National Security Tech & Policy Researcher

Job Description Summary

Organization’s Summary Statement:

The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence & Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland is a University‑Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and technology transition to improve decision making for U.S. national security. ARLIS combines deep scientific expertise with operational insight to address challenges in intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence / machine learning, quantum science, and human‑machine teaming.

Researchers, scientists, engineers, and analysts at ARLIS collaborate with government agencies, industry partners, and academic institutions to deliver actionable insights and transformative solutions through research and development. Employees at ARLIS work on projects of critical importance, contribute directly to the nation’s security, and are supported by a culture that values integrity, collaboration, and professional growth.

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.

• 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…