Software Scientist (Scientist 1/2)
- Req. Number: IRC143498
- Organization : PSS-2/Operational Safety & Compliance Programs
- City, State: Los Alamos, New Mexico
- Recruiter Name: Daniel, Sumpter Tyler (Tyler)
- Recruiter Email: sdaniel@lanl.gov
What You Will Do
Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently seeking a highly motivated scientist to develop advanced data and robotics systems that enable next-generation experimental science. This role focuses on designing and implementing scalable data ingestion and integration pipelines that unify diverse datasets from sensors, laboratory instrumentation, and robotic platforms.
The successful candidate will build and maintain robust software solutions (primarily in Python and C++) for real-time data acquisition, tracking, and analysis, while developing control frameworks for robotic systems to automate experimental workflows. Responsibilities include enabling closed-loop experimentation by integrating data systems with robotics, allowing analytical results to dynamically guide experiment execution.
This position also involves creating scalable services and APIs for data logging, experiment tracking, and system monitoring across distributed environments. The candidate will contribute to technical publications, software releases, and presentations that advance autonomous experimentation and the integration of computation, data, and robotics.
Salary Range:
Scientist 1: $96,600 to $158,000
Scientist 2: 106,400 to $176,000
#shiftwork
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements: For full consideration, applicants must submit a comprehensive cover letter and resume that addresses the key requirements of the position below.
Scientist 2: In addition to all the Scientist 1 Job requirements.
Desired Qualifications:
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Work Schedule: This position may/will require 24/7 coverage, which could/will involve working a shift/weekend schedule. Employees may be eligible for the shift differential pay when assigned by their manager. Shift/weekend assignments are at the discretion of the manager.
Position Commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.
Note to Applicants: Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
Additional Details
Directive 206.2: Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.
New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Regular Position: Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to regular status.
Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505)-664-6947 opt. 3.
Los Alamos National Laboratory is currently seeking a highly motivated scientist to develop advanced data and robotics systems that enable next-generation experimental science. This role focuses on designing and implementing scalable data ingestion and integration pipelines that unify diverse datasets from sensors, laboratory instrumentation, and robotic platforms.
The successful candidate will build and maintain robust software solutions (primarily in Python and C++) for real-time data acquisition, tracking, and analysis, while developing control frameworks for robotic systems to automate experimental workflows. Responsibilities include enabling closed-loop experimentation by integrating data systems with robotics, allowing analytical results to dynamically guide experiment execution.
This position also involves creating scalable services and APIs for data logging, experiment tracking, and system monitoring across distributed environments. The candidate will contribute to technical publications, software releases, and presentations that advance autonomous experimentation and the integration of computation, data, and robotics.
Salary Range:
Scientist 1: $96,600 to $158,000
Scientist 2: 106,400 to $176,000
#shiftwork
What You Need
Minimum Job Requirements: For full consideration, applicants must submit a comprehensive cover letter and resume that addresses the key requirements of the position below.
- Education/Experience for Scientist 1: Position requires a Bachelor's d degree in a STEM field from an accredited college or university and 2 years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience directly related to the occupation.
- Education/Experience for Scientist 2: Positions requires a Bachelor' degree in a STEM field from an accredited college and university and 4 years of related experience, typically with post-doctoral research experience at a university or national lab or equivalent experience directly related to the occupation.
- Programming & Software Engineering:
- Proven ability to develop production-quality software (≥ 2 years) in Python and/or C++.
- Experience with software architecture, version control, testing, and performance optimization.
- Familiarity with APIs, distributed systems, and asynchronous processing.
- Data Systems & Integration:
- Experience building data-ingestion pipelines and integrating heterogeneous data sources (sensors, instruments, robotics logs).
- Familiarity with databases (SQL/NoSQL), streaming systems, and data-model design.
- Robotics & Control Systems:
- Hands-on experience with robotic systems, including motion planning, kinematics, actuation, and control loops.
- Familiarity with robotics frameworks and hardware/software integration.
- Automation & Experiment Orchestration:
- Experience developing automated workflows that coordinate instrumentation, robotics, and data collection.
- Ability to design systems for reproducibility, scheduling, and real-time control.
- Systems Integration:
- Experience interfacing software with physical systems (sensors, actuators, embedded systems).
- Ability to debug across software-hardware boundaries.
- Teamwork:
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment spanning computation, robotics, and experimental science.
- Communication:
- Strong written and oral communication skills, with the ability to present complex systems and results to diverse audiences.
