Job Description

Does founding and leading a department at the frontier of spatial intelligence, where physical nuclear facilities, intelligent autonomous systems, and immersive digital environments converge intrigue you? Idaho National Laboratory is seeking a bold, technically deep, and strategically minded leader to establish and grow the Spatial Computing department within the Scientific Computing and AI Division.

This is a founding leadership role. The Department Manager will define the department's technical identity, build its team from the ground up, establish its research agenda, and position INL as a national leader in spatial computing applied to energy, defense, and critical infrastructure missions. You will inherit a set of nascent capabilities and active programs spread across the laboratory and consolidate them into a coherent, high-impact department with a distinctive research portfolio.

You will report to the Division Director, Scientific Computing and AI, and collaborate closely with the Department Managers for Computational Data Science, Computational Frameworks, and Digital Twin and Data Frameworks, where spatial computing intersects with digital twin architectures, data pipelines, and AI/ML methods. As a member of the Division's senior leadership team, you will also contribute to Division-wide strategy, workforce planning, and cross-laboratory engagement.

Responsibilities:

• Department Founding & Strategy: Define the Spatial Computing department's technical vision, research agenda, and organizational structure. Establish the department's identity within INL's Scientific Computing and AI Division and articulate its value proposition to internal and external stakeholders.
• Team Building: Recruit, hire, and onboard a multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers spanning AI for robotics and autonomy, computer vision, XR/mixed reality, spatial AI, perception, and human-machine interaction. Build the team thoughtfully to balance near-term program delivery with long-term research excellence.
• People Leadership: Manage all department staff; provide quarterly performance evaluations with meaningful critical feedback, personal goal-setting, and career development planning. Support retention through active mentorship and recognition of technical excellence.
• Programmatic Growth: Identify, pursue, and win funded research programs with federal sponsors including DOE Office of Science, DOE Nuclear Energy, NNSA, DOD (DARPA, OSD, service research labs), DHS, and NASA. Develop and submit competitive proposals and work authorizations; negotiate scope, cost, and schedule with customers.
• Technical Leadership: Maintain active engagement with the technical work of the department; provide strategic and architectural guidance on key research challenges. Serve as a senior technical voice in cross-INL and external forums.
• Cross-Laboratory Integration: Integrate the department's capabilities into INL's broader digital engineering ecosystem, including the Digital Innovation Center of Excellence (DICE), the Genesis Mission, and VULCAN. Utilize and build INL's unique digital engineering and AI capabilities including the DeepLynx ecosystem and MOOSE. Partner with the Digital Twin and Data Frameworks and Computational Data Science departments to enable physics-grounded, data-driven spatial computing systems.
• Mission Application: Drive application of spatial computing capabilities to INL's core missions including autonomous labs, nuclear reactor autonomous inspection and maintenance, remote handling in radiological environments, immersive operator training for nuclear facilities, spatial situational awareness for critical infrastructure protection, and robotics for extreme or inaccessible environments.
• External Representation: Represent INL's spatial computing capabilities at national and international conferences, federal program reviews, DOE laboratory coordination activities, and industry forums. Author or co-author peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and patents.
• Division Leadership: Participate actively in the Division leadership team; contribute to Division strategic planning, budget development, and workforce initiatives. Act as Division Director in times of absence as assigned.
• Safety Culture: Champion INL's Integrated Safety Management System (ISMS) and ensure department compliance with all environmental, safety, health, quality assurance, cybersecurity, and export control requirements.

Minimum Requirements:

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Nuclear Engineering, Robotics, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Vision, Human-Computer Interaction, or a closely related technical field and 6 years of relevant experience, or PhD in the same fields and 4 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing research or engineering teams in a scientific, government, or national laboratory environment.
• Demonstrated track record of securing and managing externally funded research programs (DOE, DOD, DHS, NASA, NSF, or equivalent).
• Proven ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and persuasively to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior federal officials and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Department of Energy "Q" clearance, which requires U.S. Citizenship.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD in Nuclear Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related field.
• Deep technical expertise in one or more of the department's focus areas: AI for autonomous labs, vision-language-action (VLA) models for physical systems, SLAM and 3D scene reconstruction, embodied AI, GPU-accelerated physics simulation (e.g., NVIDIA Isaac Sim / Omniverse), or spatial intelligence architectures.
• Established relationships with DOE, DOD DARPA or service research offices, or other federal sponsors of advanced autonomy and robotics programs.
• Familiarity with DOE national laboratory program structures, work authorization, and export control frameworks (10 CFR Part 810, EAR).
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, patents, or major software/hardware deliverables demonstrating research leadership.
• Active or current DOE Q or TS/SCI clearance.

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this classification, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, and work in an office and field/laboratory environment. The job requires hand/finger dexterity to keyboard or type, handle materials, manipulate tools, and reach with hands and arms. The job requires operation of job-related equipment and driving a vehicle. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 35 pounds. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform the essential functions and interact with people is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Information:

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Department Manager to lead our Spatial Computing team. Our team works a 9x80 schedule located out of our Research and Education Campus in Idaho Falls with every other Friday off.

• The target pay range for this position is ($158,712 - $237,174) annually. The full pay range is ($107,844 - $274,980). At Idaho National Laboratory compensation decisions are determined using factors such as education, relevant experience, and other credentials.
• TDP: This is a testing designated position; you will be required to submit to a pre-employment drug screen and periodic drug testing throughout the term of your employment.

Department Overview:

The Spatial Computing department is a new department within INL's Scientific Computing and AI Division, established to meet a growing and strategically critical need: the ability to deeply integrate physical and digital environments in service of INL's nuclear energy, national security, and critical infrastructure missions.

Spatial computing, encompassing the integration of 3D environment understanding, AI-enabled autonomous systems, immersive human-machine interfaces, and physics-grounded simulation, is becoming foundational to how national laboratories operate facilities, train workforces, and execute missions in hazardous or inaccessible environments. From autonomous laboratories, to mixed-reality operator interfaces for remote handling, to the construction of persistent 3D digital environments that underpin next-generation digital twins, INL's spatial computing capabilities must advance rapidly alongside national demand.

The department's research focus areas span AI for Autonomous & Robotic Systems, Physical-Digital Environment Integration, Immersive Human-Machine Interaction, and Spatial Intelligence & Sensing. Staff will collaborate across NS&T divisions and INL directorates including Nuclear Science & Technology, Energy & Environment Science & Technology, and National & Homeland Security, as well as with DOE, DOD, DHS, NASA, and industry partners.

Core Technical Focus Areas:

• AI for Robotics & Autonomy
• Physical-Digital Environment Modeling
• Mixed, Augmented & Extended Reality (MR/AR/XR)
• 3D Scene Understanding & Reconstruction
• Vision-Language-Action (VLA) Models for Physical Systems
• Autonomous Inspection Systems
• Simultaneous Localization & Mapping (SLAM)
• Spatial AI & Embodied Intelligence
• GPU-Accelerated Physics Simulation
• Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)Sensor Fusion & Perception
• Edge & Embedded AI Deployment
• Radiation-Hardened Autonomous Systems
• Immersive Operator Training Environments

Benefits and Relocation

• Medical, Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending Accounts
• 401(k) with a 4.2% employer contribution and up to 4.8% match (regular positions) or self-contribute access (postdoctoral positions)
• Paid time off (personal leave)
• Employee Education Program (tuition assistance for eligible positions)
• Comprehensive Relocation Package
• Benefit eligibility subject to multiple factors, including employment status and position classification.

At this time, BEA will not sponsor any H1-B visas obtained outside of the United States of America (U.S.A.), including consular visas.