Biologist Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. DO-100-25-12806005-DH Department National Institute of Standards and Technology
Salary $167,603.00 to $195,200.00 Grade 5 to 5
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Full-time
Open Date 9/29/2025 Close Date 10/6/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Public
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

NIST works with industry and science to advance innovation and improve quality of life. We're looking for a Biologist to join our team!

CAISI is seeking a candidate who will evaluate the chemical and biological capabilities of AI systems, and help lead collaborations to conduct and interpret national security-relevant chemical and biological evaluations.

This notice is issued under direct-hire authority to recruit new talent to occupations for which NIST has a severe shortage of candidates.

Duties

In this position, you will:

  • Apply biological sciences and computational expertise to lead technical efforts for the NIST Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) chemical and biological security team.
  • Develop, manage, and lead CAISI's approach to assessing the capabilities and potential national security implications of chem-bio AI models, including those that aid in the analysis, prediction, or generation of novel chemical or biological sequences, structures, or functions.
  • Work closely with technical research staff within CAISI, U.S. government partners, including the intelligence community, and the scientific community to develop and apply new technical approaches and methodologies for assessing design capabilities and performance of chem-bio AI models.
  • Build and coordinate a network of scientific and national security stakeholders to define guidelines for assessing and mitigating potential risks of chem-AI models while enabling innovation.
  • Provide guidance to CAISI leadership on emerging benefits and risks at the intersection of AI and biotechnology.
  • Serve as a technical representative for the CAISI chemical and biological security team at interagency, academic, and other external meetings.
  • Lead and manage other lines of effort for the chemical and biological security team as designated by the Team Lead, including shaping and defining the longer-term strategy of chemical and biological security, as well as broader national security efforts.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service
  • Suitable for Federal employment
  • Completion of Confidential Financial Disclosure, Form OGE-450
  • Designated and/or random drug testing required
  • Bargaining Unit Position: No
  • Selective Placement Factor: Position duties require immediate access to classified intelligence; therefore, applicants must possess a current TS/SCI clearance.

Qualifications

All applicants must submit a resume NOT TO EXCEED two pages on standard-size paper. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed for qualifications or assessment determinations.

Basic Requirements
  1. Degree: biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position.
OR
  1. Combination of education and experience: Courses equivalent to a major, as shown in A above, plus appropriate experience or additional education.

In addition to the basic requirements, applicants must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-14 (ZP-IV at NIST) or equivalent grade level. Specialized experience is defined as:
-Strong subject matter expertise in Biotechnology, Computational Biology, Machine Learning, Computer Science, Structural Bioinformatics or closely related field
-Experience collaborating with national security agencies and stakeholders, especially in the Intelligence Community (IC), on collaborative efforts to assess AI systems' biological misuse-relevant capabilities
-Experience delivering analytic products and briefings to agency leadership and interagency partners
-Experience engaging with industry, academic partners, and research institutions

Selective Placement Factor: Position duties require immediate access to classified intelligence; therefore, applicants must possess a current TS/SCI clearance.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

The qualification requirements in this vacancy announcement are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook.

If requesting reconsideration of your qualification determination, please refer to the following site: Applicant Reconsideration

Education

This position has an education requirement. Transcripts must be submitted to validate that the education requirement has been met. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted in the application package. However, an official copy will be required before a final offer of employment.

Use of foreign education for qualifications. An accredited organization must evaluate education completed outside of the U.S. to ensure that it is comparable to education received in accredited institutions in the U.S. Click here to view a listing of accredited organizations from the Department of Education's website. A copy of the foreign education evaluation (containing the results with course-by-course listing) is required with your application.

Additional information

This position is covered under NIST's Alternative Personnel Management System (APMS), a pay-for-performance system with excellent HR flexibilities to help NIST recruit and retain top talent Learn more about the APMS here!

  • We may share your application package with other selecting officials at NIST with opportunities like this one. Additional selections may be made through this vacancy.
  • Click all links in this vacancy announcement to view additional information or instructions.
  • You MUST select at least ONE ELIGIBILITY to be considered for this position.
  • All documents submitted for this announcement must be legible to make qualification or eligibility determinations.
  • This appointment may be extended up to four years without further competition.
  • If the selection results in a temporary promotion, it can be extended not to exceed five years or made permanent without further competition.
This position requires the passing of a drug test

This position requires filing an OGE-450 Confidential Financial Disclosure Report within 30 days of onboarding and annually thereafter.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your trial period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

Benefits

A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

Review our benefits

Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

All applicants must submit a resume NOT TO EXCEED two pages on standard-size paper. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed for qualifications or assessment determinations.

