Principal Research Scientist - Autonomous Systems

Peraton; Corridor North (MD); On-site; USD 146,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

Peraton Labs seeks a Principal Research Scientist to lead research in autonomous systems across domains, guiding teams to prototype, test, and demonstrate solutions. You will interact with customers, present research results, and develop proposals while driving innovative concepts and program direction.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years of experience, a PhD in CS or related field, and strong skills in AI, cybersecurity, and modern ML tools like PyTorch or TensorFlow.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience and a PhD in Computer Science or related field.
• Strong research background in AI, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems.
• Hands‑on experience with AI technologies and modern modeling tools (PyTorch, TensorFlow).
• US Citizenship with ability to obtain/maintain a Secret or higher clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead or collaborate with a team of researchers to design, prototype, test, and demonstrate autonomous system solutions.
• Interact with customers, pitch ideas, develop proposals, and guide research programs.
• Develop software prototypes and stay current with cutting‑edge AI and cyber techniques.

Skills

AI research

Cybersecurity

Autonomous systems

Deep learning frameworks

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Communication skills

Proposal writing

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Job description

Principal Research Scientist - Autonomous Systems

Job Locations: US-NJ-Basking Ridge | US-MD-Annapolis Junction | US-MD-Silver Spring

Responsibilities

Peraton Labs seeks a self‑motivated Principal Research Scientist to develop solutions for autonomous systems across a variety of domains. You will lead or work with a team of research scientists to design, prototype, test, and demonstrate solutions to challenging research problems. Your work will involve defining research programs, developing innovative concepts and approaches to solving problems in autonomous systems, and providing direction and vision for the team. You will clearly articulate research directions to solve a broad range of customer problems with cutting‑edge solutions.

You will interact with customers to understand their needs, pitch new ideas and present research results, develop proposals, and lead execution of research programs. You will design and prototype software to prove technical concepts; strong software development skills and willingness to learn new technologies are required.

Projects include AI‑enabled cybersecurity, adversarial machine learning, large language models, cyber and networking models, reinforcement learning, social media disinformation and influence campaigns, and related AI applications. The ideal candidate is excited to work on cutting‑edge research in a collaborative environment that fosters continuous learning.

Qualifications

Requirements:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience and a PhD in Computer Science or related field.
• Strong research background and development experience in AI, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems.
• Hands‑on experience with AI technologies, models, and tools, including state‑of‑the‑art modeling techniques such as transformers, feature engineering and modeling, development of deep neural networks with modern tools such as PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability and desire to quickly acquire knowledge of new subject matter areas.
• Experience in business development and writing winning proposals for R&D opportunities with DoD/IC/other government customers such as DARPA, IARPA, ARL, AFRL, etc. is a plus.
• Experience in leading DARPA or similar projects as Principal Investigator is a plus.
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain/maintain a Secret or higher clearance is required.

Peraton Overview

Peraton is a next‑generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. We deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. We serve essential government agencies and support every branch of the U.S. armed forces.

Target Salary Range

$146,000 - $234,000. Salary is determined by factors such as scope and responsibilities of the position, experience, education, skills, and geographic location. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.