JH
Posted 3 days ago
Senior Ontologist
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)
📍 Laurel
Job description
<strong>Description</strong><br><br><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are you passionate about building solutions for our greatest national security challenges?</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are you searching for engaging work with an employer that prioritizes impact, innovation, and personal development?</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do you value working in a creative and collaborative environment?</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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!</span></p><p style="margin: 0px;"> </p><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As a member of our team…</span></p><ul><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You will work on a team with software engineers and data scientists to build ontologies and capabilities for applied national security mission needs.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Calibri',sans-serif;">You will provide expert evaluation and review of ontology content.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You will engage stakeholders to determine ontology requirements.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You will work with subject matter experts to craft ontology content.</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You will contribute to and implement quality assurance and validation practices.</span></li></ul> <br><strong>Qualifications</strong><br><br><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>You’ll meet our minimum requirements if you…</strong></span></p><ul><li><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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.</span></li><li><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are proficient with any of the following: Ontology Web Language (OWL), Resource Description Framework Schema (RDFs), and Resource Description Framework (RDF)</span></li><li><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are proficient with SPARQL </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have experience building domain ontologies based on a top-level ontology</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are able to weigh tradeoffs between semantic expressivity and project-specific implementation strategies</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have experience with Python</span></li><li><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Are familiar with ontology editors (e.g., TopBraid Composer, Protégé, ROBOT), or ontology editing software packages (e.g. rdflib, Apache Jena, Sesame, RDF4J)</span></li><li><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have experience with formal representations of logical reasoning and inference</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can work with loosely defined or high-level requirements</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Can work on multiple dynamic projects to support evolving national security requirements</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have strong problem solving, analytical, and organizational skills</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have demonstrated initiative</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have experience working successfully independently or within a team environment</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have excellent written and verbal communication skills</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have the ability to obtain a TS/SCI level security clearance. <span style="color: black;">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. </span></span></li></ul><p style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>You’ll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you have…</strong></span></p><ul style="margin-top: 0in;"><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience working with a software engineering team to deliver ontology-driven software features</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">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</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience with triple stores or graph databases (e.g., GraphDB, Stardog, Jena Fuseki)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience using AI tools to generate high quality ontology content</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience developing AI tools that use ontologies or knowledge graphs</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience with semantic validation languages (e.g. SHACL, SPIN)</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience with software version management using GIT</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience with machine learning, natural language processing, or in the normalization/integration of heterogeneous data sources</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coursework in data structures, databases, metaphysics, knowledge representation, algorithms, mathematical logic, mereotopology, or software programming</span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience with project management and/or leading technical teams</span></li></ul><p style="margin-left: .5in;"> </p> <br><strong>About Us</strong><br><br><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><strong>Why Work at APL?</strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at <a href="https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers</span></a>.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">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 <a href="mailto:Accessibility@jhuapl.edu" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="color: windowtext;">Accessibility@jhuapl.edu</span></a>.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.</p> <br><strong>Minimum Rate</strong><br><br>$100,000 Annually <br><br><strong>Maximum Rate</strong><br><br>$245,000 Annually