Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Operations Research and Data Science (AFIT)
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) offers a post-doctoral research opportunity at AFIT, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. You will join researchers focusing on adversarial interactions and multi-agent systems, developing methods and models for security contexts.
Under mentorship, you will advance theory and applied statistics, engaging in Bayesian techniques, optimization, and decision analysis, with provisions including health insurance and relocation support.
Qualifications
- Doctoral degree in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Statistics, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering or related field.
- Degree must be earned within 5 years of the appointment start date; PhD not required at selection, but preferred before start.
- Proficiency in Bayesian statistics, optimization, and research methods is expected.
Responsibilities
- Join a community of scientists researching adversarial interactions, multi-agent systems, and decision-making under uncertainty.
- Contribute to methodological innovation, theoretical development, and applied mathematical/statistical modeling.
- Work under a mentor in an AFIT/DoD fellowship setting in Dayton, Ohio.
Skills
Education
Tools
Job description
U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
AFIT-2026-0022
5/21/2027 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone
A post-doctoral research opportunity is available through the Department of Operational Sciences at the Air Force Institute of Technology.
As an Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) participant, you will join a community of scientists and researchers studying adversarial interactions, multi-agent systems, and decision-making under uncertainty relevant to security and defense settings. Research activities will focus on methodological innovation, theoretical development, and applied mathematical/statistical modeling.
Under the guidance of a mentor, you will gain hands-on experience to complement your education and support your academic and professional goals. Along the way, you may engage in activities and research in several areas. These include, but are not limited to:
- Adversarial location and network interdiction models
- Adversarial machine learning attacks and defense (e.g., against Bayesian inference)
- Algorithmic development for bilevel (or multilevel) optimization
- Methodological developments in Bayesian statistics and/or decision analysis
- Application of adversarial risk analysis within security settings
Dayton, Ohio
Exact start dates will be determined at the time of selection and in coordination with the selected candidate. Applications are reviewed on an ongoing basis and fellowships will be filled as qualified candidates are identified.
This appointment is a twelve-month research appointment, with the possibility to be renewed for additional research periods. Appointments may be extended depending on funding availability, project assignment, program rules, and availability of the participant.
You will receive a stipend to be determined by AFIT. Stipends are typically based on a participant’s academic standing, discipline, experience, and research facility location. Other provisions may include the following:
- Health Insurance Supplement (Participants are eligible to purchase health insurance through ORISE)
- Relocation Allowance
- Training and Travel Allowance
The Air Force Institute of Technology, or AFIT, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the Air Force’s graduate school of engineering and management as well as its institution for technical professional continuing education. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT is committed to providing defense-focused graduate and professional continuing education and research to sustain the technological supremacy of America’s air, space and cyber forces.
This program, administered by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and DoD. Participants do not enter an employee/employer relationship with ORISE, ORAU, DoD or any other office or agency. Instead, you will be affiliated with ORISE for the administration of the appointment through the ORISE appointment letter and Terms of Appointment. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE. For more information, visit the ORISE Research Participation Program at the U.S. Department of Defense.
The qualified candidate should hold or be currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Statistics, Data Science, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field. A postgraduate is required to have earned their degree within 5 years of the appointment start date.
A PhD is not required at the time of selection. Ideally, a participant will complete their PhD prior to the opportunity's start date; however, an "all but dissertation" status may be acceptable as well, provided the requisite research qualifications.
- Background in quantitative research, evidenced by peer-reviewed publications, academic presentations, or preprint manuscripts
- Knowledge of Bayesian statistics, mathematical optimization, game-theoretic analysis, network problems, decision analysis, or behavioral economics
- Proficiency in a scientific computing or statistical programming languages (e.g., Python, R, Julia, C++, or MATLAB)
- Familiarity with mathematical programming solvers (e.g., Gurobi, CPLEX) or probabilistic/Bayesian computing frameworks (e.g., Stan, PyMC)
- Ability to formulate high-impact, novel and well-defined research questions from unstructured requirements
A complete application consists of:
- Zintellect Profile
- Educational and Employment History
- Essay Questions (goals, experiences, and skills relevant to the opportunity)
- Resume (PDF)
- Transcripts/Academic Records - Please upload a copy of a transcript for your current or most recent degree program that meets the disciplinary qualifications of the opportunity. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
- One Recommendation. We encourage you to contact your recommender(s) as soon as you start your application to ensure they are able to complete the recommendation form and to let them know to expect a message from Zintellect. Recommenders will be asked to rate your scientific capabilities, personal characteristics, and describe how they know you. You can always log back in to your Zintellect account and check the status of your application.
$6,500.00 - $8,250.00 Monthly
Leslie
- Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
- Degree: Doctoral Degree received within the last 60 months or currently pursuing.
- Discipline(s):
- Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (
- Artificial Intelligence (including Robotics, Computer Vision, Human Language Processing, and Machine Learning)
- Data Science
- Engineering (2 )
- Mathematics and Statistics (5 )
- Other Non-Science & Engineering (1 )
- Social and Behavioral Sciences (2 )
- Other Non-Science & Engineering (1 )
- Mathematics and Statistics (5 )
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