High Performance Computing Scientist

Come join our team at Jefferson Lab, where great minds matter.

Posting Date: 02/27/2026
Range: $89,800 - $159,300 (SCS-II)
Work type: Hybrid (combination of on-site and remote work based on business need)

This 3-year appointment (contingent on continued funding) will focus on projects aimed at applying data science methods to relevant Jefferson Lab mission projects.

What your job will be like:
The Jefferson Lab Scientific Computing Department, within the Computational Sciences and Technology (CST) division, is seeking applicants with extensive experience in the area of Computational Physics and high-performance computing (HPC). The successful candidate will closely interact with members in the Scientific Computing department and researchers from the Theory Center to support critical research programs in Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics (LQCD) calculations, and to contribute to program development in advanced computing for Nuclear Physics and Computational Science.

This position provides excellent opportunities for career development in both physics and computer/computational science in a world leading research establishment, further enhanced by the upcoming High Performance Data Facility (HPDF).

In this role you will:

• Carry out research and development in the areas of LQCD calculations with emphasis on architecture specific performance optimizations targeting high performance computing architectures at DOE's Leadership Computing Facilities and Supercomputers as well as on efficient implementations of novel numerical algorithms that can be integrated into the existing LQCD software stack
• Participate and support the computational campaigns of the Theory Center including software development, building and deployment both on local and remote computing resources
• Design and develop AI agentic HPC workflows to automate scientific discovery across geographically distributed computing locations
• Utilize Model Context Protocol (MCP) to create autonomous fabrics between scientific models and distributed infrastructure
• Evaluate emerging computing architectures to contribute future hardware acquisition and strategy

Qualifications We Require:
Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Theoretical Physics, Computational Science, or Computer Science

Experience

• 3 or more years' experience working on high performance computing projects

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated knowledge of computer algorithms relevant to the computational domain. Experience of efficient implementation of some of these algorithms targeting specific computing architectures
• Proficient in C or C++ along with scientific Python computing stack
• Experienced with modern development methods and tools
• Preference will be given to candidates who have extensive knowledge and experience in the following areas: Developing parallel software using OpenMP and MPI. Heterogeneous computing using CUDA/ROCm, or OneAPI/SYCL. MCP (Model Context Protocol) and who are highly proficient in navigating complex HPC job scheduling systems such as SLURM. Experienced in Agentic AI Framework such as LangGraph
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential

Qualifications We Prefer:

• Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics, Computational Science, or Computer Science
• Research background in computational LQCD and knowledge in agentic AI

About Jefferson Lab

Join a community with a common purpose of solving the most challenging scientific and engineering problems of our time. The Jefferson Lab campus is located in southeastern Virginia amidst a vibrant and growing technology community.

A career at Jefferson Lab is more than a job. You will be part of "big science" and work alongside top scientists and engineers from around the world unlocking the secrets of our visible universe. Managed by Jefferson Science Associates, LLC; Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility is entering an exciting period of mission growth and is seeking new team members ready to apply their skills and passion to have an impact. You could call it work, or you could call it a mission. We call it a challenge. We do things that will change the world.

Total Rewards at Jefferson Lab

At Jefferson Lab, we believe that a comprehensive employee benefits program is an important and meaningful part of the compensation employees receive. Our benefits program includes, but is not limited to:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Care Plans * Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Time-off and Leave Programs (Paid Parental, vacation, holidays, and sick leave)
• 401(k) Plan - 9% Lab Contribution; 100% vested * Flexible Work Arrangements (Remote & Alternate Work Schedules available)
• Tuition Assistance, Training and Professional Development Programs
• Live near the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay region with access to nearby beaches, mountains, and all major metropolitan centers on the East Coast

Jefferson Science Associates, LLC (JSA) manages and operates the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab). JSA is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

JSA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities (unless doing so will result in an undue hardship). If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruiting @jlab.org or contact Human Resources by calling (757) 269-7100 and selecting option 1 between 8 am - 5 pm EST to provide the nature of your request.

Employment with JSA is conditional upon DOE approval if at any time during your employment you are participating in a Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Program or Affiliated activity. Generally, such programs/activities include any foreign-state-sponsored attempt to acquire U.S.-funded scientific research through programs run or funded by the government that target scientists, engineers, students, academics, researchers, and entrepreneurs of all nationalities working or educated in the United States. This includes positions or appointments, both domestic and foreign, titled academic, professional, or institutional appointments whether or not remuneration is received and whether full-time, part-time or voluntary.