Cybersecurity Researcher​/Engineer: Secure Systems

The Secure Resilient Systems and Technology group advances cybersecurity research to address critical national security challenges. We develop and evaluate technologies that enable mission systems, from space and autonomous platforms to tactical communications and secure computing, to withstand cyberattack and continue the mission. Our goal is not simply to identify vulnerabilities, but to design security in from the start and provide rigorous evidence that these systems can be trusted under attack.

Our research spans secure software and embedded systems, security architecture and threat modeling, applied cryptography, formal methods, and security evaluation. It increasingly includes the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, both using AI to advance cybersecurity and securing AI-enabled mission systems. We work across the R&D lifecycle, from new concepts through prototyping and transition to mission use, collaborating across Lincoln Laboratory and with government, industry, and academia.

We are a collegial and mission-driven team working on difficult problems where security, resilience, assurance, performance, and operational realities all matter. We value technical excellence, innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and individual growth. Our culture emphasizes mentoring and developing researchers into PIs and technical leaders. We strive to bring out the best in our people and our systems, so that the Laboratory and the nation can count on them when it matters most.

As an Associate Technical Staff member, you will:

• Research, design, prototype, and evaluate new approaches to securing software, embedded systems, and communications against sophisticated cyber threats.
• Take ownership of technical problems and project components, exercising independent technical judgment.
• Develop high-quality software and experimental systems using Rust, C/C++, and other languages appropriate to the research.
• Explore problems at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, including applications of AI to cyber analysis and defense, as well as the security and evaluation of AI-enabled systems.
• Collaborate with researchers and engineers across cybersecurity, cryptography, formal methods, AI, communications, autonomy, space, and other disciplines.
• Present results to Laboratory and government stakeholders and contribute to reports, publications, prototypes, reusable software, and the transition of successful technologies to operational use.

Candidates should meet the following education and experience requirements:

• Master's degree pathway
  :
  • A Master's and Bachelor's degree, each in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related field, plus substantial relevant technical experience beyond academic coursework, typically equivalent to at least nine months of full-time experience, gained through internships, co-ops, non-coursework research, professional employment, or comparable experience. A significant portion of this experience must be directly relevant to the group's technical focus.
• Professional experience pathway:
  • A Bachelor's degree in one of the fields listed above, plus at least two years of full-time relevant professional or research experience
    .
• Alternative technical pathway:
  • A Bachelor's or Master's degree in another field, plus substantial relevant professional or research experience, typically three or more years, and a strong record of technical accomplishment in one or more of the technical areas listed below
    , demonstrating preparation comparable to the pathways above.

To thrive in this role, you should also have:

• Demonstrated technical depth and hands‑on…