Cybersecurity Research Scientist / Engineer: Secure Systems

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health plan

MIT-funded pension

Matching 401K

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is seeking a Cybersecurity Research Scientist/Engineer in the Secure Systems area. As a Full Technical Staff member, you will advance cybersecurity for software, embedded systems, and computing infrastructure, while shaping research directions and mentoring junior researchers.

You will pursue AI-enabled cybersecurity research, publish results, and collaborate with government, industry, and academia to drive mission-ready solutions and sponsor relationships.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field.
• Master's degree with at least five years of relevant professional or research experience.
• Alternative: substantial relevant professional or research experience with comparable preparation.

Responsibilities

• Advance the state of the art in cybersecurity by developing and evaluating new approaches to securing software, embedded systems, and computing infrastructure.
• Shape research directions and lead technically challenging R&D efforts from concept to prototyping, evaluation and transition.
• Pursue research at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, including AI applications to cyber analysis and defense, and security of AI-enabled systems.
• Publish and present research and collaborate across Lincoln Laboratory, government, industry, and academia.
• Mentor researchers and engineers and help develop new research programs and sponsor relationships.

Skills

Technical depth

Communication skills

Leadership potential

Mentoring

Education

PhD in CS/CE/Cybersecurity/related field

Master's with 5+ years experience

Job description

Cybersecurity Research Scientist / Engineer: Secure Systems

The Secure Resilient Systems and Technology group advances cybersecurity research to address critical national security challenges. We develop and evaluate technologies that enable mission systems, from space and autonomous platforms to tactical communications and secure computing, to withstand cyberattack and continue the mission. Our goal is not simply to identify vulnerabilities, but to design security in from the start and provide rigorous evidence that these systems can be trusted under attack.

Our research spans secure software and embedded systems, security architecture and threat modeling, applied cryptography, formal methods, and security evaluation. It increasingly includes the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, both using AI to advance cybersecurity and securing AI-enabled mission systems. We work across the R&D lifecycle, from new concepts through prototyping and transition to mission use, collaborating across Lincoln Laboratory and with government, industry, and academia. We maintain a strong focus on mission impact. As a result, our work spans multiple levels of sensitivity; whenever possible, we publish portions of our research and engage with the broader academic community.

We are a collegial and mission-driven team working on difficult problems where security, resilience, assurance, performance, and operational realities all matter. We value technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and individual growth. Our culture emphasizes mentoring and developing researchers into PIs and technical leaders. We strive to bring out the best in our people and our systems, so that the Laboratory and the nation can count on them when it matters most.

If you would like to pursue cutting-edge research and work on things that truly matter at a place that combines MIT's culture of academic excellence, exceptional resources, and strong work-life balance.

Job Description

As a Full Technical Staff member, you will:

• Advance the state of the art in cybersecurity by developing and evaluating new approaches to securing software, embedded systems, communications, and computing infrastructure against sophisticated cyber threats.
• Shape research directions and lead technically challenging R&D efforts, from new concepts through prototyping, evaluation, and transition to mission use.
• Pursue research 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.
• Publish and present research and collaborate with researchers across Lincoln Laboratory, government, industry, and academia.
• Mentor researchers and engineers, identify important new problems, and contribute to the development of new research programs and sponsor relationships.

Required Qualifications

To thrive in this role, you should have:

• A PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related computing or engineering field.
  
  • Alternatively, a Master's degree with at least five years of relevant professional or research experience.
  • Candidates whose prior degrees are in another technical field may qualify with substantial relevant professional or research experience demonstrating comparable technical preparation.
• Demonstrated technical depth in one or more of the following:
  • Systems security, particularly for embedded systems.
  • Software security and program analysis.
  • Secure-by-design systems and architectures.
  • Applied cryptography and security protocols.
  • Software testing, metrics, and evaluation.
  • Applied formal methods and programming languages security.
  • AI-enabled tools and techniques for cybersecurity.
• A record of research or technical innovation, demonstrated through publications, patents, significant technical projects, prototypes, or comparable contributions that address complex problems with new approaches.
• Demonstrated technical initiative and potential to lead research efforts, including the ability to identify important problems, formulate technical approaches, and influence the direction of collaborative work.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively to technical and nontechnical audiences.

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.
• Experience across the R&D lifecycle, from concept development and prototyping through evaluation and transition, particularly in national security, government, or defense-related environments.
• Systems-level thinking and analysis, including identifying important national security problems, understanding mission and technical context, evaluating alternative approaches and tradeoffs, and translating technical vision into executable research plans.
• Technical leadership and mentoring of researchers and engineers.
• Development of new research concepts, proposals, or programs, including collaboration with government sponsors and other research partners.

We do not expect candidates to have expertise in all of these areas.

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.