Posting Title

Adversarial Cybersecurity Researcher

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Location

CO - Golden

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Position Type

Regular

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Hours Per Week

40

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Working at NREL

NREL is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development.

Join NREL, where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NREL stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth.

At NREL, you’ll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being.

Job Description

NREL 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.

CRC research spans threat actor modeling and simulation, operational technology (OT) risk analysis, adversarial experimentation, hardware and software assurance, supply chain integrity, and cyber-physical resilience testing. Working across NREL’s energy, grid, and systems integration missions, the CRC leverages unique laboratory assets—including the ARIES Cyber Range—to conduct large-scale, high-fidelity cybersecurity experiments and modeling.

We are seeking a technically strong and research-focused professional to contribute to cyber adversarial science, threat emulation, and defense experimentation. The successful candidate will possess a deep understanding of offensive and defensive cybersecurity methodologies, hands-on experience designing and conducting controlled adversarial experiments, and a demonstrated ability to translate experimental results into models, tools, and research insights that advance cyber-physical system resilience.

Key Research Responsibilities:

Researcher IV (Senior Researcher, Team/Project Leadership)

• 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.
• Drive interdisciplinary collaboration across power systems, controls, and modeling teams, bridging cyber-physical domains and guiding project execution.
• Support and expand NREL’s adversarial research infrastructure, including cyber ranges, digital twins, and experiment orchestration frameworks, through leadership and mentorship.
• Mentor and guide junior and mid-level researchers, promoting professional development, fostering a positive research culture, and building laboratory-wide capability in adversarial modeling and defense research.

Researcher III

• Conduct ad