Research Professorial Position, Spectrum Dominance Division

Job Description

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) was formed in2021 with the aspiration to become the nation’s preeminent academic organization at the nexus of interdisciplinary research,technology, policy, and talent development to advance national security. The Institute grew from the Hume Center, which was launched in 2010 thanks to an endowment from Ted and Karyn Hume.

VTNSI is a national leader in advancing security and resilience through innovative and applied research, empowering the next generation of experts, and building strategic alliances to addresse evolving national security challenges. We bring together exceptional interdisciplinary faculty, unique research infrastructure, and deep partnerships with industry and government sponsors to execute impactful research and development.

The Spectrum Dominance Division seeks a Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, or Research Professor atits office in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Spectrum Dominance Division(SDD) within VTNSI is home to 30 full-time faculty researchers withfocus areas in electrical engineering, computer engineering,computer science, and applied mathematics. SDD’s portfolio reaches across all aspects of the radio frequency transmit/receive chain,including antenna and phased array design, baseband waveform design, and receiver design.

SDD houses domain expertise in SDRdevelopment, AI/ML applied to the radio frequency (RF) spectrum(i.e., RFML), SIGINT, RADAR, cellular, electromagnetic materials,cognitive radio, and additive manufacturing. The hiring rank ofthis position will be based on the candidates' background and experience.

While engaging in cutting-edge RF research, SDD has a particular focus on TRL 3-6 R&D, acting as the bridge from fundamental research on campus to prototypes for government and commercial sponsors. A particular strength is real-time RF system development leveraging in-house FPGA, GPU, and SDR platforms. Importantly, SDDhas successfully transitioned multiple capabilities for real-timeRF machine learning, automotive cybersecurity, and radar threat warning models.

Validation of SDD products is accomplished in VTNSI’sstate-of-the-art 5,000 sq. ft. of wireless testing and lab spacesas well as the Counter-UAS Testing and Research Center (CTRC),between them housing SDR testbeds, two RF anechoic chambers, andhigh-end measurement equipment (e.g. spectrum analyzers, vector network analyzers, etc.) supporting bands up to 110 GHz. These capabilities complement a nearly $10M investment in secure computing infrastructure, housing expansive GPU and CPU clusters.

Motivated applicants are sought to help continue to build SDD’sradio frequency portfolio and will be expected to:

• Lead the direction and technical execution of sponsored programs to achieve stated sponsor deliverables.
• Disseminate program outputs into technical documents, publish peer-reviewed academic papers, and/or open-sourcecodebases/datasets/etc.
• Support business development efforts to secure new sponsored research programs.
• Support program execution as needed.

Additionally, applicants will have the opportunity to:

• Mentor undergraduate student teams engaged in experiential learning programs.
• Obtain a courtesy appointment in a relevant academic department to:
• Co-advise Master’s and PhD students alongside tenured faculty within relevant academic departments.
• Occasionally teach relevant courses within the department.

• An earned Doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Evidence of high potential for excellence in research and development as demonstrated through peer-reviewed publication sand/or open-source codebases.
• Scholarship and funding credentials that support the rank ofeither research assistant professor, research associate professor,or research professor.
• Proficiency with the software/hardware tools germane to the applicant’s field of research.
• Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team in scoping and executing research projects.
• Given the nature of the research conducted and the requirements from federal sponsors, the candidate must be a U.S. citizen.
• Ability and willingness to obtain…