Senior Data Scientist; IV – Generative AI & Foundation Models

Overview

At PNNL, our core capabilities are divided among major departments that we refer to as Directorates within the Lab, focused on a specific area of scientific research or other function, with its own leadership team and dedicated budget.

Our Science & Technology directorates include National Security, Earth and Biological Sciences, Physical and Computational Sciences, and Energy and Environment. In addition, we have an Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a Department of Energy, Office of Science user facility housed on the PNNL campus.

The National Security Directorate (NSD) drives science‑based, mission‑focused solutions to take on complex, real‑world threats to our nation and the world.

The AI and Data Analytics Division, part of the National Security Directorate, combines profound domain expertise and creative integration of advanced hardware and software to deliver computational solutions that address complex data and analytic challenges. Working in multidisciplinary teams, we connect foundational research to engineering to operations, providing the tools to innovate quickly and field results faster. Our strengths are integrated across the data analytics lifecycle, from data acquisition and management to analysis and decision support.

PNNL is a key partner in the Department of Energy (DOE) Genesis Mission to develop a powerful AI platform to accelerate scientific discovery, drive energy innovation, and strengthen national security. We are seeking a Senior Data Scientist (DS4) – Generative AI & Foundation Models to join our AI & Data Analytics division in the National Security Directorate.

Read more about the AIDA division: https://(Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).-analytics

Learn more about the areas we are located in:

• Richland, WA & the Tricities Area:
• Seattle, WA: /

This role blends foundational research and real‑world implementation to solve some of the most complex and cutting‑edge challenges in modern artificial intelligence. We support PNNL's mission by contributing to impactful R&D projects that help tackle national challenges. Successful candidates will have the opportunity to grow professionally while working on diverse, mission‑focused projects.

As a Senior Data Scientist, you will also serve as a senior technical leader acting as principal investigator and/or project manager, driving proposal development, and engaging directly with stakeholders. The technical focus of this position is the development, adaptation, and deployment of large language models (LLMs) and other generative AI systems. This requires hands‑on work with model internals not just inference endpoints, such as direct engagement with model architectures, training pipelines, and weight‑level optimization, or developing and deploying agentic AI solutions that leverage tool use, retrieval‑augmented generation, multi‑step reasoning, and autonomous decision‑making workflows.

• This position is based in either Richland, WA or Seattle, WA and requires an onsite presence.

Team & Culture

You will work as part of interdisciplinary teams to deliver data‑driven solutions that address critical national security challenges. You will collaborate with peers to develop, adapt, and deploy LLMs and other generative AI systems: e.g., working directly with model architectures, training pipelines, and weight‑level optimization. We foster a collaborative and innovative work environment aimed at lifelong learning, creative problem‑solving, and advancing interdisciplinary, data‑driven innovation.

• Lead projects and/or programs in cutting‑edge research to develop and refine generative AI techniques, including but not limited to large language model pretraining, fine‑tuning, agentic systems, and novel training methodologies.
• Engage with stakeholders to understand project requirements and translate them into actionable technical approaches aligned with sponsor goals.
• Direct the design, development, and iteration on foundation model, frontier AI research, and agentic AI systems that address complex, real‑world problems.
• Apply deep expertise in model internals (e.g., tokenization,…