Postdoctoral Appointee – Building Agentic AI Platform for X-ray Science
- Argonne National Laboratory
- Location: Lemont, USA
- Job Number: 7321322 (Ref #: 421248)
- Posting Date: Newly posted
Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated and creative Postdoctoral Researcher to join the X-ray Science Division (XSD) at Argonne National Laboratory. The successful candidate will develop web-based AI agents for X-ray spectroscopy by integrating large language models (LLMs) with physics-aware spectroscopy workflows. The researcher will work closely with a multidisciplinary team of X-ray physicists and computational scientists to advance a next-generation, user-friendly, agentic AI platform for automated data analysis, interpretation, and user interactions. The appointment is expected to last two years and the contract is extended on a yearly basis.
Application Materials - Please submit:
CV and cover letter
Name your documents using the following formats, e.g., “Firstname_Lastname_CV”, “Firstname_Lastname_cover_letter”.
Include links to code examples in your CV (e.g., GitHub page, past project repositories).
Position Requirements
A recent PhD (completed within 5 years, or soon to be completed) in computer science, engineering, computational science, a physical science (materials science, chemistry, physics etc.), or related field.
Hands-on experience with AI frameworks and employing large language models.
Strong Python skills and familiarity with LLM APIs (e.g., OpenAI API), agent frameworks (e.g. LangChain), PyTorch, and the Python scientific stack (e.g., numpy, pandas, scikit-learn).
Experience with front-end development and web-based applications, back-end services and API design (e.g., FastAPI, Flask), and deploying applications in local or cloud environments.
Experience working with large-scale datasets.
Willingness to learn basic domain-specific X-ray science and basic materials knowledge, and a strong passion for applying agentic AI to scientific discovery.
Effective written and oral communications skills.
Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a multidisciplinary environment.
Commitment to Argonne’s Core Values: Impact, Safety, Respect, Integrity, and Teamwork.
Interpersonal skills, oral and written communication skills, and ability to interact with people at all levels both within and outside the laboratory.
Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
Experience in the following areas is preferred and will help the candidate succeed: X-ray absorption spectroscopy theory and modelling, and handling large synchrotron/X-ray datasets.
Experience with vector databases (e.g. Pinecone) for Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG).
Experience with prompt engineering and chain-of-thought techniques.
Experience with multimodal AI and/or foundation models.
Job Family
PostdoctoralJob Profile
Postdoctoral AppointeeWorker Type
Long-Term (Fixed Term)Time Type
Full timeThe expected hiring range for this position is $70,758.00-$117,925.00.Please note that the pay range information is a general guideline only. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, business considerations, internal equity, and external market pay for comparable jobs. Additionally, comprehensive benefits are part of the total rewards package.
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