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# Cybersecurity Research Scientist / Engineer: Secure Systems

- **Company:** MIT Lincoln Laboratory
- **Location:** Lexington, MA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $145,200.0 - $170,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Testing (Software), Artificial Intelligence, Systems Engineering, Cyber Security, Computer Engineering, Fuzz Testing, Network Protocols, Program Analysis, Software Engineering, Trusted Systems, Software Security, Information Technology, Cybercrime, Formal Methods, Cyber Warfare, Programming Languages
- **Published:** October 2, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.clearancejobs.com/jobs/9208559/cybersecurity-research-scientist-engineer-secure-systems

## About the Role

To thrive in this role, you should have:

 * A PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a closely related computing or engineering field.
 + Alternatively, a Master's degree with at least five years of relevant professional or research experience.
 + Candidates whose prior degrees are in another technical field may qualify with substantial relevant professional or research experience demonstrating comparable technical preparation.
 * Demonstrated technical depth in one or more of the following:
 + Systems security, particularly for embedded systems.
 + Software security and program analysis.
 + Secure-by-design systems and architectures.
 + Applied cryptography and security protocols.
 + Software testing, metrics, and evaluation.
 + Applied formal methods and programming languages security.
 + AI-enabled tools and techniques for cybersecurity.
 * A record of research or technical innovation, demonstrated through publications, patents, significant technical projects, prototypes, or comparable contributions that address complex problems with new approaches.
 * Demonstrated technical initiative and potential to lead research efforts, including the ability to identify important problems, formulate technical approaches, and influence the direction of collaborative work.
 * Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex ideas effectively to technical and nontechnical audiences.

Desired Experience and Expertise

We particularly value demonstrated experience in one or more of the following areas:

 * Secure software development, operating system internals, embedded systems security, and network protocols.
 * Systems engineering, security requirements analysis, and threat modeling.
 * Security evaluation and assurance, including adversarial testing, experimental methods, security measurement, and evidence supporting security and assurance claims.
 * Applied cryptography and protocols, including industry and government standards.
 * Static and dynamic software analysis and applied formal methods.
 * AI-enabled software analysis, vulnerability discovery, security testing, threat analysis, and cyber defense.
 * Security and evaluation of AI-enabled systems, including adversarial threats, robustness, and resilience.
 * Experience across the R&D lifecycle, from concept development and prototyping through evaluation and transition, particularly in national security, government, or defense-related environments.
 * Systems-level thinking and analysis, including identifying important national security problems, understanding mission and technical context, evaluating alternative approaches and tradeoffs, and translating technical vision into executable research plans.
 * Technical leadership and mentoring of researchers and engineers.
 * Development of new research concepts, proposals, or programs, including collaboration with government sponsors and other research partners.

## Description

* Advance the state of the art in cybersecurity by developing and evaluating new approaches to securing software, embedded systems, communications, and computing infrastructure against sophisticated cyber threats.
 * Shape research directions and lead technically challenging R&D efforts, from new concepts through prototyping, evaluation, and transition to mission use.
 * Pursue research 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.
 * Publish and present research and collaborate with researchers across Lincoln Laboratory, government, industry, and academia.
 * Mentor researchers and engineers, identify important new problems, and contribute to the development of new research programs and sponsor relationships.