Senior Human Factors Scientist

Idaho National Laboratory • Idaho Falls, ID

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Senior Human Factors Scientist to join its centralized Human Factors team. The role applies human factors principles and experimental psychology to evaluate and improve real-world systems, with a focus on nuclear power plant control operations and other safety-critical industries. The scientist leads independent and multidisciplinary research, builds stakeholder relationships to identify research questions, develops new research through proposals and submissions, and advances technical expertise through papers, articles, and reports.

The position addresses how people perform, how new technologies can be integrated into existing systems and processes, and how advanced automation—including agentic automation, large language models, and machine learning—can be evaluated. Research may support nuclear energy, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space exploration, and electric grid domains. INL's Human Systems Simulation Laboratories provide facilities for applied research and real-time human factors experiments using full-scale reactor simulators. This is a multi-level posting; placement at Level 4 or Level 5 depends on the candidate's experience and skills.

Requirements

• Level 4: A bachelor's degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific or engineering field and 9 years of relevant experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields and 6 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in one of these fields and 4 years of relevant experience.
• Level 5: A bachelor's degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific or engineering field and 14 years of relevant experience; or a master's degree in one of these fields and 8 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in one of these fields and 6 years of relevant experience.
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Consistent and effective collaboration.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. Green Card holder due to Department of Energy export control restrictions.

Nice To Haves

• PhD in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific or engineering field.
• Demonstrated experience in nuclear energy or other energy-related domains.
• Experience interfacing with federal program sponsors, technical leadership, and/or industry.
• Track record of research funding through proposals and partnerships.

Responsibilities

• Lead independent and multidisciplinary studies applying human factors and experimental psychology to real-world systems.
• Perform human-centered research on technologies for nuclear power plant control operations and other safety-critical industries.
• Build relationships with internal and external stakeholders to define human factors research questions aligned with their goals and portfolios.
• Develop new research lines by writing and submitting proposals to expand the human factors portfolio and mission impact.
• Advance human factors technical expertise and scientific eminence through technical writing, journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior