Principal RF Research Scientist (RFML/DSP/SDR)
$176,000–$282,000 year
On-siteCollege Park, Maryland, United States
Job Summary
Lead and execute R&D in Radio Frequency Machine Learning, Digital Signal Processing, and Software Defined Radio, driving development from concept through prototype. Design, develop, and prototype RF sensing/communications solutions including detection, waveform characterization, and interference mitigation. Develop and evaluate DSP algorithms and apply machine learning approaches to RF problems, implementing prototypes in Python, C, C++, or Java with emphasis on performance and operational relevance. Integrate and test algorithms on SDR platforms using GNU Radio and custom frameworks while researching relevant wireless standards. Produce high-quality technical artifacts, publications, and patents, and serve as the technical interface with the government customer by leading exchanges and translating mission needs into R&D plans. Mentor junior staff and support business development through proposal authoring and capture activities. Requires full-time on-site work at a customer site near College Park, MD, and an active TS/SCI clearance.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of 12+ years of experience with a Bachelor's degree
- 10+ years of experience with a Master's degree
- 8+ years of experience with a Ph.D.
- In lieu of a Bachelor's, an additional 4 years of experience is required for a total of 16 years
- Demonstrated depth in one or more of the following: RFML, DSP, and/or SDR/wireless prototyping
- Strong RF fundamentals: sampling, modulation, channel effects, noise/interference, link budgets, synchronization, detection/estimation
- Hands-on development experience in Python and/or C/C++ within a SCIF environment
- Experience developing and validating prototypes using SDR hardware and/or RF test setups
- Proven ability to communicate complex technical work clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Ability to work independently, lead small technical teams, and collaborate across disciplines
- Experience supporting or leading DoD/IC customer engagement and contributing to proposal/capture activities
- US Citizenship
- Active/current TS/SCI w/ Polygraph
- Full-time on-site work at a customer site near College Park, MD
Desired Qualifications
- Strong applied experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch and/or TensorFlow/Keras
- Experience with robustness/adversarial considerations in RFML
- Experience with real-time or embedded implementation constraints
- Familiarity with GNU Radio, UHD, and SDR driver/tooling, to include third-party SDR platforms beyond USRP
- Experience with distributed signal processing (multi-sensor, coherent/distributed collections, time sync, networked RF systems)
- Familiarity with Linux, Git, containers (Docker/Kubernetes), CI/CD, and reproducible research pipelines
- History of publications/patents, conference presentations, or documented technical leadership
- Experience in DoD/IC mission environments and/or rapid prototyping for field or operational demonstrations
Additional Requirements
- US Citizenship is a requirement for this position
- This position requires an active/current TS/SCI w/ Polygraph
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