Data Scientist - Machine Learning & AI Specialist

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Closing Date:

03/18/2025

Type of Position:

Research Data Analysis

Workstudy Position:

No

Job Type:

Regular

Work Shift:

Sponsorship Available:

No

Institution Name:

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a land grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top 2 percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance Arkansas and build a better world through education, research and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, promoting an inclusive and diverse culture and climate, and nurturing creativity, discovery and the spread of new ideas and innovations.

The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The growing region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts and overall quality of life.

As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions, you should review before applying for the opening.

If you have a disability and need assistance with the hiring process, please submit a request via the Disability Accommodations | OEOC | University of Arkansas (uark.edu) : Request an Accommodation. Appli­cants are required to submit a request for each position of which they have applied.

For general application assistance or if you have questions about a job posting, please contact Human Resources at 479.575.5351.

Department:

Arkansas High Performing Computer Center

Department's Website:

Summary of Job Duties:

The Data Scientist - Machine Learning and AI Specialist will play a pivotal role in advancing the research computing capabilities at the University of Arkansas High Performance Computer Center. This position is ideal for a highly skilled professional with a strong background in ML/AI who is passionate about supporting interdisciplinary research and optimizing AI-driven applications for high-performance computing environments. As part of the HPC team, the incumbent will work closely with faculty, researchers, and students to facilitate cutting-edge AI research across a variety of domains, including computational biology, physics, engineering, social sciences, and humanities. This role will involve training researchers on ML/AI best practices, deploying and maintaining ML software packages on HPC clusters, optimizing research code for scalability and efficiency, and developing practical demonstrations and documentation to enhance the usability of these tools. The position requires a combination of technical expertise and strong communication skills to bridge the gap between computational research and high-performance computing infrastructure. The ideal candidate will have experience working with parallel and distributed computing, deep learning frameworks, and scientific programming. Additionally, they will be proactive in collaborating with research teams to identify and implement performance improvements, ensuring that ML/AI workloads can fully leverage the university’s computational resources.

This is an opportunity to contribute to a growing AI and HPC research ecosystem while enabling faculty and students to maximize the impact of their research. The candidate will have the chance to shape training programs, influence software deployment strategies, and support innovative research projects that require advanced computational techniques.

Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Data Science, Computational Science, Engineering, or a related field

• Extensive experience in machine learning, deep learning, and AI applications

• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, C/C++, and parallel computing frameworks (MPI, CUDA, OpenMP)

• Strong background in optimizing and scaling ML/AI applications for HPC environments

• Experience with HPC workload managers such as Slurm, PBS, or similar schedulers

• Experience with communicating complex technical concepts to non-experts and facilitating interdisciplinary collaborations

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working in an academic or research computing environment

• Familiarity with cloud-based HPC solutions (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud)

• Contributions to open-source ML/AI or HPC software projects

• Prior experience in developing training materials and conducting workshops

Additional Information:

Salary Information:

Commensurate with education and experience

Required Documents to Apply:

Cover Letter/Letter of Application, List of three Professional References (name, email, business title), Resume

Optional Documents:

Proof of Veteran Status

Recruitment Contact Information:

Julia Menke, jmenke@uark.edu, Sr. HR Partner
Crystal Ellis, HR Recruiter, ce031@uark.edu

All application materials must be uploaded to the University of Arkansas System Career Site https://uasys.wd5.myworkdayjobs.com/UASYS  

Please do not send to listed recruitment contact.

Special Instructions to Applicants:

Pre-employment Screening Requirements:

Criminal Background Check, Sex Offender Registry

The University of Arkansas is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas seeks to attract, develop and retain high quality faculty, staff and administrators that consistently display practices and behaviors to advance a culture that embeds inclusion, opportunity, educational excellence and unparalleled access for all.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of any category or status protected by law, including age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sex, sexual preference, or pregnancy. Federal law prohibits the University from discriminating on these bases. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University's Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Constant Physical Activity:

N/A

Frequent Physical Activity:

N/A

Occasional Physical Activity:

N/A

Benefits Eligible:

Yes