Senior Ontologist

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Robust education assistance program

Unparalleled retirement contributions

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab in Maryland is seeking a talented individual to join the Threat Analytic Systems Group. You will work on developing ontologies to enhance national security capabilities. Key qualifications include a Master's degree in a relevant field and proficiency in OWL and SPARQL.

The role offers a collaborative environment where you can contribute to important missions. Competitive salary from $100,000 to $245,000 annually and generous benefits package will be provided.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Philosophy, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, or similar.
• Proficient in OWL, RDF, SPARQL, and Python.
• Experience in building domain ontologies.

Responsibilities

• Work with team on ontologies for national security.
• Engage stakeholders to determine requirements.
• Implement quality assurance practices.

Skills

Ontology Web Language (OWL)

SPARQL

Python

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Verbal communication

Written communication

Education

Master's degree in relevant field

PhD in relevant field

Tools

Ontology editors (e.g., Protégé)

Graph databases (e.g., GraphDB)

Version management tools (GIT)

Job description

Description

Are you passionate about building solutions for our greatest national security challenges?

Are you searching for engaging work with an employer that prioritizes impact, innovation, and personal development?

Do you value working in a creative and collaborative environment?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL.

The Threat Analytic Systems (QAI) Group wants talented staff who can work as part of a team to provide our nation with ground‑breaking capabilities that bridge the gaps between data, real‑world events and people, and prediction of events of national importance. We need talented engineers, scientists, and ontologists with curiosity and a drive for learning!

As a member of our team…

• You will work on a team with software engineers and data scientists to build ontologies and capabilities for applied national security mission needs.
• You will provide expert evaluation and review of ontology content.
• You will engage stakeholders to determine ontology requirements.
• You will work with subject matter experts to craft ontology content.
• You will contribute to and implement quality assurance and validation practices.

Qualifications

You’ll meet our minimum requirements if you…

• Have a Master's degree in a field relevant to Ontology. Relevant degree fields may include Philosophy, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Public / Social Policy, Mathematics, Logic, or Linguistics.
• Are proficient with any of the following: Ontology Web Language (OWL), Resource Description Framework Schema (RDFs), and Resource Description Framework (RDF)
• Are proficient with SPARQL
• Have experience building domain ontologies based on a top‑level ontology
• Are able to weigh tradeoffs between semantic expressivity and project‑specific implementation strategies
• Have experience with Python
• Are familiar with ontology editors (e.g., TopBraid Composer, Protégé, ROBOT), or ontology editing software packages (e.g., rdflib, Apache Jena, Sesame, RDF4J)
• Have experience with formal representations of logical reasoning and inference
• Can work with loosely defined or high‑level requirements
• Can work on multiple dynamic projects to support evolving national security requirements
• Have strong problem solving, analytical, and organizational skills
• Have demonstrated initiative
• Have experience working successfully independently or within a team environment
• Have excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Have the ability to obtain a TS/SCI level security clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You’ll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have…

• A PhD in a field relevant to Ontology. Relevant degree fields may include Philosophy, Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Public / Social Policy, Mathematics, Logic, or Linguistics.
• Experience working with a software engineering team to deliver ontology‑driven software features
• Experience with any of the following: Basic Formal Ontology (BFO); The Common Core Ontologies (CCO); W3C standards such as SOSA/SSN and the Time Ontology; ontologies in the Open Biological and Biomedical (OBO) Foundry; as well as other semantic web standards, such as Dublin Core, SKOS, QUDT, and GeoSPARQL
• Experience with triple stores or graph databases (e.g., GraphDB, Stardog, Jena Fuseki)
• Experience using AI tools to generate high quality ontology content
• Experience developing AI tools that use ontologies or knowledge graphs
• Experience with semantic validation languages (e.g., SHACL, SPIN)
• Experience with software version management using GIT
• Experience with machine learning, natural language processing, or the normalization/integration of heterogeneous data sources
• Coursework in data structures, databases, metaphysics, knowledge representation, algorithms, mathematical logic, mereotopology, or software programming
• Experience with project management and/or leading technical teams

Benefits and Pay

APL offers generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance.

Eligible staff receive a comprehensive benefits package that includes retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short‑term and long‑term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development.

Minimum Rate: $100,000 Annually
Maximum Rate: $245,000 Annually

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact [e-mail].