Scientist 2: In addition to all the Scientist 1 Job requirements.
- Proven ability to develop production-quality software (≥ 5 years) in Python and/or C++.
- Experience with AI/ML models (e.g., Detectron 2).
- Engineered software experience in automation/electro-mechanical systems.
- Develop scope for tasks and goals under defined project milestones and complete relevant to customer needs.
- Lead business and technical discussions with customers.
- Engage in scientific community including created/participation in professional societies, presentations at conferences, and meetings.
- Actively participates in proposal development and mentoring of students.
Desired Qualifications:
- An educational background in Computer Science or Robotics.
- Experience with real-time systems, control theory, or embedded programming.
- Familiarity with experiment tracking frameworks and data provenance systems.
- Experience developing closed-loop or autonomous experimental platforms.
- A background in machine learning for control, perception, or adaptive experimentation.
- Experience with simulation environments for robotics or digital twins.
- Record of publications, open-source contributions, or deployed systems.
- Experience working in DOE, national labs, or large-scale research environments.
- An active DOE Q-level clearance.
Work Location: The work location for this position is onsite and located in Los Alamos, NM. All work locations are at the discretion of management.
Work Schedule: This position may/will require 24/7 coverage, which could/will involve working a shift/weekend schedule. Employees may be eligible for the shift differential pay when assigned by their manager. Shift/weekend assignments are at the discretion of the manager.
Position Commitment: Regular appointment employees are required to serve a period of continuous service in their current position in order to be eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the time required, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. The position commitment for this position is 1 year.
Note to Applicants: Due to federal restrictions contained in the current National Defense Authorization Act, citizens of the People's Republic of China-including the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau-as well as citizens of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), and the Russian Federation, who are not Lawful Permanent Residents ("green card" holders) are prohibited from accessing facilities that support the mission, functions, and operations of national security laboratories and nuclear weapons production facilities, which includes Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Where You Will Work
Located in beautiful northern New Mexico, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in strategic science on behalf of national security. Our generous benefits package includes:
- PPO or High-Deductible medical insurance with the same large nationwide network
- Dental and Vision insurance
- Free basic life and disability insurance
- Paid childbirth and parental leave
- Award-winning 401(k) (6% matching plus 3.5% annually)
- Learning opportunities and tuition assistance
- Flexible schedules and time off (PTO and holidays)
- Onsite gyms and wellness programs
- Extensive relocation packages (outside a 50-mile radius)
Additional Details
Directive 206.2: Employment with Triad requires a favorable decision by NNSA indicating employee is suitable under NNSA Supplemental Directive 206.2. Please note that this requirement applies only to citizens of the United States. Foreign nationals are subject to a similar requirement under DOE Order 142.3A.
Clearance: Q (Position will be cleared to this level). Selected applicants will be subject to a background investigation conducted by or on behalf of the Federal Government and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance and obtaining such clearance requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon the position, additional authorization to access classified information may be required, which may or may not be available to dual citizens. Receipt of a Q clearance and additional access authorization ultimately is a decision of the Federal Government and not of Triad.
*Eligibility requirements: To obtain a clearance, an individual must be at least 18 years of age; U.S. citizenship is required except in very limited circumstances. See DOE Order 472.2 for additional information.
New-Employment Drug Test: The Laboratory requires successful applicants to complete a new-employment drug test and maintains a substance abuse policy that includes random drug testing. Although New Mexico and other states have legalized the use of marijuana, use and possession of marijuana remain illegal under federal law. A positive drug test for marijuana will result in termination of employment, even if the use was pre-offer.
Regular Position: Term status Laboratory employees applying for regular-status positions are converted to regular status.
Internal Applicants: Regular appointment employees who have served the required period of continuous service in their current position are eligible to apply for posted jobs throughout the Laboratory. If an employee has not served the required period of continuous service, they may only apply for Laboratory jobs with the documented approval of their Division Leader. Please refer to Policy P701 for applicant eligibility requirements.
Equal Opportunity: Los Alamos National Laboratory is an equal opportunity employer. All employment practices are based on qualification and merit, without regard to protected categories such as race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status or spousal affiliation, physical or mental disability, medical conditions, pregnancy, status as a protected veteran, genetic information, or citizenship within the limits imposed by applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations.
The Laboratory is also committed to making our workplace accessible to individuals with disabilities and will provide reasonable accommodations, upon request, for individuals to participate in the application and hiring process. To request such an accommodation, please send an email to applyhelp@lanl.gov or call (505)-664-6947 opt. 3.
