Position Title:Senior Data Scientist for Scientific AI - Ames National Laboratory
Job Group:Professional & Scientific
Required Minimum Qualifications:PhD and 8 years of related experience or equivalent combination of education and experience
Preferred Qualifications:MS or PhD in a related field (including Computer Science, Statistics, Applied Math, Physics, Chemistry, or Engineering).
Demonstrated experience conceiving and executing collaborative, multi-disciplinary research projects.
Leadership experience managing, mentoring, and collaborating with engineers/scientists.
Strategic development experience of data management and data integration approaches in an R&D environment.
Demonstrated experience with software engineering fundamentals: version control, code review, testing strategies, reproducibility, and maintainable design. Demonstrated experience with one or more programming ecosystems, and their application to real-world data and decision @contexts.
Proven experience with HPC and/or large-scale distributed computing and performance-aware engineering. Demonstrated expertise in cloud architecture for scientific systems.
Experience with DOE lab @context and scientific priorities.
Job Description:
Would you like to work for a National Laboratory that conducts world-renowned research? Would you enjoy working on a beautiful university campus? Can you imagine yourself in a mid-sized location that regularly ranks as one of the U.S. Best Places to Live (https://www.ameslab.gov/careers-and-internships/life-ames) ? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should consider a career with Ames National Laboratory!
Ames Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy federally contracted National Laboratory located in Ames, Iowa, on the campus of Iowa State University. We are dedicated to translating foundational science through applied research to create technological innovations. We create materials, inspire minds to solve problems, and address some of the most challenging issues facing our world today. We promote and believe in a culture of civility and shared ownership in support of the Laboratory's collective success.
Ames National Laboratory seeks applications for a senior technical leader who will architect, deliver, and sustain advanced computational and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities that accelerate scientific discovery. The successful candidate will provide technical leadership at the intersection of high-performance computing, probabilistic modeling, and agentic generative AI, enabling predictive analysis and machine learning for scientific advances, particularly in physical sciences.
This role is intended for a candidate with deep experience in scientific software engineering, high performance computing (HPC), cloud integration, and probabilistic inference, paired with demonstrated leadership in building and operationalizing complex systems for scientific stakeholders. The position will play a central technical role in developing and advancing the Laboratory's DOE-funded projects, where software engineering and probabilistic programming can leverage scientific data to accelerate research delivery, enabling new research workflows.
Successful candidates will establish and continually build on leadership in AI for science within Ames Laboratory. They must be able to form effective collaborations with existing research teams in physical sciences, and to identify, prioritize, and help lead team projects that take advantage of state-of-the-art and emerging capabilities to demonstrate acceleration of DOE-relevant science. Success in the role will require the ability to utilize AI, HPC, and other algorithmic advances to advance Ames Laboratory capabilities, scientific prominence, and collaborations across the DOE complex. Candidates must be able to help create strategies that can lead to funded efforts related to problems of national interest.
Appointment Type:Regular
Number of Months Employed Per Year:12 Month Work Period
Time Type:Full time
Pay Grade:PS814
Application Instructions:
To apply for this position, please click on "Apply" and complete the Employment Application. Please be prepared to enter or attach the following:1) Resume/Curriculum Vitae2) Letter of Application/Cover Letter
3) List of Professional ReferencesIf you have questions regarding this application process, please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll Free: 1-877-477-7485.Why Choose ISU?Iowa State Employees enjoy comprehensive health and work-life benefits, including medical and dental; as well as:- Retirement benefits including defined benefit and defined contribution plans- Generous vacation, holiday and sick time and leave plans- Onsite childcare (Ames, Iowa)- Life insurance and long-term disability- Flexible Spending Accounts- Various voluntary benefits and discounts- Employee Assistance Program- Wellbeing program- Iowa State offers WorkFlex options for some positions. WorkFlex offers flexibility on when, where, and how you do your work. For more information, please speak with the Hiring Manager.
Original Posting Date: April 8, 2026
Posting Close Date:May 10, 2026
Job Requisition Number:R18970
By focusing on the future and providing the best student experience possible, Iowa State University (http://www.iastate.edu/) attracts students and faculty who want to make a difference. With a comprehensive?land-grant?mission of education, research, extension and outreach, we produce scholars whose ideas change the world. And through Innovate at Iowa State, we provide innovative and entrepreneurial opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Located just 30 minutes north of Des Moines, the city of Ames was recently named one of the Top 10 cities in the U.S. for campus life and career opportunities.
Iowa State University is a welcoming community of students, faculty, and staff. Campus community members have a wide range of backgrounds and experiences and are committed to engaging with each other respectfully as outlined in the university's Principles of Community (https://www.iastate.edu/principles-community) . Iowa State recognizes that diverse intellectual and philosophical perspectives are vital to innovation, critical thinking skills, and a dynamic academic community that fosters the land-grant ideals of putting science, technology, and human creativity to work.
All offers of employment, oral and written, are contingent upon the university's verification of credentials and other information required by federal and state law, ISU policies/procedures, and may include the completion of a background check and/or a consumer credit check.
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Office of Equal Opportunity, 2680 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, email eooffice@iastate.edu.
If you have questions about the application process please email employment@iastate.edu or call 515-294-4800 or Toll-Free at 1-877-477-7485. Iowa State University provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. Applicants with questions about access or requiring a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process should email employment@iastate.edu or call (515) 294-4800 or Toll-Free: (877) 477-7485. TTY users are welcome to use the Iowa Relay Service number by dialing 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2942.
General ISU compensation information can be found on the University Human Resources (https://www.hr.iastate.edu/careers/compensation) website. Please note that this is only a list of ranges and individuals will be paid commensurate with qualifications.
