Assistant Research Scientist (PREP0005263)

Johns Hopkins, founded in 1876, is America's first research university and home to nine world-class academic divisions working together as one university. Salary : $20-$24 per hour Johns Hopkins University: Whiting School of Engineering: Office of Research and Translation Description PREP Research Associate This position is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Professional Research Experience Program (PREP). NIST recognizes that its research staff may want to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest and, therefore, requires those institutions to be recipients of a PREP award. The PREP program involves staff from a wide range of backgrounds conducting scientific research across various fields. Individuals in this position will perform technical work supporting the collaboration's scientific research. Research Title Computer Scientist ZP-II/NIST GenAI program The work will entail This position involves providing development support for various activities in the Information Access Division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specifically, the work will support NIST GenAI evaluation series ( ). The candidate will contribute to the development of AI evaluations that support evaluation series in various modalities (such as text, voice, image, video, and code) under the NIST GenAI program. This role includes contributing to implementation of an evaluation infrastructure, designing a database schema, and performing related evaluation tasks. The candidate will also provide technical expertise in activities related to deepfakes (image, audio, and video), which include creating a project plan, developing and distributing specialized tools, generating evaluation data, and conducting evaluation series. Additionally, they will contribute to reports that align with the program's objectives. The candidate will actively participate in NIST measurement science and engage in cutting-edge research and evaluation in the field of Generative AI technologies. U.S. citizen preferred Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to Installing, developing and deploying software for executing AI and ML based systems, with a large dataset on a GPU-accelerated cluster Conducting image/audio/video evaluation series in advancing generative AI technologies Conducting experimental design and dataset curation Developing baseline algorithms in generative AI Upgrading, maintaining, and continuously developing existing NIST GenAI software and evaluation infrastructure Managing data, such as querying and translating data formats/specifications Designing and deploying agentic AI evaluation metrics and frameworks to assess agent performance, dynamic planning, tool use accuracy, and error recovery behaviors in complex multi-step workflows as well as multi-agent systems Developing standardized baseline agent architectures to serve as control benchmarks within the NIST GenAI framework Qualifications Strong proficiency in a mainstream programming language used in scientific and networking domains such as Python, Java, JavaScript, ruby, R, C, C++ or Rust. Basic proficiency with networking technologies and REST based applications Proficiency in shell scripting (Bash, Zsh, etc.) Basic proficiency with virtualization and cloud technology stacks (f.e. docker, compose, kubernetes, AWS) Computer Vision and Signal Processing fundamentals (f.e. audio pre-processing, morphological filters) Scientific Data Visualization and Analysis fundamentals Practical experience with agentic design patterns and modern orchestration frameworks Familiarity with structured output enforcement (JSON Schema), dynamic tool interfaces, and emerging interoperability standards (e.g., Model Context Protocol / MCP) Familiarity with agentic evaluation frameworks and benchmarks for autonomous performance Mastery of the principles, practices, methods in a specialty of a technical professional field (in science, computer science, software engineering, information technology, mathematics, or related field) Background Checks After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate's conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. The University is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors or demographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the program involved. 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