AI Security Researcher

Position: Staff AI Security Researcher
Location: Indiana

Base Pay Range

$/yr - $/yr

About SandboxAQ

Sandbox

AQ is a high‑growth company delivering AI solutions that address some of the world's greatest challenges. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) power advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, cybersecurity, and other sectors.

We are a global team that is tech‑focused and includes experts in AI, chemistry, cybersecurity, physics, mathematics, medicine, engineering, and other specialties. The company emerged from Alphabet Inc. as an independent, growth capital‑backed company in 2022, funded by leading investors and supported by a braintrust of industry leaders.

At Sandbox

AQ, we’ve cultivated an environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and impact. By investing deeply in our people, we’re building a thriving, global workforce poised to tackle the world's epic challenges. Join us to advance your career in pursuit of an inspiring mission, in a community of like‑minded people who value entrepreneurialism, ownership, and transformative impact.

The Opportunity

Introduction to the team:
You will be part of a diverse team consisting of ML experts, cryptographers, mathematicians, and physicists within the Cybersecurity R&D department. We are not another security vendor chasing patch cycles; we aim to make an impact quickly by enabling cutting‑edge technologies.

Introduction to the role

The Cybersecurity R&D team is looking for an AI Security Researcher to join our team. This role is central to our efforts to build the future of AI security where the world's most advanced AI systems are tested, protected, and hardened against the next generation of threats. This person will lead investigations into how AI systems can fail and build the tools and frameworks that keep them secure.

This is a hands‑on role where you will have extensive freedom to explore, collaborate, publish, and deploy, shaping the field of AI security from both offensive and defensive sides.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct original research into vulnerabilities, exploits, and adversarial behaviors in LLMs, LQMs, agents, and related AI frameworks.
• Build and operationalize AI security frameworks, evaluations, red‑team tools, and defensive mechanisms to protect models and data.
• Partner with engineering and product teams to integrate your findings into real‑world systems.
• Lead or contribute to responsible disclosure and research publications that advance the state of the art.
• Stay on the edge of the latest in AI interpretability, alignment, and adversarial robustness to make AI safer for everyone.

Essential Skills & Experience

• PhD in Computer Science or a related field with a focus on Machine Learning or Cybersecurity.
• Deep expertise in AI/ML, security research, or both, with a proven ability to find and fix real vulnerabilities.
• Hands‑on experience with at least one of the following: adversarial LLM red‑teaming, model extraction, prompt injection, data poisoning, or secure model deployment.
• Strong programming skills in Python and relevant ML and/or agentic frameworks.

Highly Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience contributing to open source projects.
• Experience in the broader cybersecurity domain.

Benefits

• Compensation:
  Competitive base salary, performance‑based incentives or bonuses (where applicable), and equity participation.
• Benefits:
  Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents with generous employer premium contributions, retirement savings with company matching, paid parental leave, and inclusive family‑building benefits.
• Work‑Life Balance:
  Flexible paid time off, company‑wide seasonal breaks, and support for flexible work arrangements that enable sustainable performance.
• Career Development:
  Opportunities for continuous learning and growth through on‑the‑job development, cross‑functional collaboration, and access to internal learning and development programs.

Sandbox

AQ Welcomes All

We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging and respect, where diverse perspectives are actively sought and valued. Our multidisciplinary environment provides ample opportunity for continuous growth – working alongside humble, empowered, and ambitious colleagues ready to tackle epic challenges.

Equal Employment Opportunity

All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status.

Accommodations

We provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities in job application procedures for open roles. If you need such an accommodation, please let a member of our Recruiting team know.

Seniority Level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment Type

Full‑time

Job Function

Information Technology

Industries

Software Development

Other Details

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