Cybersecurity Researcher / Engineer: Secure Systems and AI (Early Career)

MIT Lincoln Laboratory; Lexington (MA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health plans

MIT-funded pension

Matching 401K

Paid leave

Job summary

MIT Lincoln Laboratory's Secure Resilient Systems and Technology group seeks an Assistant Technical Staff member to advance secure software, embedded systems, and communication technologies. You will design, prototype, and evaluate approaches against sophisticated cyber threats, using Rust, C/C++, and related languages.

You will collaborate with researchers across cybersecurity, cryptography, formal methods, AI, and autonomy, presenting results to stakeholders and transitioning successful

Qualifications

• A Bachelor's degree in a technical field is required.
• Hands-on experience in cybersecurity, secure software, or AI security is valued.
• Demonstrated practical work beyond coursework, including internships or research.

Responsibilities

• Research, design, prototype, and evaluate secure software and systems against threats.
• Develop software and experimental systems using Rust, C/C++, and related languages.
• Explore AI and cybersecurity intersections, including AI-enabled systems security.
• Collaborate across cybersecurity, cryptography, formal methods, AI, and space disciplines.
• Present results to stakeholders and contribute to reports, prototypes, and reusable software.

Skills

Rust

C/C++

Embedded systems

Cybersecurity

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/Cybersecurity/SE

Job description

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, as well as the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, including both AI for cybersecurity and cybersecurity for AI. 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.

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, to learn more.

Job Description

As an Assistant Technical Staff member, you will:

• Research, design, prototype, and evaluate new approaches to securing software, embedded, and communication systems against sophisticated cyber threats.
• 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

To thrive in this role, you should have:

• ABachelor’s degreein Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated proficiency in at least one of the following:
  • Software design, development, and testing in Rust (preferred), C/C++, or another systems programming language.
  • Secure software or systems security.
  • Systems integration, testing, and evaluation of secure systems.
  • Embedded systems analysis, design, and implementation.
• Substantial hands-on technical experience beyond academic coursework, typically equivalent to at least six months of full-time technical experience, gained through internships, co-ops, research appointments, employment, or comparable experience. A significant portion must be directly relevant to cybersecurity, systems security, secure software, embedded systems, or AI security.
• Strong problem-solving and technical 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:

• 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.
• Secure software development, operating system internals, embedded systems security, and network protocols.
• Applied cryptography and protocols, including industry and government standards.
• Static and dynamic software analysis and applied formal methods.
• AI and cybersecurity, including AI-enabled software analysis, vulnerability discovery, security testing, threat analysis, and cyber defense; and security of AI-enabled systems, including adversarial threats and evaluation of security, robustness, and resilience.
• Technical communication, including documenting designs, writing reports and research papers, and presenting technical results.

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: $100,200 - $120,000
Experienced Hiring Range: $100,200 - $150,000

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.