Carnegie Mellon University · 2 days ago
Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist - Frontier Lab
Pittsburgh, PA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expCarnegie Mellon University is a leading institution in applied artificial intelligence research. The Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist in the Frontier Lab will conduct applied research and develop prototypes for government missions, collaborating across research and engineering disciplines while providing technical leadership.
EducationHigher EducationUniversities
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Execute work within the operational context—understanding users, workflows, constraints, success criteria, and outcomes—so technical decisions are grounded in real mission needs
Lead technical execution by defining technical tasking, sequencing work into realistic milestones, maintaining delivery quality, and delegating appropriately across the team
Design and run studies, build convincing prototypes and reference implementations, and produce evidence-backed insights that can be matured and transitioned into operational settings
Establish credible evaluation strategies and test pipelines that assess performance, robustness, reliability, and trustworthiness in mission-representative scenarios
Serve as the primary technical interface when appropriate; translate mission goals into measurable technical outcomes; communicate progress, decisions, and risks clearly to stakeholders
Proactively mentor junior staff and teammates, raising the bar for research rigor, engineering practice, and delivery habits across project teams
Maintain strong awareness of frontier developments aligned to the Frontier Lab, share insights with the lab, and help shape research directions and future work selection
Manage multiple priorities effectively, sustain steady execution cadence, and resolve blockers with minimal oversight
Build a strong research culture through internal talks, reading groups, and workshops; and engage with external AI/ML communities (professional societies, consortiums, working groups, and conferences) to strengthen collaboration pathways and keep the lab connected to emerging practice
Qualification
Required
BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Statistics, or related field with 10 years of relevant experience; OR MS with 8 years of relevant experience; OR PhD with 5 years of relevant experience
Deep expertise in one or more Frontier Lab-aligned areas (agentic systems, LLM reliability/evaluation, CV evaluation, robustness/assurance, TEVV pipelines, multimodal learning, edge ML)
Strong engineering capability – can build and maintain high-quality prototypes, evaluation infrastructure, and repeatable experimentation workflows
Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to represent technical work credibly to senior stakeholders
Demonstrated ability to lead technical workstreams and coordinate multi-person execution
Technical judgment: Makes sound architectural and methodological decisions; balances ambition with mission constraints
Customer translation: Converts mission needs into tractable technical plans, measurable success criteria, and credible evaluation evidence
Scientific leadership: Maintains rigor; identifies flawed assumptions; improves evaluation quality and research practices
Mentorship & influence: Elevates team performance through hands-on guidance and strong technical standards
Initiative: Proactively identifies risks/opportunities, proposes new work, and creates alignment without directive management
Self-direction and time management: Plans work effectively under ambiguity, maintains execution cadence, and escalates risks early
Flexible to travel to SEI offices in Pittsburgh, PA and Washington, DC / Arlington, VA, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings (~10% travel)
You must be able and willing to work onsite at an SEI office in Pittsburgh, PA or Arlington, VA 5 days per week
You will be subject to a background investigation and must be eligible to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance
Benefits
Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance
Generous retirement savings program with employer contributions
Tuition benefits
Ample paid time off and observed holidays
Life and accidental death and disability insurance
Free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass
Access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs
Fitness center access
Company
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university that offers degrees in technology, arts, and various other fields.
5001-10000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$488.58MKey Investors
ICANNAppalachian Regional CommissioneBPF Foundation
2025-05-29Grant· $0.45M
2024-09-05Grant· $0.5M
2024-08-29Grant· $0.05M
Leadership Team
Angela Blanton
Vice President for Finance and Chief Financial Officer
Amy Coutu
Assistant Vice President, Enterprise Applications
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