PhD Data Scientist for National Security Analytics

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a PhD graduate with expertise in statistics to perform quantitative tasks for defense and national security applications. You will join a diverse team of engineers, statisticians, data scientists, and analysts advancing performance evaluation of strategic weapons systems across their lifecycle.

You will contribute to developing data collection, processing, and analysis pipelines, and communicate results through papers and

Qualifications

• PhD in Data Science, Statistics, Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science or a related field.
• Strong foundations in statistical inference, probability, statistical modeling, and experimental design.
• Experience using Python, R, or similar languages for quantitative analysis.
• Experience with modern statistical and computational methods for sparse, noisy, or high-dimensional data.

Responsibilities

• Work with multi-disciplinary teams to support data collection, processing, and analysis efforts for defense applications.
• Develop and evaluate statistical models, including uncertainty quantification, inference, forecasting, and decision support.
• Apply statistical reasoning to data-driven studies and justify method choices (Bayesian vs. frequentist).
• Quantify and communicate uncertainty, assumptions, and limitations to support decision making.
• Communicate technical knowledge through papers and presentations to technical staff and government decision makers.
• Leverage internal funding opportunities to shape future research directions.

Skills

Python

R

Bayesian methods

Statistical modeling

Experimental design

Education

PhD in Data Science/Statistics/Physics/Mathematics/Computer Science or related field

Tools

Stan/PyMC

SciPy

Job description

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a PhD graduate with expertise in statistics to perform quantitative tasks for defense and national security applications. You will join a diverse team of engineers, statisticians, data scientists, and analysts advancing performance evaluation of strategic weapons systems across their lifecycle.

You will contribute to developing data collection, processing, and analysis pipelines, and communicate results through papers and