hire is subject to pre-employment drug testing, and post-employment random drug testing. In addition, applicants must be able to demonstrate non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for the 12 consecutive months preceding completion of the requisite Questionnaire for National Security Positions (QNSP).

Note:

Applicants will be considered ineligible for security clearance processing by the U.S. Department of Energy if non-use of illegal drugs, including marijuana, for 12 months cannot be demonstrated.

This position is a Testing Designated Position (TDP). The candidate selected for this position will be subject to pre-employment and random drug testing for illegal drugs, including marijuana, consistent with the Controlled Substances Act and the PNNL Workplace Substance Abuse Program.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a world-class research institution powered by a highly educated, diverse workforce…