Cybersecurity Researcher / Engineer: Secure Systems

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 116,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory seeks an Associate Technical Staff member in the Secure Resilient Systems and Technology group to advance cybersecurity research for mission-critical systems. You will design, prototype, and evaluate secure software and embedded systems, with emphasis on Rust and C/C++, and explore AI-enabled security approaches.

The role emphasizes collaboration across disciplines, rigorous evaluation, and outcomes that translate to fielded technologies.

Qualifications

• Master's and Bachelor's degrees in CS/CE/Cybersecurity/Software Engineering with substantial relevant experience.
• Bachelor's degree plus at least two years of full-time relevant professional or research experience.
• Alternative pathway with substantial professional or research experience in related fields.

Responsibilities

• Research, design, prototype, and evaluate approaches to securing software, embedded systems, and communications against threats.
• Take ownership of technical problems and project components with independent judgment.
• Develop high-quality software and experimental systems using Rust, C/C++, and related languages.
• Explore AI intersections with cybersecurity, including AI-enabled analysis and defense.
• Collaborate across cybersecurity, cryptography, AI, and other disciplines.
• Present results to stakeholders and contribute to reports, prototypes, and transition to operational use.

Skills

Rust

C/C++

Systems programming

Embedded systems

Security evaluation

Applied cryptography

Formal methods

AI cybersecurity

Communication

Teamwork

Education

Master's & Bachelor's in CS/CE/Cybersecurity/Software Engineering

Bachelor's with 2+ years relevant experience

Tools

CI/CD practices

Security testing tools

Adversarial testing

Job description

Cybersecurity Researcher / 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 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.

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.

Recent Graduate Hiring Range: $116,400 - $140,000

Experienced Hiring Range: $116,400 - $182,200

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.