2027 PhD Graduate - Cyber Vulnerability Researcher

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Are you a technical leader, researcher, and cyber capability developer eager to tackle some of the nation's hardest reverse engineering challenges? Are you capable of developing groundbreaking technologies that overcome advanced software and hardware protections? If so, APL's Asymmetric Operations Sector (AOS) is seeking outstanding PhD graduates ready to apply their talent to the field's most complex reverse engineering problems! We're tackling some of national security's toughest technical challenges, including how to: rapidly emulate firmware on undocumented SoCs to enable deeper introspection, find memory and logic vulnerabilities in firmware at scale, correlate source code and binary data, automatically recover complex C/C++ structures from stripped binaries, amplify reverse engineers with AI tooling, and disassemble processor ISAs with no public documentation. As a member of APL's Senior Staff, you will provide our sponsors with innovative solutions and deep technical expertise to push the boundaries of engineering and help our nation anticipate the threats and challenges of tomorrow. APL provides many funding opportunities that enable staff members to engage in both classified work and publishable research, fostering a broad and impactful technical portfolio. As a multidisciplinary research center, APL also encourages collaboration across disciplines, giving you the opportunity to work alongside world-class experts in fields such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, space exploration, radio communications, and additive manufacturing. We look forward to learning about your dissertation during the interview process and exploring how your expertise can contribute to our team’s mission of advancing cybersecurity and protecting our nation.

Requirements

Possess a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical degree.
Have experience in embedded development, reverse engineering, or hardware hacking.
Demonstrate strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently and on a team.
Are an outstanding communicator in both written and verbal forms.
Can achieve (or currently hold) an active Secret security clearance by the first day of employment. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.
Are able to obtain a TS/SCI security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Have held dynamic technical leadership roles for 5+ years.
Understand the internals of major operating systems, exploitation techniques, and mitigations.
Have experience reading or writing assembly (x86/x64, Arm, PowerPC, MIPS, or others).
Have had prior interactions with the Department of War and/or Intelligence Community.
Hold an active TS/SCI Clearance.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with multidisciplinary team members to analyze and reverse engineer systems, uncover security vulnerabilities, and understand their potential impact.
Shape the future of cybersecurity research by leveraging internal funding opportunities to pursue ideas and emerging challenges.
Share your knowledge by communicating complex technical concepts through papers, presentations, and discussions with technical staff, leadership, and government decision-makers.
Develop solutions that transition cutting-edge research into prototype and operational systems.