PhD Graduate – Wireless Communications Engineer – Wireless Cyber Capabilities

Overview

Do you want to become an expert in wireless communications?

Are you passionate about learning about the latest wireless technologies?

If you are graduating with a PhD in Electrical or Computer Engineering and want to work in wireless communications, we'd love to have you join our team!

We are seeking to develop engineers to help us give our nation a significant advantage by controlling the wireless communications environment. Our Wireless Cyber Capabilities team focuses on providing the U.S. military and intelligence communities with operational advantages by leveraging software-defined radios, commercial cellular equipment, and machine learning to develop advanced capabilities for research and operational prototypes. To learn more about our work, see the program page.

Our engineers apply cutting-edge research to some of the government’s most critical challenges in the following research areas:

• Wireless Cybersecurity — We leverage our deep knowledge of wireless protocols to develop new and innovative approaches to secure our nation’s communications against on-network and off-network attacks.
• Radio Frequency Machine Learning (RFML) — We apply our expertise in deep learning to devise novel solutions to complex RF and wireless communications problems that are intractable using conventional approaches.
• Resilient Tactical Communications — We draw on our mastery of wireless networking and waveform design to fortify existing systems and design new systems that will enable robust, adaptable tactical communications.
• Wireless Communications Lab (WCL) — The WCL leverages a broad range of expertise in modeling and simulation, rapid prototyping, end-to-end network analysis, and wireless exploitation to advance the state of the art in electromagnetic maneuverability, network intelligence, and wireless protocol security.

• Be part of a team that leverages wireless communications expertise, software defined radios, and machine learning to own the communications environment.
• Collaborate with a team of wireless communications engineers and software developers to implement wireless communication technology solutions.
• As a member of our team, you will be exposed to a variety of projects and encouraged to explore what technical focus areas interest you.

Minimum qualifications

• Have a PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical degree
• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of signals & systems or wireless communication concepts
• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of software design patterns in a language such as Python, C++, C, VHDL/Verilog, or MATLAB
• Are able to obtain Interim Top Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain Top Secret level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

Preferred qualifications

• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of wireless communication protocols or systems such as Wi-Fi, 5G-New Radio / NextG, or SATCOM
• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of digital signal processing (DSP) such as Fourier analysis and filtering
• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of software defined radio (SDR) frameworks such as GNU Radio
• Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of machine learning (ML) including frameworks such as PyTorch, Tensor Flow

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled…