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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Data is at the center of everything we do. As a startup, we disrupted the credit card industry by individually personalizing every credit card offer using statistical modeling and the relational database, cutting edge technology in 1988! Fast-forward a few years, and this little innovation and our passion for data has skyrocketed us to a Fortune 200 company and a leader in the world of data-driven decision-making.
As a Data Scientist at Capital One, you’ll be part of a team that’s leading the next wave of disruption at a whole new scale, using the latest in computing and machine learning technologies and operating across billions of customer records to unlock the big opportunities that help everyday people save money, time and agony in their financial lives.
Team Description
The US Card Intelligence Segments organization builds industry-leading machine learning models that empower core underwriting decisions. We partner closely with a wide range of job families - machine learning engineers, product managers, credit analysts and data engineers - to deliver solutions from ideation to implementation.
The AI in Credit team is developing the next generation of predictive models to forecast how customers use their Capital One cards. We are a cross-functional collaboration that spans across the entire company, with scientists and engineers specializing in applied credit, deep learning, and high performance computing. Join us as we push the boundary of data-driven credit decisioning.
Role Description
In this role, you will:
Develop modeling approaches to forecast credit outcomes in a rapidly changing economic environment
Apply cutting-edge explainability techniques to identify insights from complex models
Develop frameworks for AI-model-based decisioning in a highly regulated industry
Collaborate on a cross-functional team with a wide range of specializations and experience
The Ideal Candidate is:
A data guru. “Big data” doesn’t faze you. You have the skills to retrieve, combine, and analyze data from a variety of sources and structures. You know understanding the data is often the key to great data science.
Creative. You thrive on bringing definition to big, undefined problems. You love asking questions and pushing hard to find answers. You’re not afraid to share a new idea.
Statistically-minded. You’ve built models, validated them, and backtested them. You know how to interpret a confusion matrix or a ROC curve. You have experience with clustering, classification, sentiment analysis, time series, and deep learning.
Innovative. You continually research and evaluate emerging technologies. You stay current on published state-of-the-art methods, technologies, and applications and seek out opportunities to apply them.
Basic Qualifications:
Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining one of the following with an expectation that the required degree will be obtained on or before the scheduled start date:
A Bachelor's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) plus 5 years of experience performing data analytics
A Master's Degree in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field) or an MBA with a quantitative concentration plus 3 years of experience performing data analytics
A PhD in a quantitative field (Statistics, Economics, Operations Research, Analytics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related quantitative field)
Preferred Qualifications:
Master’s Degree in an applied research field (physics/astronomy, chemistry, biology, engineering, operations research, sociology, etc.) plus 3 years of experience in data science, or PhD in an applied research field
Experience in explainability a big plus
Experience with distributed computing a plus
At least 3 years’ experience in Python, Scala, or R
At least 3 years’ experience with machine learning
Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.
The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.
McLean, VA: $161,800 - $184,600 for Princ Associate, Data ScienceNew York, NY: $176,500 - $201,400 for Princ Associate, Data Science
Richmond, VA: $147,100 - $167,900 for Princ Associate, Data Science
Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.
Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.
This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days. No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.
For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com
Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.
Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).
See All 40 Artificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs in Virginia
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Find JobsArtificial Intelligence Scientist Jobs by City in Virginia
Where Virginia roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Artificial Intelligence Scientist Job Market in Virginia
A snapshot from current Virginia openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



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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