Principal Cyber Research Scientist

Date Posted:

2026-04-27

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-MD-COLUMBIA-720 ~ 9861 Broken Land Pkwy ~ BBN COLUMBIA, Ste 400

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

Active and transferable U.S. government issued security clearance is required prior to start date.​ U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance​

Security Clearance Type:

DoD Clearance: Top Secret

Security Clearance Status:

Active and existing security clearance required on day 1

RTX Corporation is an Aerospace and Defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. It comprises three industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon. Its 185,000 employees enable the company to operate at the edge of known science as they imagine and deliver solutions that push the boundaries in quantum physics, electric propulsion, directed energy, hypersonics, avionics and cybersecurity. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

For over 70 years, RTX BBN Technologies (BBN) has solved challenging problems through research, exploration, development, and prototyping. BBN’s Network & Cyber Technologies (NCT) team leverages computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, math, and physics to tackle customer challenges in electromagnetic warfare (EW), communications, cybersecurity, cyberspace operations, networking, and RF domains for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) customers. BBN is looking for an excellent forward-thinking candidate to drive our strategic growth and innovation in these areas specifically at the integration points for EW-enabled cyber and cyber-enabled EW; integrated battlespace applications; resilient cyber-physical systems and software; and the intersection of quantum, cyber, and RF.  You are the ideal candidate if you are a recognized researcher with strong skills in these areas for DoD and IC capabilities; you are a strong writer and communicator; you can identify and forge connections between stakeholder opportunities and our technical teams’ capabilities; you have a strong technical background in these areas; and you desire an opportunity to pursue and execute on external funding from government research agencies (e.g. DARPA, IARPA, DoD Service Labs, IC research and development organizations) to help further U.S. National Security Objectives.

What you will do:

• Research, develop and implement innovative techniques for offensive and defensive cyberspace capabilities
• Conduct rapid prototyping of software solutions
• Apply software engineering practices to integrate research outputs into operational tools and systems
• Lead cross-functional teams to solve challenging problems and deliver actionable results
• Participate in laboratory and field tests to collect and analyze data, test new capabilities, and perform demonstrations
• Support proposal writing and processes through the shaping of win themes, innovations, operational impact, and focus on customers’ most pressing uses cases
• Overnight travel required for certain projects

What you will gain:

• A strong leadership team well-versed in government R&D
• A collaborative and collegial environment to push state-of-the-art research
• A technically competent pool of research scientists who are willing to mentor, listen, and help you refine our vision and strategy
• Business development, programmatic, contracting, finance, and HR support
• Access, through RTX, to opportunities that help transition capabilities and ultimately see it fielded

Qualifications You Must Have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in a related major and minimum 8 years prior relevant experience, or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 5 years’ experience
• Active TS DoD clearance with the ability to obtain SCI

• Experience writing and reviewing classified government research funding proposals in relevant areas
• Strong verbal and written communication skills in relevant technology topics
• Strong proficiency in Python and C/C++
• Demonstrated ability to understand and apply complex technical concepts
• Capacity to develop novel concepts that address challenging technical problems of concern to RTX BBN Technology’s customers
• Takes proactive action to anticipate, understand, and meet customer needs

Qualifications We Prefer: