Senior AI Scientist – Transportation & Logistics

Who We Are & Why Join Us

Avathon is the leading Industrial AI autonomy platform, helping customers across heavy industries -- energy, mining, manufacturing, aerospace, defense, and logistics -- accelerate the journey toward autonomous operations. Our platform is built on a Computational Knowledge Graph foundation that contextualizes and connects operational data across siloed systems, bringing together time series, structured, unstructured, and machine vision data to power AI-driven applications in asset performance management, supply chain intelligence, visual AI, and global trade management. With capabilities spanning digital twins, normal behavior modeling, natural language processing, and computer vision, Avathon delivers real-time predictive intelligence and agentic decision-making at industrial scale.

Cutting-Edge AI Innovation -- Join a team at the forefront of AI, developing groundbreaking solutions that shape the future. High-Growth Environment -- Thrive in a fast-scaling startup where agility, collaboration, and rapid professional growth are the norm. Meaningful Impact -- Work on AI-driven projects that drive real change across industries and improve lives.

Learn more at: avathon.com

About the Role

About Avathon

• We’re hiring a Senior AI Scientist (Transportation & Logistics) at Avathon — where AI meets the real world.
• This is a high-impact role at the intersection of operations research, reinforcement learning, and large-scale data systems , focused on building intelligent solutions that transform transportation and logistics networks.

We are looking for a Senior AI Scientist to lead the design and deployment of advanced optimization and machine learning systems across complex transportation ecosystems. You will work on real-world challenges such as routing, scheduling, network optimization, demand forecasting, and asset utilization across multimodal logistics environments including FCL, LCL, FTL, LTL, intermodal, and maritime transportation .

This role offers the opportunity to drive innovation in vessel scheduling, container repositioning, fleet optimization, and dynamic routing , while collaborating closely with engineering, product, and operations teams to bring scalable AI solutions into production.

Key Responsibilities

AI/ML Model Development

Design and implement advanced models for:

Fleet optimization and capacity planning

Vehicle routing and scheduling (VRP, TSP variants)

Demand forecasting and optimization

Apply reinforcement learning, optimization algorithms, and hybrid ML + OR approaches

Transportation Domain Solutions

Build solutions for:

Maritime logistics (vessel scheduling, port operations)

Container repositioning and imbalance optimization

Truckload (FTL), less-than-truckload (LTL), and intermodal routing

Incorporate real-world constraints (time windows, capacity, regulations, SLAs)

AI Engineering & Deployment

Productionize models using scalable architectures (cloud-native, APIs)

Collaborate with engineering teams to deploy AI solutions into production

Ensure robustness, explainability, and monitoring of models

Data & Feature Engineering

Work with large-scale datasets:

Shipment data, GPS/telematics, weather, port congestion, tariffs

Build feature pipelines and data validation frameworks

Leadership & Strategy

Lead AI initiatives and mentor junior scientists

Translate business problems into AI solutions

Partner with product, operations, and stakeholders to define roadmaps

Required Qualifications

PhD in Computer Science, Operations Research, Applied Math, or related quantitative field

10–15+ years of experience in AI/ML or optimization, or Supply Chain planning systems

Strong expertise in:

Python (NumPy, Pandas, PyTorch/TensorFlow)

Optimization tools (Gurobi, CPLEX, OR-Tools)

Deep knowledge of:

Routing algorithms (VRP, shortest path, heuristics/metaheuristics)

Time-series forecasting and probabilistic modeling

Experience deploying models in production environments

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in transportation, logistics, or supply chain domain

Familiarity with Maritime shipping or fleet scheduling

Container logistics and repositioning problems

Experience with:

Reinforcement learning for dynamic decision-making

Digital twins and simulation systems

Knowledge of cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure)

Experience with streaming data (Kafka, Spark)

Key Skills

Optimization + Machine Learning hybrid modeling

Strong problem-solving and mathematical modeling skills

Ability to handle ambiguous, real-world constraints

Communication skills to explain complex models to business stakeholders

Publications / Patents:

Strong plus if you have published in AI/ML/OR conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, INFORMS, etc.)

Interview Process

As part of the interview process, you will be asked to complete a technical assessment.

Benefits & Perks

What are the benefits and perks at Avathon? Below are some highlights we offer to our U.S. full-time employees -- we'd love to connect and share more!

Evolving culture with the opportunity to drive new ideas and technology

Stock Option Grants

Medical Coverage and Parental Leave Plans

401k with Employer Match

Monthly Technology Allowance

Newly renovated office space located near Pleasanton, CA -- including fully stocked beverage and snack areas

Contract and temporary roles are not eligible for the above benefits.

Compensation

Pay Range: $160k - $240k salary annually. Pay for this position is based on a number of factors including geographic location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Location: This role is not remote. Candidates must be based in the Bay Area, CA and are expected to report to our Pleasanton office 5 days a week.

Avathon is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Avathon is committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruiting process. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact us to discuss how we can assist you.