Principal Research Scientist - Autonomous Systems

Peraton; Home (PA); 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 multiple domains. You will guide teams, define programs, and deliver prototype solutions that address customer needs, communicating with stakeholders and customers to drive innovative outcomes.

The role emphasizes hands-on AI, cybersecurity, and software development, with frequent collaboration across diverse expert teams and opportunities to lead DARPA/DoD initiatives and proposals.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 7 years of experience with a PhD in Computer Science or related area.
• Strong research background and development experience in AI, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems.
• Hands-on experience with AI technologies, including transformers and deep neural networks using 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 winning proposals for DoD/IC/government customers is a plus.
• Experience leading DARPA or similar projects as Principal Investigator is a plus.
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain/maintain a Secret clearance is required.
• Candidate will travel to Basking Ridge, NJ as needed - about 25%.

Responsibilities

• Lead or work with a team of researchers to design, prototype, test, and demonstrate autonomous systems solutions.
• Define research programs and provide direction for customer-focused research initiatives.
• Interact with customers, pitch new ideas, and develop proposals addressing customer needs.
• Develop software prototypes and contribute to cutting-edge AI research projects.

Skills

AI

Cybersecurity

Autonomous Systems

Research Leadership

Communication

Business Development

DoD Proposals

DARPA PI Experience

Education

PhD in Computer Science or related area

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Transformers

Deep Learning

Job description

Principal Research Scientist - Autonomous Systems

Job Locations

US-MD-Home | US-VA-Home | US-PA-Home

Requisition ID: 2026-171432

Position Category: Scientific, Research & Analysis

Clearance: Secret

Responsibilities

Peraton Labs is seeking a self-motivated Principal Research Scientist with a passion for developing solutions for problems in the field of 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 different problems in autonomous systems, and providing direction and vision for the team. An important aspect of this position is the ability to clearly articulate research directions that will solve a broad range of customer problems by providing cutting-edge solutions.

Peraton Labs performs basic, applied, and advanced research for a variety of customers. Your role will involve interacting with customers to understand their needs, pitching new ideas and presenting research results to new and existing customers, developing proposals that address customer needs, and providing leadership for executing research programs. The ideal candidate will therefore have substantial experience in the above tasks, along with the ability to delve deep into the relevant technologies and provide leadership in developing and delivering prototype solutions. An important component of Peraton Labs' work involves design and prototyping of software to prove out technical concepts; you should therefore have strong software development skills and be willing to learn new skills and technologies as needed to develop cutting-edge solutions based on customer needs.

We have several active research and development projects where we design, integrate, and demonstrate solutions for a range of AI applications, including AI-enabled cybersecurity, adversarial machine learning, large language models, cyber and networking models, reinforcement learning, social media disinformation and influence campaigns, and so on. A strong candidate will have expertise in many or all of these areas, or the ability to quickly come up to speed. The ideal candidate is one who is excited at the opportunity to work on cutting-edge research in an environment where they will continuously learn new concepts and innovate in collaboration with a strong team of individuals with diverse technical backgrounds.

#PLABS26

Qualifications

Requirements

A successful candidate will have a body of research and publications in the areas mentioned within this posting, and experience in hands-on development of research solutions.

• Minimum of 7 years of experience with a PhD in Computer Science or related area


• Strong research background and development experience in AI, cybersecurity, and autonomous systems


• Hands-on experience with relevant 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, etc


• 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


• Candidate will be required to travel to Basking Ridge, NJ as needed - expected at 25%.

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. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure.

Target Salary Range

$146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

EEO

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