AI Engineer II

Requisition Id16168

Overview:

The Environmental Sciences Division (ESD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has an opening for a Data Systems AI/ML Engineerwithin its Earth Sciences Informatics portfolio. You will be expected to work with a team as well as independently research and develop AI-driven methods to enhance discovery and usability of Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) data. In addition, you will develop and leverage training data sets derived from years of ARM metadata records, as well as design and implement Large Language Model (LLM)-based conversational interfaces to enable intuitive and efficient support intuitive data discovery.

Major Duties/Responsibilities:

ARM Data Center processes, archives, and distributes atmospheric observations from observatories across the globe and provides computational infrastructure and analysis tools for the scientific community. In this position, you will work independently and as part of a team to research, develop, and operate under the following requirements:

• Contribute to and progressively lead Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning (ML) engineering support on an ongoing basis as evidenced by, for example, innovative artifacts delivered to sponsors, platform development, technical presentations and technology demonstrations, professional community engagement, inventions/patents/copyrights, etc.
• Support research and development professionals in developing tools for the ARM Data Center.
• Collaborate and seek opportunities to publish at workshops and conference venues.
• Develop and implement plans to exploit new opportunities and/or expand existing AI/ML workflows/efforts.
• Lead by example through exercising research integrity in proposing, performing, and communicating best practices for AI, ML, and software engineering.
• Lead by example to ensure all work is carried out safely, securely, and in compliance with ORNL policies, standards, and procedures.
• Exemplify a commitment to excellence in research, operations, and community engagement, and work cooperatively to leverage scientific capabilities across the ARM community.
• Advance the reputation of the group members and standing of the group by establishing collaborations and organizing technical events at major conferences.
• Work in a highly collaborative environment with data scientists, database engineers, software engineers, and DevOps engineers to deliver systems from prototyping to production level.

Basic Qualifications:

• BS degree with at least2 years of experience or an MS degreewith 1 year experienceinComputer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Informatics, or a closely related field.
• 3+ years of strong programming experience in Python (including data processing, scripting, or basic ML workflows).
• Foundational understanding of ML concepts (e.g., supervised/unsupervised learning, embeddings, model evaluation).
• Familiarity with structured data, metadata, or information retrieval concepts.
• Interest in applying AI/ML techniques to real-world scientific and/or environmental data problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skillsand ability to work in collaborative, research-oriented environments.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience or coursework involving natural language processing (NLP) or large language models (LLMs).
• Familiarity with embeddings, prompt development, semantic searchtechniques, or vector databases.
• Exposure to retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) or agent-based AI systems.
• Experience working with APIs, data pipelines, or backend systems.
• Experience evaluating or benchmarking ML or LLM-based systems.
• Knowledge of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) data principles or scientific data management.
• Interest in atmospheric science or Earth system data (domainexpertisenotrequired).

Experience in the following is also preferred:

• Programming & Data:
  • Python scientific stack (numPy, pandas, scikit-learn).
  • JupyterNotebooks for exploratory analysis and prototyping.
• Machine Learning & AI:
  • PyTorch, TensorFlow, or scikit-learn.
  • Hugging Face, Kaggle, or similar NLP/LLM libraries.
  • Experience working with embeddings and semantic similarity models.
• LLMs & Retrieval-Augmented Generation:
  • Frameworks such asLangChain, Agno, or similar orchestration tools.
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) or Agentic RAG techniques.
  • Prompt engineering and LLM evaluation techniques.
  • Familiarity with, or interest in, standardized protocols for LLM context exchange and tool integration (e.g., MCP or similar protocols).
• Vector Databases & Search:
  • Vector databases or search engines such asPGVector,Milvus, or similar.
  • Knowledge of indexing, ranking, and similarity search concepts.
• Backend Development:
  • RESTful API development usingFastAPI, Flask, or similar frameworks.
  • Experience integrating AI services into backend systems.
  • Model evaluation, monitoring, and experiment tracking tools (e.g.,MLflow, custom evaluation pipelines).
  • Logging, tracing, and performance monitoring for AI systems.
  • Git and collaborative software development workflows.
  • Familiarity with Docker.
• Scientific & FAIR Data:
  • Experience working with scientific datasets, metadata standards, or data catalogs.
  • Familiarity with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles and reproducible research practices.

Special Requirements:

• HSPD-12 PIV badge: This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge.

Security, Credentialing, and Eligibility Requirements:

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain an HSPD-12 PIV badge.
• For employment at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a Real ID compliant form of identification will be required.
• Additionally, ORNL is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as mandated by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12) and Department of Energy (DOE) Order 473.1A, which requires a favorable post-employment background investigation.
• To obtain this credential, new employees must successfully complete and pass a Federal Tier 1 background check investigation. This investigation includes a declaration of illegal drug activities, including use, supply, possession, or manufacture within the last year. This includes marijuana and cannabis derivatives, which are still considered illegal under federal law, regardless of state laws.

For foreign national candidates:

• If you have not resided in the U.S. for three consecutive years, you are not eligible for the PIV credential and instead will need to obtain a favorable Local Site Specific Only (LSSO) risk determination to maintain employment.
• Once you meet the three-year residency requirement, you will be required to obtain a PIV credential to maintain employment.

About ORNL:

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an impressive 80-year legacy of addressing the nation's most pressing challenges. Our team is made up of over 7,000 dedicated and innovative individuals! Our goal is to create an environment where a variety of perspectives and backgrounds are valued, ensuring ORNL is known as a top choice for employment. These principles are essential for supporting our broader mission to drive scientific breakthroughs and translate them into solutions for energy, environmental, and security challenges facing the nation.

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain individuals who demonstrate exceptional work behaviors. The laboratory provides a range of employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to support the well-being of you and your family. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also available for added convenience.

Other benefits include the following: Prescription Drug Plan, Dental Plan, Vision Plan, 401(k) Retirement Plan, Contributory Pension Plan, Life Insurance, Disability Benefits, Generous Vacation and Holidays, Parental Leave, Legal Insurance with Identity Theft Protection, Employee Assistance Plan, Flexible Spending Accounts, Health Savings Accounts, Wellness Programs, Educational Assistance, Relocation Assistance, and Employee Discounts.

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email:ORNLRecruiting@ornl.gov.

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply. UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.