Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in Virginia

Artificial Intelligence Scientist jobs in Virginia are among the most active in the country, concentrated in defense intelligence, federal contracting, and commercial technology sectors with openings from entry-level research roles through principal scientist and lead positions. The densest hiring is in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads corridor, where employers like Leidos, Booz Allen Hamilton, and SAIC regularly build out AI research and applied machine learning teams. The most in-demand specialties include natural language processing, computer vision, and reinforcement learning for national security and cloud-native applications. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles40
Top employerBooz Allen Hamilton
Top cityMcLean, VA
Cities hiring17
Work type50% On-site
Top industryConsulting

Showing 5 of 40+ Artificial Intelligence Scientist jobs

Capital One
Principal Associate, Data Scientist - AI in Credit
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Capital One
Added 2d ago
Principal Associate, Data Scientist - AI in Credit
Capital One
McLean, Virginia
Business Operations
Business Strategy
Project Management
Master's degree in business administration
10,000+

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Information Technology Senior Management Forum
Principal Associate, Data Scientist - AI in Credit
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Information Technology Senior Management Forum
Added 3d ago
Principal Associate, Data Scientist - AI in Credit
Information Technology Senior Management Forum
McLean, Virginia
Administrative & Office Support
Customer Service
Customer Support
$147k - $201k/yr
Doctoral degree in statistics
51-200

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AET FEDERAL INC
Artificial Intelligence Developer - Hybrid
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AET FEDERAL INC
Added 3d ago
Artificial Intelligence Developer - Hybrid
AET FEDERAL INC
Tysons, Virginia
Account Management
Customer Success
Sales
$135k - $165k/yr
Remote (US)

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Agile Defense
Artificial Intelligence Subject Matter Expert (CBP)
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Agile Defense
Added 3d ago
Artificial Intelligence Subject Matter Expert (CBP)
Agile Defense
Ashburn, Virginia
Data Science
Health Informatics
Healthcare Administration
Hybrid
1,001-5,000

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Northrop Grumman
Data Scientist - Finance AI & Analytics
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Northrop Grumman
Added 3d ago
Data Scientist - Finance AI & Analytics
Northrop Grumman
Falls Church, Virginia
Business Analysis
Data Analytics
Data Science
$114k - $213k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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See All 40 Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in Virginia

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Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs by City in Virginia

Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.

McLean
9 jobs
Ashburn
4 jobs
Herndon
4 jobs
Arlington
4 jobs
Chantilly
3 jobs
Tysons
2 jobs
Vienna
2 jobs
Norfolk
2 jobs
Chester
1 job

Artificial Intelligence Scientist Job Market in Virginia

A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

Booz Allen Hamilton
Booz Allen Hamilton5 open roles
Capital One
Capital One2 open roles
AET FEDERAL
AET FEDERAL2 open roles

Top Industries Hiring

  • Consulting & Professional Services
  • Technology & Software

What Virginia Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in artificial intelligence scientist jobs across Virginia.

  • Master's or PhD in computer science, AI, or a closely related quantitative field
  • Active or eligible U.S. security clearance preferred by majority of Virginia federal contractors
  • Demonstrated experience with deep learning frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
  • Proficiency in Python and familiarity with MLOps tooling and cloud platforms like AWS or Azure
  • Published research, patents, or portfolio of deployed AI models in a production environment
  • Strong communication skills to present findings to technical and non-technical Virginia stakeholders

Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in Virginia: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a artificial intelligence scientist in Virginia?

Becoming an artificial intelligence scientist in Virginia typically requires a master's or doctoral degree in computer science, machine learning, statistics, or a related discipline. Virginia has no state-issued license for AI scientists, so hiring decisions center on academic credentials, peer-reviewed or project-based research, and demonstrated programming ability. Many Virginia employers in the defense and federal contracting sectors also require candidates to obtain or maintain a security clearance before or shortly after hire.

How much do artificial intelligence scientists make in Virginia?

Artificial intelligence scientists in Virginia earn a median of about $157,390 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $96,300 for the lowest 10% to over $230,630 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire artificial intelligence scientists in Virginia?

Employers hiring artificial intelligence scientists in Virginia right now include Booz Allen Hamilton, Capital One, and AET FEDERAL, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Northern Virginia's dense concentration of defense contractors and cloud infrastructure operators makes it one of the most consistent states in the country for sustained AI research hiring.

Which Virginia cities have the most artificial intelligence scientist jobs?

McLean, Ashburn, and Herndon are the Virginia cities with the most artificial intelligence scientist openings. Northern Virginia dominates because of its proximity to federal agencies and the large defense and intelligence contractors headquartered there, while Richmond draws from a growing commercial tech and financial services base and Hampton Roads reflects Navy and joint-force research demand.

Are there remote artificial intelligence scientist jobs in Virginia?

Yes, and more than most fields. About 50% of artificial intelligence scientist openings tied to Virginia are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, reflecting how naturally the role lends itself to distributed research and cloud-based model development. Modeling, data pipeline work, and literature review are the functions most frequently performed fully remotely, while classified or hardware-dependent projects tend to require on-site presence at cleared facilities.

How can I get hired as a artificial intelligence scientist in Virginia with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path is a research assistantship or internship during a graduate program, ideally aligned with one of Virginia's federal or defense-focused labs. Booz Allen Hamilton and Leidos both run structured early-career associate programs that bring in candidates with strong academic projects but limited industry experience. Adjacent roles such as machine learning engineer, data scientist, or research analyst at Virginia-based contractors are common stepping stones. A public portfolio of reproducible experiments, a GitHub repository with documented models, or a published thesis chapter gives candidates a concrete edge in competitive screening.

Where can I find and apply to artificial intelligence scientist jobs in Virginia?

You can find and apply to artificial intelligence scientist jobs in Virginia on Migrate Mate, which lists current Virginia openings across industries and experience levels. Search the available roles, find the ones that fit your background and location, and apply directly from each listing.

See All 40 Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in Virginia

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