Senior Cyber Research Engineer at Vanderbilt University

DescriptionPosition Summary:The Senior Cyber Research Engineer is a key technical contributor within a university research institute focused on cybersecurity critical infrastructure resilience and applied innovation. This role blends operational cybersecurity expertise with advanced research execution supporting design prototyping analysis and transition of defensive technologies that address evolving threats in enterprise and operational technology environmentsReporting to the Head of Wicked Problems Lab the Senior Cyber Research Engineer works closely with research scientists engineers faculty and external partners to evaluate threat landscapes strengthen cyber resiliency and accelerate the adoption of secure technologies that benefit government industry and public infrastructure organizations.About the Work Unit:The newly launched Institute of National Security at Vanderbilt University is led by renowned military leader General Paul M. Nakasone. The institute leverages Vanderbilts interdisciplinary expertise to address emerging national security threats with a focus on accelerating innovation educating students and the national security workforce convening thought leaders and advising government on critical security initiatives. Housed in the School of Engineering the institute has broad involvement from faculty and students across Vanderbilts colleges and schools. This unique institute presents an opportunity for individuals with backgrounds in fields such as engineering cybersecurity policy and more to contribute to vital national security research and solutions.Key Functions and Expected Performance:Lead or support cyber defense research activities including secure architecture design defensive tool development vulnerability discovery and penetration testingConduct cyber threat analysis incident response investigations and digital forensics experiments to produce actionable security insightsSupport system integration and testing of cybersecurity capabilities in laboratory and partner operational environmentsDevelop detailed documentation including system diagrams test results and sponsor deliverables to support technology maturation and transitionMaintain expertise in emerging cyber threats adversary TTPs and cybersecurity technologies to guide research directionCollaborate with faculty cross-disciplinary teams and external partners to support grant objectives publications and stakeholder demonstrationsPresent technical insights through briefings reports and presentations to academic and operational audiencesSupport strategic relationships with government and industry partners while safeguarding research data and system integritySupervisory Relationships:This position will potentially have supervisory responsibility; this position reports to the Director of Institute of National Security.Education and Certifications:Bachelors degree in Cybersecurity Computer Science Information Systems Security or related field requiredMasters degree in a related field (completed or in progress) preferredRelevant certifications: CISSP CISM CASP GIAC (e.g. GCIH) Security NetworkExperience and Skills:35 years hands-on cybersecurity experience in enterprise or critical infrastructure environmentsProficiency with security tools for threat detection incident response and vulnerability managementAbility to design implement test and maintain secure systems and research softwareExperience with Python or PowerShell automation/scriptingStrong communication collaboration and leadership skills with diverse technical teamsRequired Experience:Senior IC Key Skills Arm,Machine Learning,Raspberry Pi,Python,C/C++,Image Processing,5G,OS Kernels,Research Experience,Firewall,Research & Development,Computer Vision Employment Type : Full-Time Experience: years Vacancy: 1