Critical and Emerging Technology Research Professional

Job Title

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland, College Park, is seeking qualified candidates with expertise in critical and emerging technologies and their implications for national and economic security.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate the ability to conduct interdisciplinary research at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with a breadth of experience across a family of technologies (or closely related technology areas) relevant to government missions.

Candidates should be able to articulate how technologies are developed, scaled, and adopted, including the R&D ecosystem, supply chain dependencies, and economic drivers that shape technology evolution and strategic advantage. Successful applicants will also be comfortable working in collaborative, multi-disciplinary teams and communicating complex technical and socio-technical topics through technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders.

Successful candidates will contribute to a portfolio of government-sponsored projects addressing emerging challenges in areas such as technology assessment, technology transition and adoption, risk and resilience, governance and policy, and human and organizational factors shaping technology use. Work may include research development, rapid analytic sprints, stakeholder engagement, and the production of actionable insights that inform decision-making across technology strategy, acquisition, and operational planning.

Positions may include a focus on applied research, systems-level analysis, policy-relevant technical assessment, and/or field-informed studies of how technologies are used in real-world contexts. Final appointment title and responsibilities will be based on qualifications and matched to programmatic needs.

Roles and responsibilities will vary by project and candidate expertise and may include:

• Conducting interdisciplinary research on critical and emerging technologies at the intersection of people, policy, and technology, with an emphasis on national and economic security relevance
• Assessing technology capabilities, limitations, and trajectories across a family of technologies, including second- and third-order impacts on missions, markets, and society
• Analyzing socio-technical adoption and use, including how individuals, organizations, and institutions interact with technologies and how policy and governance shape their evolution
• Evaluating R&D ecosystems, supply chains, and economics (e.g., production scaling, chokepoints, dependencies, incentives, and market structure) that influence technology development and strategic risk
• Contributing to research proposals and technical work plans, including scoping research questions, defining methods, and supporting sponsor engagement as needed
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams including engineers, data scientists, domain experts, behavioral and social scientists, and policy analysts to integrate methods and findings
• Preparing technical deliverables and briefings for government stakeholders, translating complex analyses into clear, decision-relevant products (e.g., reports, slide briefings, memos, and research summaries)

Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance. If selected, you must meet the requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to a government security clearance investigation that includes criminal and credit history checks, as well as verification of U.S. citizenship, birth, education, employment, and military history.

Final offer is contingent upon the candidate's ability to successfully obtain the necessary interim Secret security clearance, as determined by the U.S. Government, prior to commencing employment.

ARLIS is hiring at all levels in two complementary tracks:
Research Specialist and Research Engineer.

Entry Level:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience.
• ~2 years of demonstrated experience in organizing and managing projects through volunteer, extracurricular, or work activities
• Demonstrated potential for excellence in the execution, administration, and/or management of research or academic programs
• Ability to work as part of a multi-disciplinary opportunity team in a matrixed organization with a collaborative and team-centric culture
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• Excellent analytical and deep-dive skills

Mid-Level:

• Master's degree in a relevant field such as basic science or engineering, public policy, international affairs, economics, supply chain, human factors, information science, or related discipline, plus relevant experience and 3+ years of experience in a technical role or project management position for defense or intelligence R&D programs with experience in technology assessment,…