Senior Researcher

About the Team

The Sensors Division at STR focuses on technology development for advanced sensor systems and platforms in support of national security. The Systems Autonomy, Analysis, and Modeling (SAAM) Group within the Sensors Division develops, adapts, and applies cutting-edge autonomy research to solve real-world problems on the foundation of physics-based modeling and simulation. Algorithmic areas of interest include AI/ML, controls theory, sensor signal processing (especially radar and EO/IR), tracking, optimization, and resource allocation. Application domains include: manned air platforms (e.g., the F-35 Joint Simulation Environment), unmanned air platforms, and space assets, primarily for the Air Force and Navy as well as DARPA research programs.

The Role:

The SAAM Group is seeking a Senior Researcher to research, design, develop, and implement a portfolio of capabilities to further our autonomy mission. You will participate in multi-disciplinary teams spread across multiple STR campuses to plan and execute technical efforts, prepare reports & deliver talks for customers, contribute to proposal efforts, and develop innovative solutions to complex and challenging national security problems. Specifically, you will focus on innovating and applying AI/ML and other decision-making algorithms to develop autonomy capabilities, particularly in simulation.

A successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to successfully carry out research projects and make rapid progress with limited supervision. This position also requires skills in software development, oral communication, written communications, and peer leadership.

Interviews for this role will require an in-person or virtual presentation.

What you will do:

• Design, develop, and modify cutting-edge machine learning and other algorithms to conduct studies and form conclusions for autonomy and other challenges
• Create, expand, upgrade, and maintain algorithms in software
• Design, develop, validate, and manage large-scale simulations and simulation tools
• Contribute to comprehensive technical reports and presentations for government customers, articulating the implications of simulation findings on national security

Who you are:

• This position requires the ability to obtain a Security Clearance at the Secret (S) level, for which US citizenship is needed by the U.S government
• BS +5 years' experience, MS +3 years' experience, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field
• Good programming skills in one or more scientific programming languages, such as C/C++, Python, or MATLAB; preferably in Linux.
• Some experience or interest in at least two of the following: machine learning, algorithm development, modeling & simulation, optimization, controls, signal processing, tracking, electronic warfare, resource allocation.
• Strong technical writing and communication skills

Even better:

• Active Secret or TS/SCI clearance
• Advanced degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related field
• Experience with mission simulators such as AFSIM or NGTS or physics-based simulators such as XPatch or Crisp
• Experience with machine learning tasks such as image recognition, deep reinforcement learning, semantic segmentation, graph neural networks, and tools such as PyTorch, Tensorboard, and Ray.
• Experience writing proposals and/or giving briefings to both highly technical and less technical audiences