2027 PhD Graduate - Engineer or Scientist - Critical Infrastructure Protection

Do you want to develop cybersecurity technologies that move from research prototypes into operational environments to help protect U.S. critical infrastructure?

If you are graduating with a PhD degree in engineering, science, or a related quantitative field and want to work in critical infrastructure protection, we'd love to have you join our team!

Our multidisciplinary teams work directly with mission stakeholders to solve challenging cybersecurity problems across operational technology (OT), industrial control systems (ICS), cyber-physical systems, cyber situational awareness, resilient architectures, system assurance, machine learning, AI-enabled cyber defense and decision support, digital twins, and related areas. We also conduct software and hardware reverse engineering, vulnerability research, and develop proof-of-concept offensive cyber capabilities focused on critical infrastructure systems.

Our engineers work across the technology lifecycle, from understanding mission challenges and conducting research to building prototypes, evaluating them on representative systems, and transitioning successful capabilities into operationally relevant environments. Laboratory environments, including facilities such as the CYPRESS Laboratory, provide realistic testbeds for evaluating technologies against the constraints and threats they may encounter in the field.

As a member of our team, you will...

• Research, develop, and prototype technologies that improve the security, resilience, and assurance of critical infrastructure and cyber-physical systems, including technologies for autonomous cyber defense.
• Work directly with sponsors, operators, and other mission stakeholders to understand operational challenges, define technical requirements and success criteria, and translate mission needs into technical solutions.
• Build and evaluate cybersecurity capabilities spanning software, networks, embedded devices, industrial control systems, and representative cyber-physical environments.
• Analyze and reverse engineer control system protocols, software, hardware, and system architectures to identify vulnerabilities and opportunities for cyber hardening and improved resilience.
• Conduct cyber test and evaluation, adversary emulation, vulnerability research, protocol analysis, and experimental assessments using laboratory and representative operational environments.
• Develop and evaluate cyber situational awareness, decision support, resilient architecture, and AI-enabled capabilities, including the use of AI/ML for analysis and decision support where appropriate, and characterize their performance, uncertainty, limitations, and failure modes under realistic operating conditions.
• Evaluate commercial and emerging technologies, identify gaps affecting government and mission use cases, and adapt or extend technologies to address operational needs.
• Transition successful prototypes from laboratory demonstrations into operationally relevant environments and, when appropriate, fielded capabilities.
• Communicate technical approaches and results through documentation, briefings, demonstrations, and, when appropriate, publications and technical forums.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...
* Have a PhD, or soon to have, in cybersecurity, computer science, engineering, or another relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

* Are skilled in and/or have knowledge of Python or another programming language such as C/C++, Java, Go, or Rust; have experience with shell scripting and version control; and are comfortable developing, debugging, and automating technical workflows in Linux environments.

* Are proficient in Python or another programming language such as C/C++, Java, Go, or Rust; have experience with shell scripting and version control; and are comfortable developing, debugging, and automating technical workflows in Linux environments.

* Have knowledge of offensive cyber capability development.

* Have a working knowledge of IP networking and familiarity with one or more areas, such as virtualization, software-defined networking, embedded systems, industrial control systems, or industrial communication protocols.

* Understand cybersecurity principles, such as system and network security, threat modeling, vulnerability analysis, defense-in-depth, and security architecture, and can apply them to software, hardware, networks, or cyber-physical systems.

* Are comfortable working on open-ended technical problems and can move from problem formulation and experimentation to implementation, integration, testing, and evaluation.

* Can formulate and investigate technical questions experimentally and use evidence from testing to refine designs and technical approaches, rather than only implementing predefined requirements.

* Have hands-on experience using generative AI or AI-assisted development tools for technical tasks such as coding, debugging, testing, analysis, or documentation; can verify AI-generated results through testing, checking assumptions and calculations, and comparing outputs against source data or authoritative references; and can use AI tools in accordance with applicable information-handling requirements.

* Have strong written and verbal communication skills and can work effectively on cross-functional, interdisciplinary teams.

* Have experience with debugging interfaces, diagnostic tools, and protocol analysis, and understand the strengths and weaknesses of security mechanisms.

* Are able to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a 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.

* Are able to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a 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.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...
* Have hands-on cybersecurity experience with operational technology, industrial control systems, embedded systems, or other cyber-physical systems.

* Have experience with programmable logic controllers (PLCs), industrial automation platforms, or associated engineering environments.

* Have experience with cyber test and evaluation, software or hardware reverse engineering, vulnerability research, adversary emulation, or network protocol analysis.

* Have experience developing, integrating, securing, or evaluating AI/ML capabilities, particularly for cybersecurity applications involving time-series or sensor data, anomaly detection, autonomous systems, cyber situational awareness, or decision support.

* Have experience evaluating AI/ML systems for robustness, security, uncertainty, failure modes, or performance under adversarial, degraded, or out-of-distribution conditions.

* Have experience designing experiments, defining quantitative evaluation criteria, analyzing results, and drawing defensible conclusions from complex system testing.

* Have experience with cyber engineering, analysis, and development tools such as Wireshark, Ghidra, Docker, security information and event management (SIEM) tools, or comparable technologies.

* Have familiarity with modeling and simulation, data science, cryptography, formal methods, system assurance, resilient architectures, or digital twin technologies.

* Have research experience, publications, technical leadership experience, or experience transitioning prototypes into operational use.

* Hold an active TS/SCI or higher-level U.S. Government security clearance.

Why Work at APL?

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 retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL's campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities athttps://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contactAccessibility@jhuapl.edu.

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL's good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.