Senior Adversarial ML Research Scientist

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

The Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University (SEI) in Arlington, VA and Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist to study vulnerabilities in AI/ML systems and develop defenses for government sponsors. You will lead hands-on research, mentor staff, and collaborate with cross‑disciplinary teams to advance secure AI technologies.

You will contribute to a research strategy, publish results, and transition capabilities to federal customers, while working

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/STAT/ML/EE with 10+ years experience; MS with 8+; PhD with 5+.
• Willingness to work onsite 5 days a week.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain an active DoD security clearance; travel up to 25%.
• Strong leadership and collaboration with sponsors.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Hands-on research: conduct and lead novel research in applied ML/AI.
• Lead interdisciplinary teams to turn research results into prototype operational capabilities for government customers and stakeholders.
• Develop and carry out an overall research strategy with leadership.
• Collaborate with researchers, government customers, and other stakeholders to understand challenges and research directions.
• Mentor junior team members and share insights across the SEI AI Division.

Skills

Machine learning

Adversarial ML

Research leadership

Scientific method

Written and verbal communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Statistics/ML/EE

MS in relevant fields

PhD in related field

Job description

The Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University (SEI) in Arlington, VA and Pittsburgh, PA, seeks a Senior Machine Learning Research Scientist to study vulnerabilities in AI/ML systems and develop defenses for government sponsors. You will lead hands-on research, mentor staff, and collaborate with cross‑disciplinary teams to advance secure AI technologies.

You will contribute to a research strategy, publish results, and transition capabilities to federal customers, while working