Senior AI Reverse Engineer for Malware & Threats (Onsite)

Carnegie Mellon University; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The CERT Division of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University seeks a Senior AI Reverse Engineer Researcher for the Threat Analysis directorate. This position is based onsite at an SEI customer location in the Fort Meade area and focuses on applying AI/ML to code analysis, malware detection, and reverse engineering challenges.

You will design new analysis methods, document results, mentor teammates, and collaborate with government, industry, and academia.

Qualifications

• BS in Data Science/CS or related with eight (10) years of experience;
• MS in the same fields with five (8) years of experience;
• PhD in the same fields with two (5) years of experience.
• Experience with or knowledge of Predictive modeling, data science, and/or AI & machine learning.
• Deep understanding of statistical modeling techniques and advanced data analytics.
• Modern ML frameworks: LightGBM/XGBoost, CatBoost, PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow.
• LLMs / agentic workflows (LangChain/LlamaIndex/Haystack).
• Experience deploying models (FastAPI, Triton, KServe, SageMaker, Vertex AI, or similar).
• Experience with disassemblers, decompilers, and debuggers (IDA Pro, NSA Ghidra).
• High-level programming languages (Java, Python, GoLang, etc.).
• Software engineering and design concepts.
• Familiarity with malware tradecraft and threat actor TTPs.
• Willingness to travel to sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.

Responsibilities

• Apply AI and ML techniques to code analysis and reverse engineering challenges for threat assessment.
• Design and develop new analysis methods and tools for malware detection/classification.
• Document and transition results in reports, presentations, and technical exchanges.
• Identify, document, and analyze emerging and complex active security threats.
• Collaborate with the broader security community through papers and presentations.
• Mentor and train others, sharing knowledge across teams.

Skills

Data science

Reverse engineering

Malware analysis

Technical writing

Mentoring

Communication

Education

BS in Data Science/CS or related

MS in Data Science/CS or related

PhD in Data Science/CS or related

Tools

LightGBM/XGBoost

CatBoost

PyTorch

JAX

TensorFlow

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Haystack

FastAPI

Triton

KServe

SageMaker

Vertex AI

IDA Pro

Ghidra

Java

Python

Go

Job description

The CERT Division of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University seeks a Senior AI Reverse Engineer Researcher for the Threat Analysis directorate. This position is based onsite at an SEI customer location in the Fort Meade area and focuses on applying AI/ML to code analysis, malware detection, and reverse engineering challenges.

You will design new analysis methods, document results, mentor teammates, and collaborate with government, industry, and academia.