Data Scientist

We are looking for a qualified individual to join the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) at the Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) in San Diego, CA. This Direct Hire Public Notice is open to recent graduates, and applicants must apply to both this and the relevant vacancy announcement to be considered for both positions. Please read the entire notice before submitting your application.

Requirements

The qualification requirements for this position are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS: This position has a positive Education Requirement in addition to at least one year of Specialized Experience, or the substitution of education for experience, or a combination of both, to meet the minimum qualifications. Transcripts must be submitted with your application package.

EDUCATION:

• A. Degree: Mathematics, statistics, computer science, data science, or a related field at least at the baccalaureate level.
• B. Combination of Education and Experience: 30 semester hours of courses equivalent to a major field of study as stated in A, plus additional education or appropriate experience.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

• One year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade level (ZP-2 or GS-09) in Federal Service, which must include:
• Designing or implementing AI and machine learning models for analyzing or interpreting optical imagery data.
• Developing automated workflows using Python or C++.
• Maintaining application software and data management tools.
• Alternatively, a substitution of education is acceptable, which involves three years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or an equivalent doctoral degree.
• A combination of education and experience may also qualify.

The Ecosystem Science Division at SWFSC seeks candidates with broad interests in developing and applying AI/ML tools to advance understanding of ocean ecology and ecosystem dynamics. The selected individual will develop cloud-based pipelines for AI/ML processing of various optical imagery and acoustic data.

This role involves collaboration with ecologists and oceanographers to assess the ecological impacts of fishing, climate change in the Antarctic, and offshore wind development in the California Current. The team operates an expanding fleet of autonomous systems, including aerial and underwater vehicles equipped with optical and acoustic instruments to study ocean ecosystems. While the current focus is on using shadowgraph and other camera systems to image plankton, the diversity of instruments and measurements collected provides ample opportunities to develop and utilize AI/ML tools.