Critical and Emerging Technology Research Professional

umd; College Park (MD); On-site; USD 49,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Maryland, College Park, through ARLIS, is seeking qualified candidates for interdisciplinary research at the intersection of people, policy, and technology with national and economic security relevance. Roles include conducting technology assessments, exploring technology transition, and delivering actionable insights for government sponsors.

The positions emphasize collaboration across engineers, data scientists, policy analysts, and social scientists, with responsibilities

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Experience in defense or intelligence R&D programs and technology assessment is a plus.
• Familiarity with technology policy, governance, and socio-technical analysis is helpful.

Responsibilities

• Conduct interdisciplinary research on critical and emerging technologies with national/economic security relevance.
• Assess technology capabilities, limitations, and trajectories across families of technologies.
• Analyze socio-technical adoption and how policy/governance shape evolution.
• Evaluate R&D ecosystems, supply chains, and economics affecting technology development and risk.
• Contribute to research proposals, scoping questions, and sponsor engagement as needed.
• Collaborate with engineers, data scientists, policy analysts, and other experts to integrate findings.
• Prepare technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders.

Skills

Strong communication

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Master’s degree or PhD preferred

Job description

Job Description Summary

Organization's Summary Statement: The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland is a University‑Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and technology transition to improve decision making for U.S. national security. ARLIS combines deep scientific expertise with operational insight to address challenges in intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence / machine learning, quantum science, and human‑machine teaming. Researchers, scientists, engineers, and analysts at ARLIS collaborate with government agencies, industry partners, and academic institutions to deliver actionable insights and transformative solutions through research and development. Employees at ARLIS work on projects of critical importance, contribute directly to the nation’s security, and are supported by a culture that values integrity, collaboration, and professional growth.

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland, College Park, is seeking qualified candidates with expertise in critical and emerging technologies and their implications for national and economic security. Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with a breadth of experience across a family of technologies (or closely related technology areas) relevant to government missions.

Candidates should be able to articulate how technologies are developed, scaled, and adopted, including the R&D ecosystem, supply chain dependencies, and economic drivers that shape technology evolution and strategic advantage. Successful applicants will also be comfortable working in collaborative, multi‑disciplinary teams and communicating complex technical and socio‑technical topics through technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders.

Successful candidates will contribute to a portfolio of government‑sponsored projects addressing emerging challenges in areas such as technology assessment, technology transition and adoption, risk and resilience, governance and policy, and human and organizational factors shaping technology use. Work may include research development, rapid analytic sprints, stakeholder engagement, and the production of actionable insights that inform decision‑making across technology strategy, acquisition, and operational planning.

Positions may include a focus on applied research, systems‑level analysis, policy‑relevant technical assessment, and/or field‑informed studies of how technologies are used in real‑world contexts. Final appointment title and responsibilities will be based on qualifications and matched to programmatic needs.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Conducting interdisciplinary research on critical and emerging technologies at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with an emphasis on national and economic security relevance
• Assessing technology capabilities, limitations, and trajectories across a family of technologies, including second- and third‑order impacts on missions, markets, and society
• Analyzing socio‑technical adoption and use, including how individuals, organizations, and institutions interact with technologies and how policy and governance shape their evolution
• Evaluating R&D ecosystems, supply chains, and economics (e.g., production scaling, chokepoints, dependencies, incentives, and market structure) that influence technology development and strategic risk
• Contributing to research proposals and technical work plans, including scoping research questions, defining methods, and supporting sponsor engagement as needed
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams including engineers, data scientists, domain experts, behavioral and social scientists, and policy analysts to integrate methods and findings
• Preparing technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders, translating complex analyses into clear, decision‑relevant products (e.g., reports, slide briefings, memos, and research summaries)

Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance. If selected, you must meet the requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to a government security clearance investigation that includes criminal and credit history checks, as well as verification of U.S. citizenship, birth, education, employment, and military history.

Final offer is contingent upon the candidate’s ability to successfully obtain the necessary interim Secret security clearance, as determined by the U.S. Government, prior to commencing employment.

Qualifications

ARLIS is hiring at all levels in two complementary tracks: Research Specialist and Research Engineer.

Research Specialist Qualifications

Entry Level:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience.
• ~2 years of demonstrated experience in organizing and managing projects through volunteer, extracurricular, or work activities.
• Demonstrated potential for excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs.
• Ability to work as part of a multi‑disciplinary opportunity team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team‑centric culture.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and deep‑dive skills.

