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Applied Natural Language Processing Postdoctoral Researcher

Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a multidisciplinary research institution engaged in science and engineering on behalf of national security. You will work with the Information Systems and Modeling group on novel data science projects that make extensive use of analysis on large text corpora, including social media, news articles, journal articles, blog posts, reports, and more. Team members will support and enrich your research and professional goals through their outstanding breadth and depth of expertise in their respective fields. Our vibrant team of researchers is diverse across many spectrums, and we welcome people who are excited to work with an amazing team to help solve problems impacting our country and the world. The overarching goal of our research is to gain insights into human behavior using various text-based data sources and incorporate these insights into predictive models.

You will work with a multidisciplinary team of mathematicians, statisticians, remote sensing experts, biologists, physicists, and computer scientists in effort to build models of human dynamics using various internet data. Project components include data collection and curation, feature extraction, feature selection, time series modeling, and data fusion. You will have access to ample high-performance computing resources. A self-motivated, creative postdoc will find this environment conducive to intellectual and professional growth. A comprehensive knowledge of the novel components of the research activities will not be necessary as on-the-job training will support your success through a collaborative team atmosphere. Our team supports and is looking for candidates who are diverse from multiple perspectives.

What You Need

Minimum Job Requirements:
  • Experience conducting research in the field of natural language processing, including novel methods development or novel applications
  • An ability to work and communicate effectively in a diverse team environment
  • Proficiency in a programming language
  • A Ph.D. earned no more than five years ago in a related field
  • Ability and desire to obtain Q and SCI clearances, which typically require U.S. citizenship
Desired Qualifications:
  • Proficiency with Python or R
  • Proficiency with modern open-source NLP and machine learning toolkits (e.g., NLTK, MALLET, gensim, CoreNLP, PyTorch, TensorFlow, GATE, OpenNLP, topicmodeling, tidytext)
  • Proficiency with tools and workflows for modern software development (e.g., Git, GitLab/GitHub, unit/integration tests, Docker)
  • Experience conducting NLP research as a part of a multidisciplinary team
  • Publications in refereed journals and a history of successful research in collaborative team environments
  • Experience working with real-world text corpora
  • Experience working with "big" datasets
  • Experience with high-performance computing platforms
  • Experience with cloud computing platforms

Location: This position will be physically located in Los Alamos, NM.

COVID Vaccine:

The COVID vaccine is mandatory for all Laboratory employees, on-site contractors, and on-site subcontractors unless granted an accommodation under applicable state or federal law. This requirement will apply to those working on-site, those teleworking, and all new hires.

Note to Applicants:

Send a curriculum vitae including names and contact information of three references, a cover letter detailing qualifications and research interests, and your earliest start date to Geoffrey Fairchild at gfairchild@lanl.gov. Please use this subject line: "Applied Natural Language Processing (NLP) Postdoctoral Researcher". Applications will be reviewed as received, and we hope to fill the positions as soon as possible. Additional questions may be included in your email. Be sure to also officially apply using the link on this page.

Candidates may be considered for a Director's Fellowship and outstanding candidates may be considered for the prestigious Marie Curie, Richard P. Feynman, or J. Robert Oppenheimer fellowships. For general information related to the Postdoc Program, salary, and benefits, go to: http://www.lanl.gov/careers/career-options/postdoctoral-research/index.php. Salary ranges can be found at https://www.lanl.gov/careers/career-options/postdoctoral-research/postdoc-program/postdoc-salary-guidelines.php.

The position will ultimately require relocation to the Los Alamos/Santa Fe area. Los Alamos and Santa Fe offer a unique blend of cultural, outdoor, and historical activities. See https://livability.com/nm/los-alamos/experiences-adventures/8-reasons-to-move-to-los-alamos-nm and https://www.lanl.gov/community/visitors/living-in-los-alamos.php for more info.
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 (paid sick, vacation, 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.

Q Clearance: Applicants selected will be subject to a Federal background investigation and must meet eligibility requirements* for access to classified matter. This position requires a Q clearance which requires US Citizenship except in extremely rare circumstances. Dependent upon position, additional authorization to access nuclear weapons information may be required that may or may not be available to dual citizens depending upon the circumstances.

*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.