The Specialized Products & Advanced Research Capabilities (SPARC) Group is seeking a Principal Machine Learning Researcher to be part of a multidisciplinary team of researchers and engineers dedicated to developing cutting-edge technologies with significant and immediate impact on our national security. SPARC aims to advance the state of the art in the areas of computational and applied mathematics while integrating proven research into operational tools and products that are leveraged by government agencies to help achieve their mission.  We believe that each employee has a unique set of skills, experiences, and perspectives that are essential to providing our customers with innovative solutions. 

SPARC researchers have used cutting edge machine learning (ML) and graph theory based tools for multiple national security applications, e.g. obfuscated communications, goal-driven decompilations of binaries, and understanding and predicting uncertainties in ML outputs, to name a few. We are particularly strong in generative and adversarial AI (multiple modalities), probabilistic and graph theoretical methods, and defense-relevant applications of large language models (LLMs).

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced researcher who can combine their depth of understanding of the various topics with hands-on implementation of various techniques. We are looking for researchers that have advanced knowledge in a minimum of two of the following areas: i) generative and adversarial models for deep learning in computer vision, speech and natural language processing, ii) algorithms for ‘embodied AI’ including reinforcement learning/control, iii) mathematical underpinnings of statistical ML, iv) neuro-symbolic machine learning techniques, v) privacy-aware and security-aware machine learning in localized or distributed settings, vi) ML on the edge and/or neural network accelerators, and vii) ML and statistical methods for biological applications. We are looking for a Principal ML Researcher to provide thought leadership on emerging areas in machine learning and identifying new opportunities that are crucial for national security.

Duties will include:

• Coming up with innovative analyses from multiple domains to develop novel solutions to new complex problems.
• Leading development efforts for a dedicated research team by providing a clear technical vision.
• Developing a framework to guide the overall technical project while continuously measuring progress towards technical objectives and quantitative performance results.
• Mentoring team members in effective problem-solving techniques.
• Breaking down and assigning tasks to team members while tracking the overall progress of the project’s development
• Creating and delivering project briefings targeting both internal management and external customers

Requirements:

• Ability to obtain and maintain a Security Clearance
• Proficiency in one or more deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow and at least one high-level language (Python or equivalent)
• In-depth theoretical and mathematical understanding of deep neural networks
• Deep understanding of optimization, probabilistic methods, and/or graph theory
• Advanced knowledge in at least two of the seven ML fields described in the main text
• Experience developing research concepts from proposal through implementation and transition
• Experience architecting, training, and testing machine learning solutions
• Experience using collaborative source code management tools (Git)
• Developing and presenting technical material
• BS, MS, or PhD -- in Computer Science, Statistics, Pure/Applied Mathematics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
• 9+ years of related experience (7+ for Masters, 5+ for PhD)

Desired Skills and Experience:

• Active Security Clearance.
• Experience in three or more of the seven ML fields described in the main text
• Familiarity with software build and scripting tools
• Familiarity with Docker or other containerization frameworks