Senior Research Scientist

Responsibilities

• Lead software R&D activities, including development, implementation, prototype modeling, and simulation.
• Conduct testing and validation of software systems for prototype deployment.
• Provide software development subject matter expertise across diverse application areas.
• Contribute to technical proposals, publications, and whitepapers.
• Collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams to create solutions for autonomous systems, robotics, and decision support.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience with a focus on ML/AI systems.
• Strong proficiency in Python and modern ML/AI development workflows.
• Hands-on experience with machine learning frameworks, specifically PyTorch.
• Experience designing, implementing, and testing end-to-end ML/AI or simulation-driven software systems.
• U.S. Citizenship is required with the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in ML/AI, network science, optimization, or data-intensive systems.
• Experience supporting government, defense, or security-related R&D programs.
• Experience with C++ or Java for performance-critical components.
• Experience with Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, and LLM-integrated systems.
• Knowledge of graph analytics, GNNs, or network science.
• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC), distributed compute, or GPU-accelerated environments.

Benefits

• Multiple retirement plan options with generous matching.
• Tuition waivers for classes and advanced degree programs.
• Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Paid time off and wellness programs.

About the Company

The Kostas Research Institute (KRI) at Northeastern University conducts cutting-edge applied R&D to advance resilience against 21st-century risks. Located at the NU Innovation Campus in Burlington, MA, KRI leverages academic and industry partnerships to develop solutions in autonomous systems, robotics, and machine learning.