NLR is seeking a mid-career Adversarial Cyber Researcher to join its Cybersecurity Research Center (CRC). The CRC conducts applied research at the intersection of cybersecurity, energy systems, and national resilience—developing the tools, methods, and scientific foundations necessary to secure and sustain the nation’s evolving energy infrastructure.
Requirements
- Deep understanding of offensive and defensive cybersecurity methodologies
- Hands-on experience designing and conducting controlled adversarial experiments
- Demonstrated ability to translate experimental results into models, tools, and research insights that advance cyber-physical system resilience.
- Advanced proficiency in Python, PowerShell, C/C++, or other languages, enabling automation, data-driven analysis, and modeling integration across projects.
- Expert-level knowledge of ICS, OT, and energy sector systems, including protocols, architectures, and security considerations.
- Demonstrated ability to lead reproducible cyber experiments, applying scientific rigor and guiding project teams in methodology, analysis, and validation.
- Working knowledge of cyber modeling and simulation approaches, including digital twins, discrete-event simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testbeds for energy systems.
Responsibilities
- Lead adversarial research initiatives targeting energy sector systems, including threat emulation, cyber range experimentation, and model-based simulation, defining experimental objectives and strategies.
- Independently design, execute, and evaluate complex adversary–defender studies, including multi-stage attack-chain modeling, vulnerability exploration, and defense validation, ensuring reproducible and rigorous research outcomes.
- Lead development and validation of cybersecurity research tools, simulation frameworks, and automation scripts, ensuring integration with multiple projects and broader laboratory initiatives.
- Extend and operationalize threat modeling methodologies (e.g., MITRE ATT&CK, ATT&CK for ICS) for large-scale experimental design and system-level defense evaluation.
- Integrate research outcomes into system-level risk, resilience models, and quantitative performance metrics, influencing laboratory-wide strategies and priorities.
- Conduct advanced adversarial analysis and vulnerability assessments of IT, OT, and hybrid energy systems, producing insights for architecture improvement and defense strategies.
- Lead the preparation of research proposals, technical publications, and conference presentations, shaping research directions and laboratory reputation in the field.
Other
- Must be able to obtain and maintain a DOE security clearance at the Q/TS/SCI level. A polygraph may be required.
- Understanding and application of project management principles, concepts, practices, and standards
- Ability to travel as needed up to 25%
- Excellent leadership, communication, problem solving and project management skills.
- Very good writing, interpersonal and communication skills.
