Research Scientist

Cogent Security • San Francisco, CA

3d

About The Position

Cogent Research is the applied AI lab at the heart of Cogent's mission. As a Research Scientist, you will drive foundational and applied research at the frontier of automated reasoning and AI-driven code analysis — producing work that is both scientifically rigorous and directly impactful in the real world. We are looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity, invents novel solutions when existing ones fall short, and has the flexibility to change course when initial ideas don't pan out. If you have deep expertise in automated reasoning, a strong publication or artifact track record, and a passion for making the world's infrastructure safer, we want to hear from you.

Requirements

• Extensive Experience in Automated Reasoning: Deep hands-on expertise in static/dynamic analysis, formal verification, and/or automated testing and fuzzing
• AI Expertise: Proven experience developing or applying AI/ML techniques to code reasoning or code generation problems
• Education: An MSc or PhD/DPhil in Computer Science or a closely related technical field
• Proven Track Record: Demonstrated impact through publications at top-tier conferences, significant artifacts developed in a professional setting, or widely-adopted open-source contributions
• Independence: A highly self-directed, proactive, and self-starting attitude — you identify problems, propose solutions, and drive them to completion
• Mission Alignment: A genuine passion for Cogent's mission and a belief that this work matters

Nice To Haves

• Experience in cybersecurity — knowledge of vulnerability classes, exploit techniques, or secure-by-design systems
• Familiarity with Cloud Infrastructure as Code (IaC) — tools like Terraform, Pulumi, CDK, or equivalent

Responsibilities

• Drive original, high-impact research in automated reasoning, code analysis, and AI-driven security, from early hypothesis through publication-quality results
• Invent and apply novel AI techniques to challenges in code reasoning and code generation, advancing the state of the art
• Develop significant research artifacts, tools, or systems that have real-world impact inside Cogent and in the broader research community
• Design and execute automated testing and fuzzing strategies to validate systems under development
• Publish findings at top-tier conferences and peer-reviewed journals
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to translate research into Cogent's core AI platform
• Stay at the cutting edge of developments in ML, program analysis, and formal methods — and help shape Cogent's research direction

Benefits

• Certain roles may be eligible for variable compensation, equity, and benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior