AI/ML Research Scientist

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health benefits

MIT‑funded pension

401K matching

Paid leave (vacation, sick, parental)

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Artificial Intelligence Technology and Systems Group seeks researchers to design and implement cutting‑edge ML methods. You will develop algorithms spanning speech, NLP, multimedia, cyber, and graph analytics, and contribute to high‑level research publications.

The role emphasizes turning innovative research into robust prototypes for national security missions and collaborating with intelligence analysts and cyber operators.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in electrical engineering, computer science, or related discipline, or a Masters and 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong AI/ML knowledge with applications to multimedia, cyber security or adversarial ML.
• Deep AI/ML experience with state‑of‑the‑art methods and ability to read, critique, and extend research papers.
• Experience turning novel algorithms into robust prototypes in tight timelines.

Responsibilities

• Design, program, and architect advanced ML methods.
• Develop algorithms in speech, natural language processing, multimedia, cyber, and graph analytics.
• Publish and present research at premier conferences.

Skills

Python

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Huggingface

ML frameworks

Education

Ph.D. in EE/CS or related field

M.S. + 5+ years experience

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Conda/virtualenv

Job description

Are you excited to contribute to world‑class research in artificial intelligence with real impact on national security? The Artificial Intelligence Technology and Systems Group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory has over 50 years of experience developing revolutionary technologies for critical national missions.

We specialize in machine learning (ML) algorithms, technologies, and systems that extract and analyze information from multimedia data—including speech, text, images, and video. In recent years, we have significantly expanded our mission to include developing impactful ML solutions for cybersecurity in collaboration with the Nation’s top cyber organizations.

As a recognized leader in both basic and applied AI/ML, our group is shaping emerging AI fields and driving the Laboratory’s efforts in AI Assurance across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. We also integrate expertise in multimedia, cyber, and AI assurance to develop cutting‑edge technologies for Operations in the Information Environment (OIE).

A hallmark of our work is a focus on operational relevance: we design and evaluate AI/ML systems using realistic datasets and metrics, and we partner directly with intelligence analysts and cyber operators to ensure rapid transition of our technologies into real‑world, mission‑critical systems.

Job Description

Our staff members:

• Design, program, and architect advanced ML methods.


• Develop algorithms in speech, natural language processing, multimedia, cyber, and graph analytics.


• Publish and present research at premier conferences.

The AI Technology and Systems Group is seeking motivated applicants who can contribute to projects addressing a wide range of national needs in AI and ML. Assignments may include:

• Research on state‑of‑the‑art algorithms in signal processing, natural language processing, graph analytics, and adversarial AI.


• Applying innovative methods to challenging, real‑world problems.


• Working in a collaborative, team‑oriented development environment.

This is an opportunity to apply your skills to some of the most important technical challenges of our time—while learning from and contributing to a world‑class research community.

Qualifications

Ph.D. in electrical engineering, computer science, or another relevant discipline, or a Masters and 5 + years of relevant experience will be considered.

Desired Skills

• Knowledge of artificial intelligence, ideally with applications to multimedia, cyber security or adversarial machine learning / AI security experience.


• Deep AI/ML experience – graduate-level (or professional) knowledge of state‑of‑the‑art machine-learning, deep-learning, LLM/agentic AI, multimodal perception, differentiable modeling and simulation packages, graph analytics, adversarial/AI‑assurance, or cyber-ML; ability to read, critique, and extend advanced research papers.


• System analysis & problem decomposition – can translate high‑level end‑state requirements into a clear set of research tasks, define quantitative success metrics and measures, and produce a task‑breakdown structure that aligns with program/project milestones. Adept at formulating hypothesis, designing controlled experiments, and drawing data‑driven conclusions on novel problems.


• Operate within a rapid research‑to‑prototype pipeline – demonstrable ability to turn novel algorithms and approaches into robust, reproduceable prototypes in tight timescales, around iterative refinement.


• Advanced Python & ML libraries – expert‑level proficiency in Python and deep‑learning frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc.), plus Huggingface ecosystem, and data science frameworks (NumPy/pandas/SciPy, etc.).


• Software‑engineering best practices – strong Git workflow (branching, pull‑requests, code reviews), continuous‑integration testing, environment reproducibility (e.g., conda, virtualenv). Ability to document code, write reproducible experiment notebooks, and maintain versioned releases.


• Team and Project leadership – experience leading small research teams, assigning tasks, tracking progress, removing technical blockers, and mentoring junior staff.


• Stakeholder communication – strong written and oral skills for prepping technical briefings, composing white‑papers, demo presentations, and funding proposals; able to convey complex research outcomes to sponsors, senior leadership, and external partners.


• Detail‑oriented, able to multi‑task, with the ability to work autonomously, set technical direction, and operate with minimal supervision.


• Must have, or the ability to obtain a full scope Top Secret Clearance.

Recent Graduate Hiring Range: $145,200 - $170,000
Experienced Hiring Range: $145,200 - $220,000

Disclaimer: MIT Lincoln Laboratory provides a typical hiring range as a good faith estimate of what we reasonably expect to offer for this position at the time of posting. The final salary offered to a selected candidate will depend on various factors, including—but not limited to—the scope and responsibilities of the role, the candidate’s experience, skills and education/training, internal equity considerations and applicable legal requirements. This range reflects base salary only and does not include additional forms of compensation or benefits.

At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include:

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans


• MIT‑funded pension


• Matching 401K


• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)


• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre‑employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.