PREP Research Associate
This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.
Project Description
The focus of this project is to conduct a pilot study and develop a demonstration of reproducible AI evaluations. The student will explore the different ways AI evaluations are conducted and the challenges of reproducibility in these contexts. The project aims to produce a study report and a working demonstration of reproducible AI evaluations, supporting broader work at NIST in the measurement of AI.
Key Responsibilities
● Conduct literature survey on the state-of-the-art of reproducible evaluations of software systems
● Gain familiarity with existing AI evaluation frameworks
● Contribute to a plan detailing a demonstration of reproducible AI evaluations
● Design, implement, test, and document software and systems used for demonstration
● Document overall demonstration, including current limitations and challenges
Deliverables
● Survey briefly describing key research on software experiment reproducibility
● Summary report of existing AI evaluation frameworks
● Working demonstration of reproducible AI evaluations
● Report describing the demonstration and discussing the challenges in AI evaluation reproducibility.
Qualifications
● Background in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Data Science, or related field.
● Education level: graduate student or higher.
● Strong interest in software development, AI measurement, reproducibility
● Experience with software development in Python, version control systems, AI models, and the shell, as well as scientific reading and technical writing.
● Experience conducting AI evaluations and designing reproducible software experiments preferred.
The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.