Nonproliferation Data Scientist

Oak Ridge National Laboratory • Oak Ridge, TN

7d

About The Position

We are seeking a Nonproliferation Data Scientist to join the Data Science and Engineering for Nonproliferation Group in the National Security Sciences Directorate. In this role, you will develop and apply advanced data science, machine learning, and statistical approaches to challenging problems in nuclear nonproliferation and national security. The successful candidate will work closely with multidisciplinary teams of data scientists, software engineers, physicists, and domain experts to develop innovative analytic capabilities that support nuclear material detection, characterization, safeguards, and nuclear fuel cycle analysis. This position provides the opportunity to conduct impactful research while contributing to the development of next-generation scientific software and data-driven methods for national security applications.

Requirements

• PhD in data science, computer science, statistics, mathematics, physics, engineering, or a related quantitative field; or an MS in one of these disciplines with a minimum of two years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience applying machine learning, statistical analysis, optimization, or related data science techniques to solve complex technical problems.
• Experience developing software for scientific computing, data analysis, or machine learning applications.
• Proficiency in Python and common scientific computing and machine learning libraries.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience presenting technical results to scientific or technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with machine learning, artificial intelligence, statistical modeling, uncertainty quantification, optimization, or scientific machine learning methods.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate alternative analytical approaches and determine when different algorithms or modeling techniques are most appropriate for a given problem.
• Experience with research software development practices, including version control, testing, reproducibility, and collaborative software engineering.
• Experience with open-source scientific software projects.
• Familiarity with high-performance computing, cloud computing, or large-scale data analytics environments.
• Knowledge of nuclear nonproliferation, safeguards, nuclear fuel cycle analysis, remote sensing, or related national security mission areas.
• Record of peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, or other research accomplishments.
• Experience working in multidisciplinary research environments involving both domain scientists and software developers.
• Familiarity with modern AI/ML frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, JAX, or related tools.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development applying machine learning, statistical modeling, optimization, and data science methods to nuclear nonproliferation challenges.
• Develop, evaluate, and apply data-driven algorithms, selecting appropriate analytical approaches based on problem characteristics, available data, and mission objectives.
• Develop and maintain scientific software and analytic tools that enable advanced data analysis, modeling, and decision support.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams of domain scientists, software developers, and researchers to integrate advanced analytics into mission applications.
• Design and execute computational studies to assess algorithm performance, quantify uncertainty, and generate actionable insights from complex datasets.
• Communicate research findings through technical reports, publications, presentations, and interactions with sponsors and collaborators.
• Contribute to proposal development, program growth activities, and new research initiatives.
• Ensure all work is performed safely, securely, and in accordance with ORNL policies and procedures.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree