Senior Research Scientist – Formal Methods and Cryptology

Riverside Overview

Riverside Research is an independent National Security Nonprofit dedicated to research and development in the national interest. We provide high-end technical services, research and development, and prototype solutions to some of the country’s most challenging technical problems. All Riverside Research opportunities require U.S. Citizenship.

Position Overview

The Secure and Resilient Systems group seeks aseniorresearch scientist to support research and development ofcutting-edgeformal methods applied to software systems. Theseniorresearch scientist will support a team thatinvents,prototypesand evaluates newformal methods and software securityapproaches throughout the systems software stack.The senior research scientist should additionally have a background in cryptography/cryptology.

Some topics of interest toa good candidatemayinclude:theorem provers (e.q.,Rocq/Coq, Lean, Isabelle), SMT solvers, programming languages theory (e.g., operational semantics), functional programming,compilers (e.g., frontends, IR & optimization, backends), automated program analysis and software testing. Interest insystems software (e.g., operating systems including RTOS, hypervisors), computer architecture (e.g., taggedarchitectures),andperipheral hardware (e.g., custom device drivers, FPGA hardware, bus protocols)is a plus.

Secure and Resilient Systems research scientists need a strong background in computer science fundamentals (e.g.,algorithms, data structures,theory of computation, programming languages, cryptography), experience with software development practices for large projects (e.g., version control, debugging techniques), an understanding of the system software stack and the software/hardware interface (e.g., at least one ISA, assembly code), and propensity for the research process (e.g., breaking big problems down, designing experiments, analyzing data).

All Riverside Research opportunities require US citizenship.

Responsibilities

• Help the group design innovative solutions to customer problems related to formal methods,cryptographyand systems software

• Prototype and evaluate features within large software projects(e.g., LLVM,CompCert)

• Build new tools and/or capabilities in a range of relevant programming languages

• Contribute to whitepapers and/or published papers that document innovative work preformed

• Document and communicate design decisions, technical challenges, and progress to technical program leadership

• Collaborate with team members on debugging programs, pair programming, reviewing papers/proposals, etc.

• Asappropriate, take technical ownership of appropriately scoped projects

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• TS clearance

• Bachelor's degree in Mathematics, Computer Science, Cybersecurity or a related field and 8 years of relevant experience, 6 years and a Masters, or 3 years and a PhD

• Background inappliedformal methods

• Background in cryptology

Desired Qualifications:

• MS or PhD degree in a related technical field

• Strong grasp of the research process (e.g., reading &writingacademic papers, ideation for inventing solutions to hard problems)

• Superior written and verbal communications skills

• Familiarity with theorem provers such asRocq/Lean4

Global Comp

$115,000 - $200,000 This represents the typical compensation range for this position based on experience, location and other factors.

Closing Statement

Riverside Research Institute is a not-for-profit, technology-oriented defense company, where service to our customers and support of our staff is our overall mission. Riverside is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding recruitment and hiring. Riverside offers comprehensive compensation and benefit packages to our employees. Riverside bases its employment decisions solely on technical experience, qualifications and other job-related criteria related to our organizational purpose as a not-for-profit company, and without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran’s status or any other status legally protected by applicable federal, state, and local law.