Research Professional I, Computer Science (Temporary)

University of Arizona; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 47,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Arizona’s Computer Science Department seeks a Research Professional I to implement Monte Carlo Tree Search based reinforcement learning algorithms and evaluate them in public benchmarks such as OpenAI Gym.

The role involves maintaining training pipelines, documenting code, and preparing evaluation reports while collaborating with internal teams to enhance data handling and reproducibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent required.
• 1 year of relevant work experience required.
• Strong programming experience in Python and ML libraries.

Responsibilities

• Implement Monte Carlo Tree Search based reinforcement learning algorithms.
• Evaluate algorithms in OpenAI Gym benchmarks and compare with baselines.
• Maintain and document training pipelines and library dependencies.
• Prepare evaluation reports of algorithm performance.
• Collaborate with internal teams to improve data handling processes.

Skills

Code maintenance

ML evaluation plots

Technical documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

OpenAI Gym

Job description

Research Professional I, Computer Science (Temporary)

The University of Arizona's department of Computer Science invites you to apply to the role of Research Professional I. Under general supervision, the employee will implement existing Monte Carlo Tree Search based reinforcement learning algorithms and evaluate it in popular, publicly-available benchmarking suite, and compare it with other non-Monte Carlo Tree Search based baselines.

The University of Arizona's Department of Computer Science offers a collaborative environment focused on high-quality research and instruction, where undergraduate and graduate students benefit from the department's research programs. Established in 1971, the department offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees and has a distinguished reputation for research excellence across areas including algorithms, artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, programming languages, security, systems, and visualization. The department is nationally recognized for its research impact and ranks among the top public Ph.D.-granting computer science programs in the nation.

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

Posting Number: req27247

Department: Computer Science

Department Website Link: https://www.cs.arizona.edu/

Location: Tucson Campus

Address: Tucson, AZ USA

Duties & Responsibilities

• Implement the basic Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm and evaluate it in publicly-available benchmark reinforcement learning environments such as OpenAI Gym.
• Implement basic imitation learning algorithms such as supervised finetuning (SFT) and evaluate them in benchmark reinforcement learning environments.
• Implement an reinforcement learning algorithm using the outcomes of tasks 1 and 2, and prepare evaluation reports for this algorithm in benchmark reinforcement learning environments.
• Maintaining source code of the training pipelines, such as documentation of the source code, preparing usage manuals, and identification of library dependencies.
• Collaborate with internal departments to share information and improve data handling processes.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Skilled in maintaining code for libraries, APIs, deep learning, and reinforcement learning pipelines.
• Ability to generate evaluation plots on the performance of algorithms, and visualize the reasoning traces of Monte-Carlo Tree Search agents
• Ability to translate technical concepts into clear documentation and collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.

This job posting reflects the general nature and level of work expected of the selected candidate(s). It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities. The institution reserves the right to amend or update this description as organizational priorities and institutional needs evolve.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent advanced learning attained through experience required.
• 1 year of relevant work experience is required.

FLSA

Exempt

Full Time/Part Time

Full Time

Number of Hours Worked per Week

40

Job FTE

1.0

Work Calendar

Fiscal

Job Category

Research

Benefits Eligible

No Benefits

Rate of Pay

$47,356-$59,195

Compensation Type

salary at 1.0 full-time equivalency (FTE)

Grade

6

Compensation Guidance

The Rate of Pay Field represents the University of Arizona's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting. The University considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate's work experience, education/training, key skills, and internal equity.
The Grade Range represent a full range of career compensation growth over time. The university offers compensation growth opportunities within its career architecture. To learn more about compensation, please review our Applicant Compensation Guide and our Total Rewards Calculator.

Career Stream and Level

PC1

Job Family

Researchers & Scientists

Job Function

Research

Type of criminal background check required:

Name-based criminal background check (non-security sensitive)

Number of Vacancies

1

Target Hire Date

10/26/2026

Expected End Date

12/18/2026

Contact Information for Candidates

Chicheng Zhang
Assistant Professor
[e-mail]

Open Date

10/5/2026

Open Until Filled

Yes

Documents Needed to Apply

Resume and Cover Letter

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Paper copies of the Reports can be obtained by contacting the University Compliance Office at [e-mail].