Associate Network Security Researcher

Carnegie Mellon University; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Retirement plan with employer contrib.

Tuition benefits

Paid time off and holidays

Free transit pass

Family concierge team

Fitness center access

Job summary

Carnegie Mellon University’s Network Situational Awareness team is researching network threats to develop detection methods and tailor them for partner environments. You will contribute to NetSA tool suite by providing new requirements and feature requests, author publications, and deliver customer-specific training.

The role focuses on leveraging netflow data with application layer metadata, expanding into host-based and cloud telemetry to enhance security insights across partner environments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS or a relevant technical discipline with three (3) years of relevant work experience; or a MS in CS or a relevant technical discipline with one (1) year of relevant work experience; or a PhD in CS or other relevant technical discipline.
• Movement between buildings within the SEI and CMU community required.
• Willingness to travel to various locations to support the SEI’s overall mission. This may include national travel to sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings on occasion.
• Subject to a background check and required to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Research network threats to develop methods of detection and tailor these for partner environments.
• Develop detection capabilities and provide new requirements and feature requests for NetSA Security tool suite.
• Write publications and provide customer-specific training.
• Gain insights from data to facilitate detections and help partners understand their data.

Skills

Python

Go

Ruby

C

Java

Scala

Network fundamentals

Threat intelligence translation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

MS in Computer Science or related field

PhD in CS or related field

Tools

Zeek

Suricata

YAF

NetFlow

PCAP

Job description

What We Do

Our team, within the Cyber Risk and Resilience Directorate, researches, designs, and develops software tools for the collection, storage, and analysis of network data to provide security insights. We provide both the core network tools to facilitate this capability, and prototypes of new methods to present the data most effectively. We work with data at a scale generally not experienced by most organizations, handling record counts in the tens of billions per day.

Position Summary

As a network security researcher on the Network Situational Awareness team, you will research network threats to develop methods of detection and tailor these for partner environments. Transition of this research will take the form of developing detection capabilities, providing new requirements and feature requests for our NetSA Security tool suite, writing publications, and providing customer‑specific training. The primary network data source for the team is netflow combined with application layer metadata, with an expanding focus on host‑based (e.g., EDR) and cloud telemetry.

You will be responsible for gaining insights from data to facilitate detections, working with partners to help them better understand their data, and researching new data sources to expand the expertise of the team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science or a relevant technical discipline with three (3) years of relevant work experience; or a MS in Computer Science or a relevant technical discipline with one (1) year of relevant work experience; or a PhD in Computer Science or other relevant technical discipline.
• Movement between buildings within the SEI and CMU community required.
• Willingness to travel to various locations to support the SEI’s overall mission. This may include national travel to sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings on occasion.
• Subject to a background check and required to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Exposure to translating threat intelligence to avenues for research, prototyping, and curation of detection capabilities.
• Solid knowledge of network fundamentals, common application layer protocols, and network‑based telemetry.
• Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language such as Python, Go, Ruby, C, Java, or Scala.
• Solid problem‑solving and analytical skills, detailed research, and ability to document and communicate ideas and findings to diverse audiences.

Desired Experience

• Hands‑on experience in a security research, threat hunting, detection engineering, or SOC Analyst role.
• Some experience analyzing network telemetry such as netflow, application metadata, or PCAP from network sensors such as YAF, Zeek, Suricata, etc.
• Exposure to cybersecurity data science methods and practices.
• Awareness of open‑source and/or commercial Internet intelligence telemetry and datasets.
• Awareness of the threat landscape and experience researching and investigating threats.
• Experience presenting technical topics.

Benefits

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Tuition benefits, ample paid time off and observed holidays, and life and accidental death and disability insurance are also provided.

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our Family Concierge Team to help navigate childcare needs, fitness center access, and more.

Location

Arlington, VA, Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function

Software/Applications Development/Engineering

Position Type

Staff – Regular

Full Time/Part time

Full time

Pay Basis

Salary

More Information

• Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.
• Click here to view a listing of employee benefits.
• Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.
• Statement of Assurance.