Cybersecurity Researcher - 5G & Wireless Resilience Expert

Cybersecurity Researcher - 5G & Wireless Resilience Expert

Join to apply for the Cybersecurity Researcher - 5G & Wireless Resilience Expert role at National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Location
: CO - Golden
Position Type
:
Regular
Hours Per Week
: 40

NREL is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado and is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. Our mission is to accelerate energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration, delivering advanced, secure, reliable, and cost‑effective energy solutions.

The NREL Cybersecurity Research Center seeks a cybersecurity professional with deep technical expertise in 5G and wireless communication technologies to lead innovative research initiatives in energy system security. This role is central to building cyber‑resiliency and reducing risks across the nation’s energy infrastructure.

Key responsibilities include:

• Serve as a senior technical leader and recognized subject matter expert in 5G and wireless cybersecurity.
• Define new research directions, establish technical strategies and architectures, and develop advanced or novel cybersecurity solutions for next‑generation wireless systems.
• Lead technical R&D efforts at the intersection of cybersecurity and 5G/wireless systems to support next‑generation energy system architectures.
• Develop and implement secure communication protocols and architectures for distributed, edge, and wireless‑connected energy devices.
• Advance laboratory capabilities in wireless and 5G emulation environments, secure network modeling, simulation, testing, and evaluation.
• Lead vulnerability analysis of wireless systems (e.g., 5G, LTE, Wi‑Fi) integrated into critical infrastructure environments.
• Develop new tools and methodologies for red teaming, penetration testing, and cyber‑physical risk assessment in wireless energy systems.
• Collaborate with cross‑disciplinary teams on projects involving hardware/software security, supply chain assurance, and system integration.
• Write scripts and develop applications to automate data collection, processing, and analysis tasks in cybersecurity contexts.
• Collaborate with fellow researchers, Department of Energy staff, and industrial partners to ensure research relevance and impact.
• Represent the NREL CRC team by presenting research results both internally and externally to sponsors and partners.
• Assist with staff planning, recruiting, mentoring, and team building.
• Support cyber business development efforts.
• Build research collaborations with the energy industry, other DOE labs, and national security partners.

Additional Level III responsibilities include:

• Conduct applied cybersecurity research and development in the area of 5G and wireless communications.
• Design, prototype, and evaluate security technologies and methods under guidance while exercising significant technical judgment.
• Contribute to technical reports, prototypes, and publications that document research findings.
• Support technical R&D efforts at the intersection of cybersecurity and 5G/wireless systems.
• Implement secure communication protocols and architectures for distributed, edge, and wireless‑connected energy devices.
• Conduct vulnerability analysis of wireless systems (e.g., 5G, LTE, Wi‑Fi) integrated into critical infrastructure environments.
• Apply tools and methodologies for red teaming, penetration testing, and cyber‑physical risk assessment in wireless energy systems.
• Collaborate with fellow researchers, Department of Energy staff, and industrial partners to ensure research relevance and impact.

• Researcher IV
  :
  Relevant PhD and 4+ years of experience, OR relevant Master's and 7+ years, OR Bachelor's and 9+ years. Demonstrated knowledge of relevant laws, regulations, principles, procedures, and practices.
• Researcher III
  :
  Relevant PhD, OR Master's and 3+ years, OR Bachelor's and 5+ years. Demonstrated broad understanding and application of engineering technical procedures and principles.
• Excellent leadership, communication, problem‑solving, and project management skills.
• Ability to use various computer software programs.
• Must meet educational…