Employment Opportunities

VTNSI seeks a Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, or Research Professor in Artificial Intelligence (AI) Test & Evaluation (T&E) to play a central leadership role in a collaborative government–academia–industry research environment focused on accelerating the development, assessment, and transition of AI and machine learning (ML) capabilities for national security. This position blends responsibilities traditionally associated with technical integrators, chief engineers, and portfolio managers, requiring both deep technical expertise in AI and T&E and demonstrated leadership in managing interdisciplinary research teams, coordinating stakeholders, and shaping research direction in rapidly evolving mission contexts.

The Spectrum Dominance Division seeks a Research Assistant Professor, Research Associate Professor, or Research Professor at its office in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Spectrum Dominance Division (SDD) within VTNSI is home to 30 full-time faculty researchers with focus areas in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, and applied mathematics. SDD’s portfolio reaches across all aspects of the radio frequency transmit/receive chain, including antenna and phased array design, baseband waveform design, and receiver design. SDD houses domain expertise in SDR development, AI/ML applied to the radio frequency (RF) spectrum (i.e., RFML), SIGINT, RADAR, cellular, electromagnetic materials, cognitive radio, and additive manufacturing. The hiring rank of this position will be based on the candidates' background and experience.

This is a research and development position based in Blacksburg, Virginia, and is part of the Institute’s Mission Systems Division (MSD). MSD brings together researchers from aerospace and ocean systems engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, systems engineering, computer science, AI/ML, and other fields to develop interdisciplinary solutions to cutting-edge technological challenges in platforms including satellites, UAVs, UUVs, and drone swarms. This position is for a hands-on electrical engineer who will build and integrate the electrical and RF subsystems that enable the division’s research testbeds. The successful candidate will spend much of their time in the laboratory and in the field: fabricating and assembling hardware, building cables and harnesses, laying out and populating printed circuit boards, producing design drawings, and standing up and maintaining test infrastructure. The candidate will also serve as a hands-on resource for senior researchers across the division who are developing RF hardware, design drawings, and PCB layout. The successful candidate can expect a competitive salary and benefits in a university setting.

Motivated applicants are sought to join VTNSI as Research Assistant Professor to support rapid growth in our body of programs in data strategies, test and evaluation, artificial intelligence assurance, digital engineering, and cyber analytics and operations. This position serves as a research faculty member of the Hume Center and in the Intelligent Systems Division (ISD). ISD hosts a range of dynamic research projects and the successful applicant will have the ability to contribute to these programs, lead the development of new programs, and mentor students engaged in these programs. ISD is a leader in research and development in three core capabilities: 1) secure and resilient systems, 2) engineering, test, and evaluation of AI systems, and 3) integrated data and decision systems.

The Intelligent Systems Division (ISD), one of the three research divisions of VTNSI, is seeking a Research Associate in Data Science to conduct research in artificial intelligence, systems engineering and test and evaluation (T&E). This is a research and development position that may be based in Arlington, Virginia. ISD brings together researchers from computer science, statistics, machine learning, networks, signals processing and other fields to develop interdisciplinary solutions to cutting-edge technological challenges. Successful candidates for this position will have relevant experience in one or more of the following areas: statistics, systems engineering, data science, computer science, software development, and T&E.

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute is seeking applicants for an IT Support Technician responsible for diagnosing and resolving hardware, software, and network issues across the institute’s systems and devices. The position provides technical support in person, over the phone, and through helpdesk tickets. This position will be responsible for the installation, configuration, and maintenance of MS-support operating systems, office applications, and local networks while managing user access by setting up accounts and enforcing data security policies. Additional responsibilities include maintaining technical documentation and knowledge bases, tracking hardware inventory, collaborating with stakeholders, and escalating complex problems when necessary.

The Human Resources Coordinator supports HR operations for the Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) across locations in Blacksburg and Arlington. This position provides administrative and operational support across the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, employee transactions, records management, performance management, training and development, and other HR programs and initiatives. The position serves as a forward-facing point of contact for faculty recruitment and supports departmental hiring by coordinating recruitment activities, managing candidate communications, and promoting a consistent and efficient candidate experience. The Human Resources Coordinator also facilitates onboarding, offboarding, and employee transitions, processes HR transactions in university systems, maintains accurate and compliant personnel records, and supports employees and supervisors with routine HR needs.

Motivated Research Data Analyst applicants are sought to begin their careers in a beginning research position supporting rapid growth in VTNSI’s Intelligent Systems Division (ISD) which conducts research to address critical areas of national security in: Data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity and complex systems engineering, and Complex system validation and test and evaluation (T&E). ISD brings together researchers from computer science, statistics, data science, machine learning, networks, signals processing, systems engineering, human factors, and other fields to develop interdisciplinary solutions to cutting-edge technological challenges. Applicants should have hands-on experience with tools germane to their research area.

The Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI) seeks applications for a Postdoctoral Associate to conduct research in computational modeling and uncertainty quantification as part of a multidisciplinary research program. The successful candidate will help develop surrogate models of computational systems via both reduced-order and machine learning approaches and leverage Bayesian and other methods to estimate parameters, quantify uncertainty, and recommend new points for training or full-order model evaluation to improve models. The candidate will also contribute to the preparation of peer-reviewed publications and scientific presentations and will assist in mentoring students involved in related research activities. There will also be opportunities for travel to present in conferences and to participate in collaborations.