Research Engineer II – AI for Building Energy Systems

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory • Portland, OR

2d • Onsite

About The Position

At Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), we are solving some of the nation’s greatest energy challenges by delivering transformative research and scalable innovations.
The Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division, part of the Energy and Environment Directorate, is accelerating the transition to an efficient, resilient, and secure energy system through basic and applied research. We leverage a strong technical foundation in power and energy systems and advanced data analytics to drive innovation, transform markets, and shape energy policy.
This position is in the Building Simulation and Design Group (BS&DG) within PNNL’s Electricity Infrastructure and Buildings Division. BS&DG conducts modeling and analysis to evaluate the impacts of building energy policies, codes, and standards; develops tools and workflows to support building research and decision making; and helps accelerate adoption of energy efficient technologies. The group maintains core research capabilities in building energy simulation, building energy policy analysis, and tool development for building applications.
BS&DG is seeking a Research Engineer II – AI for Building Energy Systems. The successful candidate will be accountable to Project and/or Task Managers for performing assigned roles, following applicable project and field procedures, and completing assigned tasks on time and within budget. The candidate will also be accountable to the Group Leader and Team Leader for staff performance and development, operational discipline, and project execution.
This position is based in Portland, OR, Richland, WA, or Seattle, WA and requires an onsite presence. Hybrid work arrangements may be available in accordance with laboratory policy, project needs, and team expectations.
This role will contribute to AI-enabled building energy systems research under DOE mission areas, with applications that may include building energy modeling, code compliance checking, permitting, large-scale performance data analysis, workflow automation, building controls and operations, workforce training, data mining, and AI-enabled software tools.
The successful candidate will join multi-disciplinary project teams and focus on developing and applying AI methods, computational methods, and technical workflows that support building research, analysis, and decision making. The candidate will contribute to mission-relevant tools, workflows, and technical products for internal research teams as well as external stakeholders and tool users.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

• PhD in architectural engineering, building science, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field with at least 2 years of relevant experience beyond the PhD, with evidence of growing independence in technical work and project contributions.
• Experience analyzing building energy systems, including modeling, controls, or system performance analysis, with ability to develop and implement analysis approaches for technical tasks.
• Experience developing and applying AI or machine learning methods to building energy modeling, analysis, or engineering research problems.
• Strong programming skills for developing tools, scripts, or computational workflows supporting modeling and data analysis.
• Experience leading technical tasks or project components, supporting planning of scope and deliverables, and collaborating with team members.
• Experience contributing to proposal development, including technical writing, analysis support, or development of research ideas.
• Record of contributing to technical publications or presentations in building energy systems or related areas.
• Experience presenting research results at conferences, workshops, or project meetings.

Responsibilities

• Conduct independent research and develop technical approaches in AI-enabled building energy systems research under a given mission area, including generative AI, large language models, and agentic systems for building research applications.
• Develop, fine tune, test, evaluate, and apply generative AI, large language model, and agentic methods for building research applications, including data curation and technical evaluation.
• Develop and implement analysis methods, modeling workflows, tools, and prototypes for building research applications, including integration of AI methods into software tools and technical workflows.
• Contribute to mission-relevant tools and technical products that support building research and decision making.
• Support and contribute to existing building research and engineering projects in these application areas, including projects with established workflows and projects transitioning toward AI-enabled approaches.
• Lead defined technical tasks or project components with responsibility for assigned scope, schedule, and deliverables.
• Work with project teams, collaborators, and stakeholders to understand technical needs and contribute to technical approaches.
• Work effectively across interdisciplinary teams and provide guidance to interns, students, or junior staff, as appropriate.
• Contribute technical ideas, analyses, and writing to proposal development.
• Contribute to technical reports, publications, and conference presentations, and present research results in project and technical meetings.
• Maintain awareness of relevant technical developments and emerging methods that support current and future research activities.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

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