How you will be evaluated: We will review your resume, optional cover letter and supporting documents to assess your qualifications for this position. Please be sure that your resume and supporting documents include detailed information to support your qualifications for this position. Failure to provide sufficient and/or legible evidence in your resume or supporting documents may result in a "not qualified" determination. You MUST select at least ONE eligibility (i.e., how you wish to be considered) to receive consideration for this position.

Referral: All applicants who meet the minimum qualifications will be referred to the selecting official for consideration. Under Direct Hire Authority, applicants are not rated and ranked, and veteran preference does not apply.

CTAP or ICTAP eligibility: If you are a displaced or surplus Federal employee eligible for the Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) or Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP), you must be determined eligible and rated as well-qualified to receive special selection priority. "Well Qualified" means that in addition to meeting the minimum qualification requirements and selective placement factor(s), if applicable, you must receive a score of 85 or higher. Please review the following site regarding required documents to support CTAP or ICTAP eligibility and additional information regarding this authority - CTAP/ICTAP Eligibility

Required Documents

The documents required may vary based on how you're applying (i.e., as a veteran or disabled veteran, current or former Federal employee, etc.). Please review the Required Documents for this position to find out if there are any documents required with your application. Failure to submit required documents, based upon how you apply, may result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package.

A complete application includes: 1) A resume (not to exceed two pages), 2) vacancy question responses regarding technical qualifications, and 3) submission of any required documents. Please note that if you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, or if the documents submitted are illegible you may not be considered for this position (or may not receive the special consideration for which you may be eligible).


Resume: All applicants must submit a resume by creating one in USAJOBS or uploading one of their choosing. The resume MUST NOT exceed two pages on standard-size paper. If the resume exceeds two pages, only the first two pages will be reviewed for qualifications or assessment determinations. Cover letters are optional. To receive any credit for relevant experience, please list the month/year and the number of hours worked for experience listed on your resume. We suggest you review the qualification requirements for this position as you may need to customize your resume to ensure that it supports the position qualifications. Please refer to the Resume Guidance on how to build an effective resume.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments, and required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

  1. Click the Apply Online button.
  2. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
  3. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to respond to four narrative questions. While your responses to these questions is not required and will not be scored, we encourage you to thoughtfully address each question. You will be asked to certify that you are using your own words and did not use a consultant or artificial intelligence (AI) such as a large language model (LLM) like ChatGPT or Copilot.

Once your application has been submitted, you will receive a confirmation notification by email. The Human Resources Office will evaluate your application to determine your eligibility for the position. After the evaluation is complete, you will receive another notification regarding the status of your application.

To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USAJOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To view the announcement status or your application status: Click on this: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/. Your application status page is where you can view your application status, USA Hire assessment completion status, and review your notifications sent by the hiring agency regarding your application.

Need help applying?

  • If you are experiencing any difficulties with the online application process (anything after you have clicked the 'Apply Online' button), please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement between regular business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET). If you receive any kind of error message, please be ready to provide a screenshot or, at a minimum, the error message text and number. We will provide you with a technical support number for further assistance if necessary.
  • If you are having trouble with USAJOBS (searching for jobs, account password/profile issues, or Resume Builder), please visit the USAJOBS Resource Center. We regret that we are unable to support any issues with USAJOBS, as this service is not maintained by the NIST.
  • If you are experiencing a significant hardship that hinders your ability to apply online, please contact the Agency Contact listed on this announcement prior to the vacancy closing date and during regular business hours to discuss your situation.

Agency contact information

Laura Hudson-Ford
Address
NIST Office of the Director
100 Bureau Drive
Building 101/Room A1137
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
US

Next steps

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

We will update applicant statuses when:

  • A qualification determination is made. If found not qualified/eligible, no additional updates will be provided.
  • Applications are referred to the selecting official.
  • A selection decision has been made.
Please notify us if your contact information changes after announcement's closing date. Also, note that if you provide an inaccurate email address or if your mailbox is full or blocked (e.g., spam-blocker), you may not receive important communication, which could affect your consideration for this position.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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