Overview:

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry. GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.   

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 

1. Students are our top priority.
2. We strive for excellence.
3. We thrive on diversity.
4. We celebrate collaboration.
5. We champion innovation.
6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.
7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.
8. We act ethically.
9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Project/Unit Description

The Software Assurance Branch of the Georgia Institute of Technology Research Institute seeks a computer scientist or engineer with an interest in secure software development, software reverse engineering, software vulnerability assessment, and software exploitation. The ideal candidate will show a well-rounded interest in computing research in general, with a specific interest in the aforementioned focus areas. The candidate will work with a technically savvy team of software experts to perform intelligent software analysis (including vulnerability research), reverse engineering (including malware analysis), and research and development on secure cyber systems. The candidate will also work with other units within the Georgia Institute of Technology community to perform interdisciplinary research in secure computing. The ideal candidate will have an interest in growing his or her professional career by establishing a line of secure computing research to grow out of his or her work with the Software Assurance team.

This position is in the Assured Software and Information Division (ASID) of GTRI’s Cybersecurity, Information Protection, and Hardware Evaluation Research (CIPHER) Lab. The CIPHER Lab has programs across a wide range of cybersecurity topics, including secure information systems, cyber-physical systems, reverse engineering, software and hardware assurance, trusted microelectronics, command and control systems, cyber threat analysis, and novel computing and information storage approaches including quantum and molecular systems. The goal of ASID is to grow a forward-looking capability in quantitative methods that brings innovative cross-disciplinary methods and techniques to the laboratory’s diverse cyber research portfolio. Current efforts include projects in adversarial machine learning, code and binary analysis, cyber-physical system reverse engineering, cyber system resilience, and natural language processing applied to cybersecurity. Researchers in the division often develop solutions in collaboration with Georgia Institute of Technology faculty and students as well as research groups in academia, industry, and government from around the globe.

ASID researchers operate in a culture with an entrepreneurial spirit, but within an environment that provides the stability of funded programs of nationally relevant purpose. This position offers an opportunity to provide mentorship and cultivate career growth in an open culture. The position is based at GTRI facilities in Midtown Atlanta, GA. Researchers at GTRI are research faculty at Georgia Institute of Technology.

Job Purpose

The Cyber Security Software Engineer designs, develops, and tests cybersecurity software in languages such as Java, C, and C++. The Cyber Security Software Engineer requires extensive knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems in order to apply engineering principles to software creation. The necessary skill areas for the Cyber Security Software Engineer include programming and coding, fundamentals of computer science, design and architecture, algorithms and data structures, information analysis, debugging software, and testing software. The Cyber Security Software Engineer also creates novel cyber security technology components and software to ensure that critical systems and information are resilient to cyber exploits and attacks. The researcher also performs attendant vulnerability assessments, analysis, and software engineering and design. The Cyber Security Software Engineer also develops hardware and software prototypes, and tests those prototypes in realistic environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform software development, software testing/debugging, software modification/enhancement, and software documentation
• Develop and maintain kernel and user-level software and scripts
• Contribute to technical reports and presentations - Assist with performing software assurance scans with tools approved by stakeholders

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Ability to earn a Master’s degree within five years of employment
• Solid understanding of computing hardware
• Solid understanding of operating systems
• Solid understanding of computer science / computing theory
• Experience with source code management tools (Git, Subversion) and contributing to large code-bases, and an understanding of
• the software development lifecycle
• Familiarity with microprocessors, assembly language, and compilers
• Demonstrated ability to develop software in multiple computer languages, to include at least C, C++, and Python
• Ability to work independently and effectively in a multi-disciplinary team environment
• Ability to follow Georgia Institute of Technology policies and procedures
• Strong verbal and written communication skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI Clearance
• 5+ years of related work experience, Master’s degree with 3+ years of related work experience, or Ph.D.
• Kernel-level software development/driver development
• Demonstrated experience with software / malware reverse engineering and vulnerability research
• Experience with reverse engineering tools (IDA, advanced debuggers, etc.)
• Experience with embedded software / real-time operating systems
• Experience with programming for emulation environments (QEMU, VmWare, etc.)
• Experience working with the U.S. government, including the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community

Travel Requirements

10% - 25% travel

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

• 0 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related field of study.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https://benefits.hr.gatech.edu/.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services.  Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions.  This prohibition applies to faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including affiliates, invitees, and guests. Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards. More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.