Applied AI Research Scientist – Data Scientist / Scientifique en IA Appliquée – Scientifique de Données

Quebec City, QC (On Site/Hybrid) Full-time

Position Summary/Résumé du poste

Thales Group is a global organization with operations on all continents serving five major markets, all of them of vital importance for our societies: aerospace, space, defense and security, and digital identity and security. From the bottom of the ocean to the depth of space and cyberspace, Thales Group provides a unique range of technologies and services that make tomorrow possible, today. From helping cities and critical infrastructures to become safe and smart, to securing the global financial markets, protecting data and privacy and keeping security forces connected while on critical missions, Thales ensure that everyone can continue to share information, reap the benefits of a connected world and enjoy an enhanced quality of life, while staying safe and one step ahead of all forms of digital threat. Thales’ Applied AI Research Team in Canada is looking for a talented researcher with a great appetite to solve complex research questions and apply them to critical AI projects.

Essential Functions/Fonctions essentielles

A Data Scientist is responsible for developing advanced data-driven models and analytics to enhance the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our mission-critical systems. The Data Scientist will support the design, testing, and operation of systems used in defense, aerospace, and other high-stakes environments. The Data Scientist will collaborate closely with engineers, software developers, and domain experts to leverage data analytics and machine learning techniques that comply with strict regulatory standards. The individual proves their viability through the implementation of Proofs of Concept (PoCs) and guides their maturity growth through prototypes and demonstrators that will in turn illustrate and enable their full business potential.

To be successful in this role, curiosity for what is new, willingness to challenge the status quo, open-mindedness and out-of-the-box thinking are crucial. The individual should quickly learn and assess new techniques and technologies in order to decide whether to adopt, adapt or discard them. They also need to be able to come up with new ideas, present them, challenge them and improve them continuously. The individual must possess deep, hands-on technical skills in the development and training of AI and ML, with a focus in the development of solutions using Generative AI, whether deployed as Agentic AI or LLM workflows. The candidate must demonstrate a strong understanding of the scientific method and their ability to deliver quality content at all steps of the research process, from the capability to summarize the theoretical background of a novel domain to the dissemination of research outputs through peer-reviewed publications, patents or other means.

The scientist is part of a multi-disciplinary team. Strong team spirit and teamwork capabilities are mandatory. The ideal candidate therefore is able to demonstrate transverse skills that would facilitate the transfer of the work carried out to all stakeholders involved. They will contribute as a technical subject matter expert to Research and Technology projects across Thales and its business units. Therefore, good communication skills are required.

Minimum Requirements/Exigences minimales

• MSc in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, statistics in a related field of Data Science.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, R, or similar, with experience in data processing, cleaning, and analysis.
• Solid understanding of machine learning algorithms, including supervised and unsupervised learning, deep learning, anomaly detection, and time series analysis.
• Experience in training, testing and evaluating AI/ML Models in different domains (vision, text, structured data)
• Demonstrated work experience using Large Language Models (LLM)
• Experience and understanding with sparse and/or dense data representations and strategies for using them
• Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, matplotlib, seaborn).
• Strong foundation in mathematics, statistics and probability
• Work experience using Linux OS
• Demonstrated experience in completing an applied research project, from problem to results, with minimal guidance
• Demonstrated leadership abilities in school, civil or business organisations
• Capable to work creatively and analytically in a problem-solving environment
• Ability to clearly and effectively communicate scientific work through presentations, publications, technical reports, and other forums.
• Fluency in French (spoken and written).

Preferred Qualifications/Qualification souhaitable

• PhD in engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, statistics in a related field of Data Science.
• Minimum 3 years of machine learning experience in Python
• Industry experience in developing code with other developers.
• Industry experience in building and deploying machine or deep learning models.
• Experience in developing clean and reusable data transformation pipelines applied to text data
• Experience in developing, tuning and testing LLM-based agents, using tools, databases (MCP Servers) and complex workflows
• Experience with various provider and size of open source and proprietary LLMs
• Experience in deploying LLM data and model infrastructure on a Kubernetes-like environment
• Familiarity with big data technologies and environments (e.g., Hadoop, Spark) is an advantage.
• Demonstrated teamwork and collaboration in professional settings
• Scientific publications in AI, ML
• Fluency in English (spoken and written).

This position requires a good knowledge of English to interact with, support, and/or provide services to international clients, employees, and/or partners, as well as to foreign government authorities who do not speak French.

Physical Requirements/Exigences physiques

The job may require the employee to setup equipment and perform field trials in outdoor environments.

Thales provides an extensive benefits program for all full-time employees working 24 or more hours per week and their eligible dependents, including the following:

• Company paid Extended Health, Dental, HSA, Life, AD&D, Short-term Disability, travel insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and Well-Being program.
• Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP, DCPP, TFSA) with a company contribution and a match to a DCPP, with no vesting period.
• Company paid holidays, vacation days, and paid sick leave.
• Voluntary Life, AD&D, Critical Illness, Long-Term Disability.
• Employee Discounts on insurance (home, and auto).

Thales is an equal opportunity employer which values diversity and inclusivity in the workplace. Thales is committed to providing accommodations in all parts of the interview process. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for an interview. We will work with you to meet your needs. All accommodation information provided will be treated as confidential and used only for the purpose of providing an accessible candidate experience.

This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software or technical information controlled under the Canadian Export Control List, the Canadian Industrial Security Program, and/or the US Export Administration Regulations (EAR). All applicants must be eligible or able to obtain authorization including a Canadian Enhanced Reliability security clearance.