The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University · 1 day ago
Data Engineer – Data Architecture for Data Science & Machine Learning
University Park, PA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$109K/yr - $220K/yr
5+ years expThe Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University is seeking a Senior Data Engineer with expertise in database design and optimization to support data science and machine learning initiatives. The role involves architecting and optimizing data systems for efficient research and deployment of algorithms and applications.
Universities
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Design and maintain scalable, high-performance database solutions to support data science workflows and ML experimentation
Partner with data scientists to understand data access patterns and develop storage strategies that accelerate analysis and model training
Serve as the internal subject matter expert on PostgreSQL—including schema design, indexing, partitioning, and query optimization
Evaluate and integrate alternative database technologies (e.g., MongoDB, Neo4j, Redis, Cassandra) where they provide clear advantages
Lead efforts to optimize data pipelines for both structured and unstructured data used in algorithm development
Ensure data integrity, security, and governance across storage systems
Implement monitoring, automation, and performance-tuning tools for all database environments
Advise on data lifecycle management—balancing accessibility for R&D with efficiency and compliance requirements
Qualification
Required
5+ years of experience in data engineering, database architecture, or related technical roles
Expert-level proficiency in PostgreSQL (query tuning, schema design, indexing, partitioning, replication)
Strong understanding of data modeling, normalization vs. denormalization tradeoffs, and query optimization
Experience with non-relational databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra, Neo4j, Redis, or DynamoDB)
Familiarity with machine learning workflows and how data is consumed for training, evaluation, and deployment
Experience with cloud database services (AWS RDS/Aurora, GCP Cloud SQL, Azure Database)
Proficiency in SQL and one or more scripting languages (Python preferred)
Excellent communication and collaboration skills—comfortable working closely with data scientists, ML engineers, and software developers
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science (if filled as Research and Development Engineer - Principal Professional)
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science (if filled as Research and Development Engineer - Advanced Professional)
Bachelor's Degree - Engineering or Science (if filled as Research and Development Engineer - Senior Professional)
Preferred
Experience architecting hybrid data ecosystems spanning relational, NoSQL, and analytical databases
Knowledge of data lake, warehouse, and feature store architectures (e.g., Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, Feast)
Familiarity with ETL/ELT frameworks and data orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, dbt)
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Engineering, or a related field
Company
The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University
The Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State University is an integral part of one of the leading research universities in the nation.
1001-5000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
James Dromazos
CFO and Director of Business Services
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