Research Scientist
Job Details
Research Scientist
About the Opportunity
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. It is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified.
Job Summary: The Kostas Research Institute (KRI) at Northeastern University (NU) - a rapidly growing institute that conducts cutting-edge applied R&D - is seeking a highly motivated, experienced and enthusiastic Research & Development (R&D) Engineer with expertise in ML&AI. ...
Education & Experience
Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field.
- 2-4 years of professional experience in software engineering, data science, or applied R&D, with exposure to machine learning and AI system development in research, prototype, or production environments.
Preferred
- Master's degree with a focus on ML/AI, data-intensive systems, network science, optimization, or related areas.
- Experience contributing to government, defense, or security-related R&D programs (internships, fellowships, or full-time roles).
- Familiarity with simulation-based models (e.g., physics-based, network-based, agent-based, or stochastic simulations) for analysis, experimentation, or decision support.
Skills & Attributes
Required
- Proficiency in Python and familiarity with modern ML/AI development workflows.
- Exposure to C++ and/or Java for performance-critical components is a plus.
- Experience contributing to the design, implementation, testing, or evaluation of ML/AI-enabled or simulation-driven software systems.
- Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch), including model training, evaluation, and experimentation.
- Familiarity with distributed or accelerated computing environments (e.g., GPU-enabled systems, shared compute clusters).
- Working knowledge of database systems, including relational databases (e.g., PostgreSQL / SQL) and exposure to graph databases (e.g., Neo4j, Memgraph, or similar).
- Familiarity with cloud computing environments (e.g., Azure, AWS, or GovCloud equivalents), including containerized or scalable ML workflows.
- Solid software engineering fundamentals, including version control, modular code design, testing, documentation, and reproducibility.
- Ability to rapidly prototype solutions and iterate toward more robust implementations with guidance from senior engineers.
- Self-motivated team member able to work independently on well-defined tasks while contributing to broader project objectives.
- U.S. Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Desired Skills & Attributes
- Exposure to Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, embedding pipelines, or LLM-enabled systems.
- Familiarity with network science or graph analytics concepts, including graph modeling and analysis using tools such as NetworkX; introductory experience with graph-based ML or GNNs is a plus.
- Experience or coursework involving modeling and simulation techniques, such as network, agent-based, or discrete-event simulation; Monte Carlo or stochastic simulation methods; synthetic data generation or simulation-in-the-loop workflows.
- Exposure to geospatial data, spatiotemporal datasets, or PostgreSQL/PostGIS is a plus.
- Interest in UI or frontend development for technical or analyst-facing tools (e.g., Svelte, React, or similar frameworks).
- Familiarity with MLOps concepts, experiment tracking, or reproducible research pipelines.
- Experience working with multidisciplinary teams across research, engineering, and applied R&D environments.
- Active security clearance is a plus.
Key Responsibilities & Accountabilities
- Software R&D activities, including software development and implementation, prototype modeling & simulation, design, and experimentation. (45%)
- Test and validation of software systems and software for prototype deployment. (45%)
- Provide software development subject matter expertise across a diverse set of application areas and contribute to proposals, publications, whitepapers, etc. (10%)
Position Type: Research
Compensation Grade/Pay Type: 110S
Expected Hiring Range: $76,335.00 - $107,823.75
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