Senior Human Factors Scientist

Search Jobs - INL Professional Careers; Idaho Falls (ID); On-site; USD 114,000 - 281,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9x80 schedule

Every other Friday off

Job summary

Idaho National Laboratory seeks a Senior Human Factors Scientist to lead multidisciplinary human factors research across nuclear energy, space exploration, cybersecurity, and grid domains. You will shape research questions, design experiments, and mentor teams to deliver actionable insights and impactful publications.

The role emphasizes collaboration with federal sponsors and industry partners, development of new research lines, and advancing agentic AI and ML integrations in safety-critical

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or related field with 9+ years of relevant experience; or Master’s with 6+ years; or PhD with 4+ years.
• Level 5 requires 14+ years for BS, 8+ for MS, or 6+ for PhD in related fields.

Responsibilities

• Lead multidisciplinary studies applying human factors and experimental psychology to real-world systems.
• Perform human-centered research on safety-critical technologies including nuclear power plant control operations.
• Develop new lines of research via proposals to expand the portfolio and mission impact.
• Disseminate findings through technical writing, papers, and reports.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to align research with mission goals.

Skills

Strong verbal skills

Strong written skills

Interpersonal skills

Collaborative effectively

Export control compliance (US citizen/

Education

Bachelor of Science in human factors / related field

Master of Science in human factors / related field

PhD in human factors / related field

Job description

Interested in changing the world’s energy future by leading human-centered designs advancing reliable nuclear energy technologies? In this role, your technical leadership shapes the future of critical operations by ensuring seamless human-centered innovation in high-stakes environments like nuclear energy, space exploration, electric grid, and national security.

As a Senior Human Factors Scientist, working with multidisciplinary teams, your mission is to apply human factors principles to evaluate and improve systems.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Leading independent and multidisciplinary studies applying human factors and experimental psychology to real-world systems.
• Performing human-centered research on technologies for nuclear power plant control operation and other safety-critical industries.
• Building relationships with key internal and external stakeholders defining important human factors research questions within their existing goals and portfolios.
• Developing new lines of research, through proposal writing and submission, to expand the human factors portfolio and impact on the mission.

• Increasing human factors technical expertise and scientific eminence through technical writing and professional papers such as journal articles, conference papers, and technical reports.

  With rapid technology advancements we stand at a critical juncture that calls for insights into how humans perform, how to integrate technologies into existing systems and processes, and how to evaluate advanced forms of automation including agentic automation, large language models, and machine learning. This opportunity allows you to dig into these problems and produce actionable solutions for the nuclear energy and other safety-critical industries.

  INL houses two state-of-the-art simulation laboratories (Human Systems Simulation Laboratories) to support applied research activities, where real-time human factors experiments can be designed and conducted with full-scale reactor simulators.

  As part of a centralized human factors team that performs cross-cutting research across nuclear energy, super intelligence/artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, space exploration and electric grid domain areas, you have the opportunity to collaborate with teammates who hold deep domain expertise. Join the human factors team and change the world’s energy future!
  

Required:

• Level 4: Bachelor of Science degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 9 years of relevant experience; or a Masters of Science degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 6 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 4 years of relevant experience
• Level 5: Bachelor of Science degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 14 years of relevant experience; or a Masters of Science degree in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 8 years of relevant experience; or a PhD in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field and 6 years of relevant experience
• Must have strong verbal, written, and interpersonal skills.
• Must demonstrate collaboration consistently and effectively.
• This position is subject to export control restrictions per the Department of Energy. For this reason, you must be either a US Citizen or a US Green Card holder to qualify for the job.
  

The ideal candidate will possess:

• PhD in human factors, experimental psychology, industrial engineering, human-computer interaction, or a related scientific/engineering field
• Demonstrated experience in nuclear energy or other energy-related domains
• Experience interfacing with federal program sponsors, technical leadership, and/or industry.
• Track record of research funding through proposals and partnerships
  

Physical Requirements:

While performing the duties of this classification, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, kneel, bend, use hands to handle materials, manipulate tools, keyboard and type, reach with hands and arms, and operate job related equipment. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Sufficient visual acuity and hearing capacity to perform the essential functions and interact with people is required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Job Information:

Idaho National Laboratory is hiring a Senior Human Factors Scientist to work on our Human Factors team. Our team works a 9x80 schedule located out of our Engineering Research Office Building facility with every other Friday off.

• The pay range for this position is: Level 4 ($114,360 - $234,336) / Level 5 ($137,076 - $281,196). At Idaho National Laboratory compensation decisions are determined using factors such as education, relevant experience, and other credentials.
• Multi-Level: This is a multi-level posting and you will be placed at the appropriate level dependent on depth and breadth of proven experience and skills.