$83,600–$150,500 Per Year
AI Researcher
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Location
CO - Golden
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Position Type
Limited Term (Fixed Term)
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Hours Per Week
40
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Working at NLR
NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.
Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.
At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.
Job Description
The Computational Sciences Center (CSC) is seeking a researcher within the AI, Learning and Intelligent Systems (ALIS) group with a demonstrated track record of work at the intersection of AI and physical sciences. The researcher should be dynamic, motivated, and have a strong interest in advancing energy innovation at NLR.
In the CSC, we integrate discovery science, engineering, and mission delivery to translate breakthrough research into operational capabilities, with core strengths in high‑performance computing, AI/ML, modeling and simulation, and visualization. We steward state‑of‑the‑art supercomputing and data facilities, secure research environments (including classified spaces), and specialized testbeds that enable end‑to‑end development and red‑team evaluation. NLR collaborates across DOE program offices and with the defense and intelligence communities, other federal agencies, universities, and industry through public–private partnerships and technology transition pathways, while fostering a culture of scientific excellence, operational rigor, and responsible research.
We are seeking a researcher working at the intersection of machine learning and the physical sciences to develop AI-driven solutions for complex energy and environmental systems. This role emphasizes both technical depth and scientific leadership, with opportunities to shape new research directions and contribute to high-impact proposals.
Key responsibilities include:
+ Conduct research in ML for scientific and engineering applications, including (but not limited to) generative modeling, spatiotemporal learning, operator learning, and AI-assisted scientific workflows
+ Collaborate within multidisciplinary teams and engage domain experts to translate real-world challenges into tractable research problems
+ Formulate novel research questions and lead the development of new technical directions
+ Contribute to and help lead proposal development and strategic research initiatives
+ Develop and evaluate AI methods for data-scarce, multi-scale, and complex physical systems
Candidates should have a strong technical background, good work ethic, experience in leadership and mentorship, and be comfortable learning and applying new technologies, as the role will include self-starting and performing technical tasks independently. The role also requires collaboration and effective communication with peers, mentors, and team members. The successful candidate will not shy away from tackling challenges, but rather, demonstrate eagerness to engineer creative solutions. In this vein, the candidate should have a high degree of curiosity, excitement to work as a team, and ability to adapt to needs of differing projects and challenges by gaining and utilizing new skills in support of research goals.
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Basic Qualifications
Relevant PhD . Or, relevant Master's Degree and 3 or more years of experience . Or, relevant Bachelor's Degree and 5 or more years of experience . Demonstrates complete understanding and wide application of scientific technical procedures, principles, theories and concepts in the field. General knowledge of other related disciplines. Demonstrates leadership in one or more areas of team, task or project lead responsibilities. Demonstrated experience in management of projects. Very good technical writing, interpersonal and communication skills.
* Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
Additional Required Qualifications
+ Experience applying machine learning to real-world scientific or engineering problems (e.g., energy systems, remote sensing, or related domains)
+ Familiarity with modern ML approaches such as generative models, foundation models, or physics-informed/structured learning methods
+ Demonstrated ability to work across disciplines and drive research from concept to impact
+ Strong communication skills and a proactive, question-driven approach to collaboration
+ Demonstrated experience in leveraging high-performance computing
Preferred Qualifications
+ Demonstrated programming experience in C/C++, Java, Python, and using ML frameworks such as Pytorch and Tensorflow
+ Research experience in foundation models and/or large language models and/or agentic AI frameworks
+ Experience with writing proposals for research funding
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Job Application Submission Window
The anticipated closing window for application submission is up to 30 days and may be extended as needed.
Annual Salary Range (based on full-time 40 hours per week)
Job Profile: Researcher III / Annual Salary Range: $83,600 - $150,500
NLR takes into consideration a candidate’s education, training, and experience, expected quality and quantity of work, required travel (if any), external market and internal value, including seniority and merit systems, and internal pay alignment when determining the salary level for potential new employees. In compliance with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, a potential new employee’s salary history will not be used in compensation decisions.
Benefits Summary
Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; short*- and long-term disability insurance; pension benefits*; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match*; life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance; personal time off (PTO) and sick leave; paid holidays; and tuition reimbursement*. NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component. Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement. Limited-term positions are not eligible for long-term disability or tuition reimbursement.
* Based on eligibility rules
Badging Requirement
NLR 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 required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation.
Drug Free Workplace
NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with the federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Submission Guidelines
Please note that in order to be considered an applicant for any position at NLR you must submit an application form for each position for which you believe you are qualified. Applications are not kept on file for future positions. Please include a cover letter and resume with each position application.
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Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic partner status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.
Reasonable Accommodations (http://www.nrel.gov/careers/employment-policies.html)
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E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This business uses E-Verify in its hiring practices to achieve a lawful workforce.
The National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) is a leader in the U.S. Department of Energy’s effort to secure an environmentally and economically sustainable energy future. With locations in Golden and Boulder, Colorado, and a satellite office in Washington, D.C., NLR is the primary laboratory for research, development, and deployment of renewable energy technologies in the United States.
NLR is subject to Department of Energy (DOE) access restrictions. All candidates must be authorized to access the facility per DOE rules and guidance within a reasonable time frame for the specified position in order to be considered for an interview and for hiring. DOE rules for site access during the interview process depend on whether the candidate is interviewed on-site, off-site, or via telephone or videoconference. All employees must also be able to obtain and maintain a federal Personal Identity Verification (PIV) card as required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which includes a favorable background investigation. Additionally, DOE contractor employees are prohibited from participating in certain Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs (FGTRPs). If a candidate is currently participating in an FGTRP, they will be required to disclose their participation after receiving an offer of employment and may be required to disengage from participation in the FGTRP prior to commencing employment. Any offer of employment is conditional on the ability to obtain work authorization and to be granted access to NLR by the Department of Energy (DOE).
Drug Free Workplace
NLR is committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace in accordance with federal Drug-Free Workplace Act and complies with federal laws prohibiting the possession and use of illegal drugs. Under federal law, marijuana remains an illegal drug.
If you are offered employment at NLR, you must pass a pre-employment drug test prior to commencing employment. Unless prohibited by state or local law, the pre-employment drug test will include marijuana. If you test positive on the pre-employment drug test, your offer of employment may be withdrawn.
Please review the information on our Hiring Process (https://www.nlr.gov/careers/hiring-process.html) website before you create an account and apply for a job. We also hope you will learn more about NLR (https://www.nlr.gov/about/) , visit our Careers site (https://www.nlr.gov/careers/) , and continue to search for job opportunities (https://nrel.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/NLR) at the lab.N
National Laboratory of the Rockies