R&D Computer Science Engineer, Autonomous Sensing and Perception - Onsite

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation's premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

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Autonomous Sensing and Perception is currently seeking an R&D Computer Scientist to join their team.

The selected candidate will perform software/algorithm research and development work focused on making orbital, aerial, and terrestrial sensors and their associated platforms and support equipment more autonomous through the application of cutting-edge remote sensing and perception methods, with specific emphasis on analyzing confidence scores and metrics and enhancing the confidence calibration processes and tools associated with autonomous sensing frameworks. Candidate will help design, construct, and exercise scalable internal verification and validation frameworks for autonomous sensing systems.

The successful application will have experience in relevant technical areas such as image and signal processing, applied mathematics, software development, remote sensing, data exploitation, high-performance computing, statistics, algorithm development, and/or radar sensor data.

On any given day you may be called upon to

• Conduct analysis of sensor data collections employing advanced statistical methods and mathematical techniques to extract meaningful insights
• Identify and explore potential quantitative approaches for autonomous information extraction/analysis suitable for higher-confidence decision making.
• Develop algorithms that will enable the autonomous processing of multiple live sensor streams in real time, in both data center and edge environments.
• Implement and deploy high potential approaches in software, working closely with diverse teams of scientists and engineers from across Sandia and external partner organizations (government, academia, industry) that are designing and building multiple sensor systems, platforms, and ground stations.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite. Some travel is required for this position.

$102,400 - $199,700

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline in a relevant discipline, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain DOE Q and SCI level clearances.

The ideal R&D Computer Science candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will, in addition, possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science or a highly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Demonstrated software development skills and familiarity with modern software development practices and tools (e.g., Agile).
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary teams, and a passion to improve and expand technical skills.

Also, for this posting we are seeking individuals with the following experience:

• Experience working with radar or optical sensor-based measurements and exploitation.
• Ability to work successfully in a dynamic, interdisciplinary, teaming environment.
• Experience in analysis and algorithm development with large volumes of sensor data, including knowledge and experience in relevant programming languages such as Python, C, C++, MATLAB, etc.
• Experience designing and developing robust software solutions, utilizing software engineering best practices and programming to enhance data processing efficiency, user interface functionality, and overall system performance.
• Familiarity with data analytics and visualization, sensemaking, and multimodal data fusion.
• Experience utilizing Git workflows (or similar) and familiarity with best practices for collaborative development.
• Experience in traditional signal processing and digital signal processing techniques, including spectral analysis and Fourier analysis.
• Experience with image processing using computer vision frameworks (eg. OpenCV, ImageJ, ITK, scikit-image)
• Strong critical and creative thinking abilities with a proven capacity to analyze complex problems and develop innovative solutions as an effective member of a multidisciplinary team.
• Demonstrated ability to operate independently and make informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively through technical writing or presentations as evidenced by journal article publications, conference proceedings and presentation, white papers and technical reports, etc.
• Active DOE Q and/or SCI level clearance or equivalent.

The Autonomous Sensing & Perception Departments at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) specialize in developing and deploying quantitative methods for detecting, identifying, classifying, localizing, and contextualizing objects of interest across a variety of sensor data. This expertise spans a wide range of sensor modalities, including Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR), Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR), and Full Motion Video (FMV), among others. We leverage advanced algorithms that blend classical statistical methods with cutting-edge artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to create robust solutions for automated sensing applications.

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance and SCI access, both of which require US citizenship. SCI access may also require a polygraph examination. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain these levels of access may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

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If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.