PhD Cyber Vulnerability Researcher Lead

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab; Laurel (MD); On-site; USD 105,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Education assistance

Robust retirement contributions

Healthy work/life balance

Job summary

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks outstanding PhD graduates to tackle advanced reverse engineering challenges and develop cybersecurity capabilities. You will work on emulating firmware, discovering vulnerabilities, and enabling AI-assisted tooling in a multidisciplinary setting.

As a Senior Staff member, you will engage with sponsors, pursue funded research, and publish findings while collaborating across AI, bio, space, and defense domains.

Qualifications

• PhD in CS/CE/EE/Math or related technical degree.
• Experience in embedded development, reverse engineering, or hardware hacking.
• Strong interpersonal and the ability to work independently and on a team.
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be able to obtain an active Secret clearance on day one; U.S. citizenship required.
• Ability to obtain TS/SCI clearance.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to analyze and reverse engineer systems, uncover security vulnerabilities, and understand their potential impact.
• Shape the future of cybersecurity research by leveraging internal funding opportunities to pursue ideas and emerging challenges.
• Share knowledge by communicating complex technical concepts through papers, presentations, and discussions with technical staff, leadership, and government decision-makers.
• Develop solutions that transition cutting-edge research into prototype and operational systems.

Skills

Embedded development

Reverse engineering

Hardware hacking

Strong communication

Team collaboration

Security clearance readiness

Education

PhD in Computer Science/Engineering/Math or related

Tools

Assembly languages (x86/x64, Arm, PowerPC, MIPS)

Job description

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks outstanding PhD graduates to tackle advanced reverse engineering challenges and develop cybersecurity capabilities. You will work on emulating firmware, discovering vulnerabilities, and enabling AI-assisted tooling in a multidisciplinary setting.

As a Senior Staff member, you will engage with sponsors, pursue funded research, and publish findings while collaborating across AI, bio, space, and defense domains.