R&D Laboratory Support Technologist - AI/ML Hyperspectral Image Analysis, 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:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacation, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov

*These benefits vary by job classification.

We are seeking a R&D Laboratory Support Technologist to join our team.

Government agencies such as DARPA, IARPA, and the Department of War, as well as commercial partners ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, turn to us to develop next-generation sensor and computational technologies to solve critical national security and commercial challenges. Our multi-disciplinary team of biologists, physicists, chemists, engineers, and computer scientists produces many patents, talks, and publications each year. We are seeking to hire a technologist to support the development of next-generation imaging capabilities for key government applications.

On any given day, you may be called on to:

• Develop, implement, and maintain preprocessing and analysis pipelines for hyperspectral imaging data, with an emphasis on identifying spectral signatures in plant imagery and related datasets.
• Design, train, and evaluate deep learning models for classification of hyperspectral images to support plant phenotype identification.
• Apply machine learning and deep learning methods to extract features from multimodal datasets, including imaging, omics, and LiDAR data, and integrate those features through fusion approaches to reduce false positives and improve classification performance.
• Perform data analysis to extract meaningful information from spectral and hyperspectral imaging datasets and communicate findings to technical stakeholders.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary researchers to support development, validation, and deployment of analytical methods and models.

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

$63,800 - $123,400

*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 Computer Science, Mathematics, or other relevant technical field; or equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience.
• Experience programming in Python.
• Experience applying machine learning and deep learning methods to biological image analysis.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a DOE Q-level security clearance.
  

• Demonstrated experience understanding and extracting information from complex imaging or spectral datasets.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Python for scientific computing and machine learning applications.
• Experience with PyTorch, NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, and Matplotlib.
• Experience developing tools and workflows for signal processing, hyperspectral image preprocessing, analysis, and computer vision.
• Familiarity with Git-based software development practices, high-performance computing environments, and efficient/scalable code development, including the use AI Agents.
• Working knowledge of large language models, multimodal data fusion, and emerging AI methods.
• Experience with plant image analysis, plant phenotyping, or related biological imaging applications.
• Understanding of the national laboratory environment and its mission, including experience applying technical approaches to challenging scientific, engineering, or national security problems.

The Biological and Chemical Sensors Department at Sandia National Laboratories specializes in miniature sensors and sensor-based system for a variety of sensing applications including chemical, biological, and explosives. These sensors and systems can be built into wearable, handheld, UAV, or fixed/installed formats. We have a strong emphasis on nano, micro, and mesoscale fabrication in our R&D including the capability to integrate custom electronics developed in Sandia's MESA facility. We also have state-of-the-art microbiology capabilities to aid in biological sensor development. Our technologies are designed to be non-invasive or minimally invasive, and easy to use in the field or at the point of care.

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, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance 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 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.

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

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.

This Limited Term Employee (LTE) position is a temporary position for one year term, which may be renewed at Sandia's discretion up to a maximum of seven years.

Individuals in LTE positions may bid on regular Sandia positions as internal candidates, and in some cases may be converted to regular career positions during their term if warranted by ongoing operational needs, continuing availability of funds, and satisfactory job performance.