Responsibilities

As a Data Scientist in the AI and Data Analytics Division, you will work with experienced technical staff to design and implement evaluation studies, prepare mission-representative test data and scenarios, develop evaluation components and agentic harnesses, execute controlled experiments, and analyze model behavior. The work extends beyond aggregate benchmark scores to examine individual cases, meaningful data slices, component interactions, system performance under realistic operating conditions, and more. Depending on project needs, research may also address explainable AI, interpretability, or targeted mechanistic-interpretability questions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Implement defined test and evaluation activities for AI/ML with particular focus on pretrained transformer-based foundation models, including large language models (LLMs), vision-language models (VLMs), and the AI agents and systems that use them.
• Prepare evaluation datasets, prompts, mission scenarios, meaningful data slices, test cases, scoring rubrics, and deterministic baselines.
• Develop evaluation environments, test harnesses, and agentic harnesses used to exercise models, tools, retrieval systems, and end-to-end workflows.
• Execute controlled experiments at the model, component, workflow, and system levels.
• Analyze model behavior to identify capabilities, systematic weaknesses, failure modes, and sensitivity to data characteristics, retrieval results, tools, and operating conditions.
• Examine agent trajectories, intermediate decisions, tool calls, retrieved evidence, memory or state, error propagation, recovery behavior, and points of human intervention.
• Evaluate performance using aggregate metrics together with case-level analysis, behavioral categories, robustness testing, calibration and uncertainty characterization, and adversarial or off-nominal scenarios.
• Evaluate hybrid systems that combine generative AI with deterministic NLP, computer vision, retrieval, search, rules, or classical machine-learning methods.
• Help develop and validate automated or model-based graders against human judgments and mission-relevant criteria.
• Apply functional explainability, model probing, or selected interpretability methods for understanding model and system behavior.
• Document evaluation methods, assumptions, results, uncertainties, and limitations in reproducible code, visualizations, technical reports, and briefings.
• Contribute technical material, data, figures, demonstrations, or preliminary results to proposals and sponsor engagements.

Work Location & Requirements:

• This position is based in Richland, WA or Seattle, WA and requires an onsite presence.
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a federal security clearance.(see below for details)

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• BS/BA and 2 years of data science experience -OR-
• MS/MA -OR-
• PhD
• Experience developing or evaluating LLMs, VLMs, pretrained transformer models, AI agents, or integrated AI systems.
• Experience using Python and machine-learning frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building evaluation datasets, test harnesses, agentic harnesses, automated graders, behavioral tests, or analysis pipelines.
• Experience analyzing model behavior, failure modes, robustness, calibration, uncertainty, or performance across meaningful data slices.
• Familiarity with agent orchestration frameworks such as LangGraph or similar technologies involving routing, retrieval, tools, memory, state, and human oversight.
• Experience with deterministic NLP, computer vision, retrieval, search, rules, or classical machine-learning methods that complement generative AI.
• Experience in one or more related areas such as explainable AI, model probing, mechanistic interpretability, AI security, red teaming, uncertainty quantification, or privacy-preserving AI.
• Experience contributing to applied research through technical reports, publications, prototypes, or open-source software.
• Prior experience supporting government, national security, or other high-consequence applications.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Hazardous Working Conditions/Environment

• Travel may be required for project events.

Additional Information

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.

Requirements:

• 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.

Testing Designated Position

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.

Rockstar Rewards

Employees and their families are offered medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, robust telehealth care options, several mental health benefits, free wellness coaching, health savings account, flexible spending accounts, basic life insurance, disability insurance*, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, tuition assistance, relocation, backup childcare, legal benefits, supplemental parental bonding leave, surrogacy and adoption assistance, and fertility support. Employees are automatically enrolled in our company-funded pension plan* and may enroll in our 401 (k) savings plan with company match*. Employees may accrue up to 120 vacation hours per year and may receive ten paid holidays per year.

* Research Associates excluded.

**All benefits are dependent upon eligibility.

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Notice to Applicants

PNNL lists the full pay range for the position in the job posting. Starting pay is calculated from the minimum of the pay range and actual placement in the range is determined based on an individual's relevant job-related skills, qualifications, and experience. This approach is applicable to all positions, with the exception of positions governed by collective bargaining agreements and certain limited-term positions which have specific pay rules.

As part of our commitment to fair compensation practices, we do not ask for or consider current or past salaries in making compensation offers at hire. Instead, our compensation offers are determined by the specific requirements of the position, prevailing market trends, applicable collective bargaining agreements, pay equity for the position type, and individual qualifications and skills relevant to the performance of the position.

Minimum Salary

USD $114,000.00/Yr.
Maximum Salary

USD $182,100.00/Yr.