Mid‑Level:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience and 3+ years of experience in a technical role or project management position for defense or intelligence R&D programs with experience in technology assessment, systems design, system analysis, executing on multiple technical programs with scheduled deliverables, and communicating and interfacing with government customers; or Bachelor’s Degree and 5+ years of relevant experience in a role of equivalent responsibility.
• Superior ability to deliver excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs.
• Interact with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to work as part of a multi‑disciplinary opportunity capture team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team‑centric culture.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and deep‑dive skills.

Senior‑Level:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience and 7+ years of experience in a technical role or project management position for defense or intelligence R&D programs with experience in technology assessment, systems design, system analysis, executing on multiple technical programs with scheduled deliverables, and communicating and interfacing with government customers; or Bachelor’s Degree and 10+ years of relevant experience in a role of equivalent responsibility.
• Superior ability to deliver excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs.
• Knowledge of DoD appropriations and requirements processes.
• Lead engagements with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders.
• Ability to work as part of a multi‑disciplinary opportunity capture team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team‑centric culture.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and deep‑dive skills.

Research Engineer Qualifications

Assistant Research Engineer:

• PhD plus 5 years of research experience in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline; including success leading research projects and a record of engineering achievement and show promise of continued productivity.

Ability to:

• Initiate new projects with long‑term research goals, tackling more complex problems than an Assistant Research Engineer, leading work on multiple, concurrent projects, and managing cross‑functional engineering teams.
• Serve as Principal Investigator or having primary responsibility for a significant part of a project.
• Interact with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders.
• Expected to identify funding opportunities and serve as Principal Investigator on large proposals.
• Mentor junior staff and Professional Track Faculty Specialists and participating in their promotion sub‑committees.

Associate Research Engineer:

• PhD plus 5 years of PhD‑level research experience, including success capturing and leading large projects and a record of significant engineering achievement and show promise of continued productivity.
• Recognized as an authoritative subject matter expert and receive commensurate recognition.

Ability to:

• Initiate new projects with long‑term research goals, tackling more complex problems than an Assistant Research Engineer, leading work on multiple, concurrent projects, and managing cross‑functional engineering teams.
• Serve as Principal Investigator or having primary responsibility for a significant part of a project.
• Interact with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders.
• Identify funding opportunities and serve as Principal Investigator on large proposals.
• Mentor junior staff and Professional Track Faculty Specialists and participating in their promotion sub‑committees.

Full Research Engineer:

• Ph.D. with at least 10 years of PhD‑level research experience, including success capturing and leading large projects and a record of significant engineering achievement and show promise of continued productivity.
• Established reputation for outstanding engineering practice, design, and development and viewed nationally as an authoritative subject matter expert.

Proven Ability to:

• Tackle problems of considerable scope and complexity with currently non‑existent solutions requiring unconventional, novel approaches and sophisticated research techniques.
• Pursue funding opportunities and serve as Principal Investigator or have primary responsibility for a significant part of a multi‑investigator project.
• Lead the design and implementation of large projects with many components (subcontractors, teams, etc.).
• Lead engagements with U.S. government sponsors, customers, and stakeholders.
• Build and execute new research programs.
• Hold leadership positions within ARLIS, on campus, or professional committees.
• Mentor junior staff and Professional Track Faculty Specialists and participating in their promotion sub‑committees.

Physical Demands

Sedentary work performed in a normal office environment; exerts up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Ability to attend meetings both on and off campus. Spending long hours in front of a computer screen.

Preferences

• Active TS/SCI

Licenses/ Certifications: N/A

Minimum Qualifications

The appointee shall hold a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant area and show potential for excellence in the administration and/or management of academic or research programs. Faculty Specialists are expected to engage in activities such as developing curriculum and/or innovative means for delivering curriculum, supervising the non‑research activities of graduate or post‑doctoral students, serving as grant writers or authors of other publications for an academic or research program, conducting specialized research duties or other such duties that would generate intellectual property to which the faculty member shall retain the rights. Appointments to this rank are typically one to three years and are renewable.

Department

VPR-Applied Research Lab for Intelligence & Security

Worker Sub-Type

Faculty Regular

Salary Range

$49,072 - $252,288

Background Checks

Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regardingdisclosablebackground checkinformation. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.

Employment Eligibility

The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I‑9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.

EEO Statement

The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University’s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.

Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice

Resources

• Learn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O*Net Online