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POSITION SPECIFICS
Your working location will be fully on-site, located in State College, PA. This position may also require periodic travel to remote locations in support of testing. Questions related to flexible work should be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process.
We are seeking a highly motivated researcher to join our Comprehensive Software Solutions (CSS) Department at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State. CSS applies a wide variety of software concepts, techniques, and languages to solve challenging problems for ARL’s sponsors as well as internally for ARL’s needs. The ideal candidate will have a strong record of innovative research and a demonstrated ability to transition concepts into impactful technical capabilities especially with respect to Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Deep Learning (DL) and Generative AI but more specifically in the areas of adversarial, safe, and/or agentic AI.
ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.
You will:
Conduct advanced research in AI/ML, software engineering, computational systems, or related fields
Develop novel methods, models, and technologies that address emerging challenges with respect to AI relevant to our sponsor base
Communicate results through technical reports, publications, and presentations to stakeholders, scientists, and/or software engineers both within the laboratory and external sponsors
Contribute to publications, white papers, technical memos, and/or study plans especially in the field of AI/ML
Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to design, prototype, and evaluate mission‑focused solutions
Perform larger tasks individually or as part of a group, and leading tasks
Required skills/experience areas include:
Strong foundation in machine learning concepts, including supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning
Hands-on development of models using frameworks such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, or JAX
Proficiency in Python and scientific computing libraries (NumPy, Pandas, SciPy)
Data preprocessing, feature engineering, and working with structured and unstructured datasets
Solid understanding of statistics, probability, optimization, and linear algebra
Design and implemention deep neural networks, including CNNs, RNNs, or Transformer-based architectures
Familiarity with training and evaluating models on GPU-accelerated hardware
Ability to build reproducible experiments and maintain clear documentation
Integrating AI/ML models into software systems or prototypes
Best practices for model validation, benchmarking, and performance tuning
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to formulate research questions into practical ML tasks
Version control, testing, and modern software engineering practices
Ability to clearly communicate technical concepts to interdisciplinary teams
Demonstrated track record of research, publications, or impactful project contributions in AI/ML
Preferred skills/experience areas include:
Master’s or Doctorate degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Mathematics or a closely related field
Explainable AI,…