Scientific Software Engineer - AI/ML for Hyperspectral Imaging

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s (Berkeley Lab) Advanced Light Source (ALS) Division has an opening for a Scientific Software Engineer specializing in AI/ML for hyperspectral imaging. This role advances AI-driven scientific discovery by developing machine learning methods and scalable data analysis tools for complex, high-dimensional scientific datasets.

The engineer will build and generalize segmentation, feature extraction, and modeling workflows, including development of a foundation model to extract scientific information from hyperspectral imaging data across infrared imaging, resonant soft X-ray scattering, tomography, and ptychography.

The Advanced Light Source is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national scientific user facility that produces exceptionally bright soft and hard x-ray, ultraviolet, and infrared light. With a strong scientific reputation, expert staff, and advanced capabilities, the ALS attracts thousands of academic and industrial users each year in condensed matter and quantum materials, energy sciences, biosciences, earth and planetary sciences and more.

The ALS is one of five Berkeley Lab user facilities that serve 15,000 users annually. Co-located with the Molecular Foundry, NERSC supercomputing center, and Berkeley Lab's materials, chemical sciences, biosciences, and other divisions, it provides an ideal collaborative environment for innovative scientific discoveries. 

The ALS is a global leader in soft x-ray science, and aims to maintain its leadership with ALS-U, a major project to upgrade the facility to a fourth-generation light source. This upgrade will position the facility among the brightest soft x-ray light sources in the world, offering capabilities that no other facility can provide.

Key responsibilities:

• Expand and generalize AI-driven segmentation and feature extraction workflows across multiple scientific modalities and domains.
• With general guidance, develop and apply specialized machine learning models for hyperspectral imaging data, serving as a key target domain for high-dimensional spectral–spatial analysis.
• Operating under broad direction, develop interfaces and data products that enable machine learning models to be integrated into higher-level automation and agent-based systems.
• Implement scalable pipelines that transform experimental data into structured, semantically meaningful scientific representations.
• Ensure reproducibility, traceability, and interoperability of software and AI workflows across systems and facilities.
• Collaborate with scientists and engineers to gather requirements, validate results, and translate scientific needs into software solutions.
• Design, test, deploy, and maintain robust software using modern development practices (e.g., CI/CD, version control, unit testing).
• Contribute to open-source projects, develop documentation, provide user support, and communicate work through presentations.

Required qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 2 years of related experience; or an advanced degree without experience (Master’s or PhD); or equivalent years of work experience.
• Experience with the open-source scientific Python ecosystem (e.g., NumPy, PyTorch, TensorFlow, scikit-learn).
• Hands-on experience analyzing complex scientific datasets, including imaging, multivariate, multimodal, multichannel, or volumetric data.
• Hands-on experience developing, training, or applying AI/ML models, including segmentation methods, for scientific data analysis.
• Experience developing or contributing to software projects, including collaborative or open-source development.
• Experience building or maintaining data analysis pipelines or scientific workflows.
• Ability to work collaboratively with a team of scientists and engineers.
• Knowledge of AI/ML principles and data analysis methods relevant to complex scientific data, including segmentation, feature extraction, model training, validation, and interpretation.
• Knowledge of GPU acceleration and performance profiling for large scale workflows
• Demonstrated ability to design and evaluate workflows for processing, analyzing, and representing complex scientific imaging and high-dimensional data.
• Proficiency to validate data quality, model outputs, and workflow results against technical and scientific expectations.
• Proven capability to develop, test, debug, document, and maintain reproducible software and machine learning workflows.
• Effectiveness in communicating technical results clearly, both in writing and verbally, to interdisciplinary audiences.
• Flexibility and capacity to learn new scientific domains, data modalities, tools, and computational techniques within evolving project timelines.

Desired skills/knowledge:

• Experience with hyperspectral scientific datasets.
• Experience with High-Performance Computing (HPC) environments.
• Experience with MLOps tools such as MLflow.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., GitHub Actions).
• Familiarity with hyperspectral imaging data.
• Familiarity with agent-based or AI orchestration frameworks (e.g., LLM-based or multi-agent systems).

Additional information:

• Application date: Priority consideration will be given to candidates who apply by June 16, 2026. Applications will be accepted until the job posting is removed.
• Appointment type: This is a full-time 2 year, term appointment with the possibility of extension or conversion to Career appointment based upon satisfactory job performance, continuing availability of funds and ongoing operational needs.
• Salary range: The expected salary for this position is $104,580 - $116,184, which depends upon the candidate’s skills, knowledge, and abilities. This includes education, certifications, and years of experience.
• Background check: This position is subject to a background check. Any convictions will be evaluated to determine if they directly relate to the responsibilities and requirements of the position. Having a conviction history will not automatically disqualify an applicant from being considered for employment.
• Work modality: This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule - a combination of teleworking and performing work on site at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA. Individuals working a hybrid schedule must reside within 150 miles of Berkeley Lab.

Want to learn more about working at Berkeley Lab? Please visit: careers.lbl.gov

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer: The foundation of Berkeley Lab is our Stewardship Values: Team Science, Service, Trust, Innovation, and Respect; and we strive to build community with these shared values and commitments. Berkeley Lab is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We heartily welcome applications from all who could contribute to the Lab's mission of leading scientific discovery, excellence, and professionalism. In support of our rich global community, all qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories under State and Federal law.

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct, are currently being investigated for misconduct, left a position during an investigation for alleged misconduct, or have filed an appeal with a previous employer.