Sr. Security Researcher

Job Summary

We are seeking a passionate and self‑driven Sr. Staff Researcher to join our Cloud‑Delivered Security Services team. In this role, you will be pivotal in developing and refining the security content that powers our next‑generation products. You will build and optimize automation systems to process real‑time data, collaborate with experienced researchers to analyze emerging threats, and contribute directly to the detection and prevention of malware and other digital threats.

• Design, build, and optimize automation systems for real‑time data collection and processing to support threat detection.
• Apply advanced AI/ML methods, including anomaly detection and deep learning, to analyze real network traffic for threat detection and mitigation.
• Conduct in‑depth research on network security countermeasures to identify and mitigate sophisticated cyber attacks.
• Proactively collaborate with fellow security researchers to analyze adversarial activities and implement robust, proactive protections.
• Building high‑quality, complex systems as a part of an incredible research team — creative thinker and team player with a passion for data‑driven and AI‑driven security research.
• Translate threat research findings into tangible security solutions and protections within our product ecosystem.

Required Qualifications

• MS and/or PhD with 3‑5 years of experience.
• Strong research, communication, and presentation skills.
• Basic understanding of malware types (e.g., phishing, spyware, ransomware, exploits) and popular vulnerabilities (e.g., command injection, buffer overflow).
• Strong familiarity with key network protocols such as HTTP, SMTP, DNS, TCP/IP, and FTP.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language, such as Python or Go.
• Strong engineering and coding skills, ability to fastly learn and adapt to new programming languages and technologies.
• In‑depth cybersecurity background, ideally with expertise in detecting security threats over the Internet.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ML/GenAI techniques (e.g., anomaly detection, deep learning, NLP), tools (e.g., Tensor Flow, PyTorch, Scikit‑Learn) — including training and testing workflows, and technologies.
• Practical exposure to malware analysis and Capture‑the‑Flag (CTF) exercises.
• Hands‑on experience with traffic analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, tcpdump) and reverse engineering tools.
• Prior work experience in early‑stage, fast‑growth startups is a plus.
• Hands‑on experience on open source projects is a plus.
• Experience with malware traffic analysis, signature mining, sandboxing is a plus.
• Experience with crawling infrastructures and security scanners is a plus.
• Experience with email or browser security is a plus.

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non‑sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com‑missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus.

A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$ - $/yr

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.