Postdoctoral Research Associate, AI Biosecurity Evaluation and Study Design

University of Virginia; Charlottesville (VA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

UVA Health Plan

Vision coverage

Dental plan

Life insurance

Disability benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

University of Virginia invites applications for a research position to design, execute, and analyze a large paired human-subjects study linking AI biosecurity benchmarks to protocol-design tasks. The role reports to the Associate Professor and collaborates with cross-disciplinary investigators and a lab partner.

The candidate will contribute to a parallel machine unlearning effort, manage participant data, and help prepare manuscripts with open releases while ensuring IRB compliance.

Qualifications

• PhD in data science, statistics, biostatistics, psychometrics, or related field completed by the time of hire.
• Experience designing and analyzing human subjects studies, including power analysis and study design.
• Strong statistical programming in R or Python, with mixed-effects or hierarchical modeling.
• Working knowledge of molecular biology or microbiology to evaluate protocols and collaborate with lab scientists.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day execution of the paired evaluation study, including benchmark administration and participant scheduling.
• Develop scoring rubrics and instruments for protocol-design and troubleshooting tasks.
• Run mixed-effects analyses to relate benchmark scores to real-world task performance with uncertainty estimates.
• Produce the benchmark validity report and crosswalk/calibration framework.
• Contribute to machine unlearning and model editing analyses, including within-subject comparisons of model variants.
• Prepare manuscripts and documentation for open release and support IRB compliance.

Skills

Study design

Statistical programming

Power analysis

Education

PhD or equivalent in data science/biostatistics/psychometrics

Tools

PyTorch

Hugging Face

Job description

About the School

University of Virginia School of Data Science, the first of its kind in the nation, advances discovery, innovation, and societal impact through collaborative, open, and responsible data science research and education. Founded in 2019, the School brings together expertise across business, computation, engineering, humanities, law, mathematics, social sciences, and statistics to address complex, real‑world challenges. Its academic offerings include a B.S. in Data Science, an undergraduate minor, residential and online M.S. in Data Science programs, and a Ph.D. in Data Science, all designed to prepare students for a rapidly evolving data‑driven world.

About the Position

This position leads the design, execution, and analysis of a large paired human‑subjects study that links AI biosecurity benchmark scores to performance on realistic biological protocol‑design and troubleshooting tasks. The researcher reports to Associate Professor Stephen D. Turner and coordinates closely with co‑investigators Tom Hartvigsen and Chirag Agarwal, and a laboratory partner. The role draws on study design, psychometric and statistical analysis, and management of participant data collection. The researcher will also contribute to a parallel machine unlearning effort, supporting measurement of how capability‑mitigation methods affect both benchmark scores and real‑world task performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day execution of the paired evaluation study, including benchmark administration, participant recruitment and scheduling, and coordination with the laboratory partner on protocol intake and outcome reporting
• Develop scoring rubrics and instruments for protocol‑design, feasibility, and troubleshooting tasks
• Build and run mixed‑effects and item‑level analyses that estimate how benchmark scores predict real‑world task performance, with quantified uncertainty
• Produce the benchmark validity report and the benchmark‑to‑task crosswalk and calibration framework
• Contribute to the machine unlearning and model editing components through safety‑utility analyses, including within‑subject comparisons of model variants on shared task batteries
• Prepare manuscripts, preprints, and documentation for open release, and support IRB compliance and data quality

Minimum Qualifications

• Doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in data science, statistics, biostatistics, psychometrics, quantitative psychology, a biological or biomedical science, or a related field, completed at the time of hire
• Experience designing and analyzing human subjects studies, including power analysis and study design
• Strong statistical programming in R or Python, including mixed‑effects or hierarchical modeling
• Working knowledge of molecular biology or microbiology sufficient to evaluate biological protocols and collaborate with laboratory scientists

Preferred Qualifications

• Research experience in biosecurity, biodefense, or dual‑use risk assessment
• Familiarity with AI or large language model evaluation, benchmarking, or psychometric validation of model capabilities
• Experience with machine learning tooling such as PyTorch or Hugging Face Transformers, and with model finetuning workflows
• Prior work under IRB oversight and with controlled or sensitive data
• Record of open‑source software or reproducible‑research practices
• Experience coordinating academic‑industry or multi‑site research collaborations

Benefits

• UVA Health Plan: choice between 3 different health plans
• Vision coverage
• Dental plan
• Benefit savings plans
• Life insurance
• Disability benefits
• Paid time off: starting with 22 days of time off per year, 12 or more holidays, 8 weeks parental leave

Education Benefits

• Use of up to $5,250 per calendar year towards a for‑credit degree program or for‑credit certificate program
• Use of up to $2,000 of the total $5,250 noted above per calendar year for professional development including job‑related training, conferences, and initial certificate exams

Position Details

This position will remain open until it is filled. It is a full‑time in‑person position at the School of Data Science at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. The initial appointment is for one year; however, the appointment may be renewed for an additional year contingent upon funding and satisfactory performance. This is an exempt level, term‑limited (restricted), benefited position.

Physical Demands

This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs.

Compensation

Anticipated Salary: $60,000 - $75,000 per year

Anticipated Start Date: September 1, 2026

The University of Virginia is an equal opportunity employer. All interested persons are encouraged to apply, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.