Research Professorial Open Rank Position, Spectrum Dominance Division

Virginia Tech•Blacksburg, VA

24d•Onsite

About The Position

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) is seeking a Research Professor for its Spectrum Dominance Division (SDD) in Blacksburg, Virginia. SDD focuses on interdisciplinary research in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics, with expertise spanning the entire radio frequency (RF) transmit/receive chain. The division emphasizes Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3-6 R&D, bridging fundamental research with practical applications and prototypes for sponsors. SDD has a strong capability in real-time RF system development using FPGA, GPU, and SDR platforms, and has successfully transitioned technologies in areas like RF machine learning, automotive cybersecurity, and radar threat warning. The institute boasts state-of-the-art wireless testing facilities, including RF anechoic chambers and advanced measurement equipment up to 110 GHz, complemented by significant secure computing infrastructure.

Requirements

An earned Doctorate degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
Evidence of high potential for excellence in research and development as demonstrated through peer-reviewed publications and/or open-source codebases.
Scholarship and funding credentials that support the rank of either research assistant professor, research associate professor, or research professor.
Proficiency with the software/hardware tools germane to the applicant’s field of research.
Demonstrated ability to work as a member of a team in scoping and executing research projects.
Must be a U.S. citizen.
Ability and willingness to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Active security clearance at the TS/SCI level.
Experience writing grant and contract proposals.
Experience serving as principal investigator on research grants and contracts (required for ranks of research associate professor and research professor).
Interest and/or experience in working effectively with academic faculty, staff and student populations.
Experience with research programs supporting defense and intelligence community sponsors.
Experience with research programs involving communications system prototype development and demonstration, with an emphasis on 5G/6G/O-RAN protocols, radio frequency artificial intelligence and machine learning, software-defined radios, and digital signal processing.
Experience or technical expertise in counter-UAS technologies including detection, tracking, and identification, as well as mitigation or UAS countermeasures using communications and/or RADAR signatures.

Responsibilities

Lead the direction and technical execution of sponsored programs to achieve stated sponsor deliverables.
Disseminate program outputs into technical documents, publish peer-reviewed academic papers, and/or open-source codebases/datasets/etc.
Support business development efforts to secure new sponsored research programs.
Support program execution as needed.
Mentor undergraduate student teams engaged in experiential learning programs.
Obtain a courtesy appointment in a relevant academic department to co-advise Master’s and PhD students and occasionally teach relevant courses.