Lead Scientist

Every day, we go above and beyond to solve complex problems, making a difference for our nation. We do this by bringing together smart, curious people with diverse life experiences who collaborate creatively to achieve innovative technological breakthroughs.

The Lead Scientist will complete analyses and develop solutions to complex research problems, requiring creativity and novel design, including investigation of existing algorithms and models for the development of new approaches to solve complex problems for military and intelligence community customers.

We are seeking talented R&D Scientists to tackle challenging problems in Defense at the intersection of AI and the physical sciences. The ideal candidate combines a strong foundation in mathematics, physics, engineering, or a related quantitative discipline with hands-on experience developing and evaluating AI/ML methods. The role will focus on extracting meaningful information from complex physical measurements and data, with applications spanning signal processing, multi-sensor fusion, detection and classification, and data-driven modeling of physical systems.

Day to Day Responsibilities

The following will be performed with limited strategic guidance:

• Investigate fundamental topics in multiple scientific fields such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, game theory, cognitive systems, data science, population modeling, signal processing and select, improve, or create computational models, to address the application
• Lead teams of two or more Scientists, Engineers, and Programmers, including identifying, assigning, and completing research and development tasks appropriate to each member of the team
• Lead / participate in teams involving subcontractors and prime contractors
• Provide leadership role in working with a project / proposal team to identify the research approaches, hypotheses to be tested, and program milestones to achieve all program objectives
• Facilitate collaboration across the team to ensure software design achieves all research objectives
• Design statistically valid experiments to test and validate resulting computational models
• Analyze the results of the experiments using sound scientific principles
• Establish and maintain a professional rapport with all project stakeholders
• Additional project and proposal role duties as assigned

Additional Responsibilities

• Occasional travel to attend and present at customer meetings and essential industry conferences
• Prepare technical briefing materials and technical reports that summarize technical work and progress of projects
• Leadership role in collaboration with company leadership and senior technical staff to conduct proposal research and proposal writing
• Publish technical papers based on original or improved algorithms created to solve the application challenges
• Maintain high standards at work, continuously looking for solutions to improve processes and products
• Develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside and outside the organization to achieve Boston Fusion business goals
• Demonstrate personal accountability, effective work habits, integrity, and ethical behavior that align with Boston Fusion corporate values
• May perform other duties as required

Required Education and Experience

• Master's with 6+ years of experience; PhD with 4+ years of experience
• Excellent communication, writing and presentation skills
• Ability to work under minimal direction
• Ability to work independently and as well collaborate with team members
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage time effectively
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills

Required Technical Qualifications

Demonstrates strong competency in every category and a mastery of at least one category:

• Implementation experience with the multiple modeling and analysis techniques, including machine learning, operations research, optimization, control theory, probabilistic modeling, etc.
• Theoretical knowledge of mathematical principles which underlie these modeling methods
• Demonstrated competency in implementing algorithms in standard programming languages such as Python, Java, C++
• Demonstrated competency using sound software development techniques, e.g., testing, documentation, source control

Preferred Technical Qualifications

Demonstrates strong competency in at least one category:

• Machine learning frameworks (e.g., Scikit-learn, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Keras) and concepts (e.g., supervised, unsupervised, active, and reinforcement learning; neural networks; generative, discriminative models)
• Classical applied probabilistic, mathematical, and/or artificial intelligence methods (planning, searching, logic, uncertain knowledge, probabilistic reasoning, natural language processing)
• Signal / Sensor / Image Processing, Game simulation, cognitive systems, human-machine systems (including robots)

Preferred Domain Knowledge

• 6+ years of experience applying technology to US Department of Defense and/or Intelligence Community problems, including but not limited to the following: counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, unconventional warfare, command and control, training, logistics, unmanned vehicles/ISR, information operations, missile defense, cyber operations, space operations, biosecurity, maritime operations

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods sitting at a desk and working on a computer in a hybrid working arrangement.
• Ability to travel (ground and air) several times per month, with overnight stays as required.

Work Authorization/Security Clearance Requirements

U.S. citizenship and active DoD secret security clearance (REQUIRED)

Boston Fusion is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.