Cybersecurity Researcher / Engineer: Secure Systems

Job Description

As an Associate Technical Staff member, you will: 

• Research, design, prototype, and evaluate new approaches to securing software, embedded systems, and communications against sophisticated cyber threats.
• Take ownership of technical problems and project components, exercising independent technical judgment.
• Develop high-quality software and experimental systems using Rust, C/C++, and other languages appropriate to the research.
• Explore problems at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, including applications of AI to cyber analysis and defense, as well as the security and evaluation of AI-enabled systems.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers across cybersecurity, cryptography, formal methods, AI, communications, autonomy, space, and other disciplines.
• Present results to Laboratory and government stakeholders and contribute to reports, publications, prototypes, reusable software, and the transition of successful technologies to operational use.

Required Qualifications

Candidates should meet the following education and experience requirements:

• Master's degree pathway:
  • A Master's and Bachelor's  degree, each in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field, plus substantial relevant technical experience beyond academic coursework, typically equivalent to at least nine months of full-time experience, gained through internships, co-ops, non-coursework research, professional employment, or comparable experience. A significant portion of this experience must be directly relevant to the group's technical focus.
• Professional experience pathway:
  • A Bachelor's degree in one of the fields listed above, plus at least two years of full-time relevant professional or research experience.
• Alternative technical pathway:
  • A Bachelor's or Master's degree in another field, plus substantial relevant professional or research experience, typically three or more years, and a strong record of technical accomplishment in one or more of the technical areas listed below, demonstrating preparation comparable to the pathways above.

To thrive in this role, you should also have:  

• Demonstrated technical depth and hands-on experience in one or more of the following:
  • Software design, development, and testing in Rust (preferred), C/C++, or another systems programming language.
  • Embedded systems analysis, design, and implementation.
  • Software integration, testing, measurement , and evaluation.
  • Systems security, particularly for embedded systems.
  • Software security and program analysis.
  • Applied cryptography and security protocols.
  • Applied formal methods and language security.
  • AI-enabled tools and techniques for cybersecurity.
• Strong technical problem-solving and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in teams.

Desired Experience and Expertise

We particularly value demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas: 

• Secure software development, operating system internals, embedded systems security, and network protocols.
• Systems engineering, security requirements analysis, and threat modeling.
• Security evaluation and assurance, including adversarial testing, experimental methods, security measurement, and evidence supporting security and assurance claims.
• Applied cryptography and protocols, including industry and government standards.
• Static and dynamic software analysis and applied formal methods.
• AI-enabled software analysis, vulnerability discovery, security testing, threat analysis, and cyber defense.
• Security and evaluation of AI-enabled systems, including adversarial threats, robustness, and resilience.
• Development of complex software systems, including requirements, collaborative development, automated build and test, and CI/CD practices.
• Experience across the R&D lifecycle, from concept development and prototyping through evaluation and transition, particularly in national security, government, or defense-related environments.
• Familiarity with government standards, policies, and engineering practices relevant to cybersecurity and secure systems.

We do not expect candidates to have expertise in all of these areas and welcome candidates interested in developing deeper expertise through hands-on research.