Junior Data Scientist

ASRC Federal is a leading government contractor furthering missions in space, public health and defense. As an Alaska Native owned corporation, our work helps secure an enduring future for our shareholders. Join our team and discover why we are a top veteran employer and Certified Great Place to Work

ASRC Federal AFSS is a premier provider of systems engineering, software engineering, system integration and project management services for real-time, mission-critical defense systems. We are seeking a Data Scientist / Machine Learning to provide junior-level support a NASA contract in Greenbelt, MD.

Responsibilities:

Position Overview:

Seeking a Data Scientist or Machine Learning with proven experience in developing advanced machine learning models, statistical analysis, and multimodal data systems for large, complex datasets. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in Python-based modeling, deep learning, computer vision, and natural language processing, with demonstrated success in both academic and research environments, including NASA projects.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop, implement, and optimize machine learning and deep learning models for scientific and real-world applications, including vision-language systems and multimodal architectures.
• Construct and manage large-scale datasets (e.g., image-text pairs) for model training and evaluation.
• Design and execute multi-stage inference pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and fine-tuning strategies to improve model reliability and accuracy.
• Apply statistical modeling and time series forecasting techniques (e.g., SARIMA, LSTM) to predict trends in domains such as sustainable aviation fuels and green hydrogen.
• Analyze complex datasets using regression, NLP, and quantitative methods to extract actionable insights for policy and research.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including NASA scientists and academic researchers, to disseminate findings through publications and presentations.
• Author technical documentation and present diagnostics and results at conferences and symposiums.
• Teach and mentor students in data analytics and computer science, developing supplementary materials and project-based modules.
• Additional duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Statistics, or related discipline.
• Strong programming skills: Python, R, SQL, MATLAB, SAS, HTML/CSS; experience with PyTorch, TensorFlow, Linux, Git.
• Expertise in machine learning, deep learning, time series forecasting, statistical modeling, computer vision, NLP, and multimodal learning.
• Experience with data preprocessing, feature engineering, data visualization, and quantitative analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to build scalable data pipelines and process large, unstructured datasets.
• Excellent communication skills, with experience presenting technical findings to diverse audiences.
• Individual must meet government NAC and citizenship/permanent residency requirements for access to NASA GSFC. Extensive background investigation will be performed as a requirement of the job. Some travel may be required.

Preferred Experience:

• Research experience in academic or government settings (e.g., NASA).
• Experience developing vision-language models and multimodal neural network architectures.
• Prior teaching or mentoring experience in computer science or data analytics.
• Publications or presentations at scientific conferences.

We invest in the lives of our employees, both in and out of the workplace, by providing competitive pay and benefits packages. Benefits offered may include health care, dental, vision, life insurance; 401(k); education assistance; paid time off including PTO, holidays, and any other paid leave required by law. The salary offered will depend on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience, skills, education, geographic location, internal equity, business needs, and other factors permitted by law. Posted pay ranges are a general guideline only and are not a guarantee of compensation or salary.

EEO Statement

ASRC Federal and its Subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, gender, color, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, religion, marital status, ancestry, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.