Wireless Security Engineer - Open Rank (Entry to Junior)-CIPHER

Overview

The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech). Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry.

GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry.

Georgia Tech's Mission and Values

Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do:

1. Students are our top priority.

2. We strive for excellence.

3. We thrive on diversity.

4. We celebrate collaboration.

5. We champion innovation.

6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression.

7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community.

8. We act ethically.

9. We are responsible stewards.

Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact.

Project/Unit Description

GTRI is searching for a Junior Wireless Security Engineer to work in the Cyber EW Techniques Branch within the Embedded System Vulnerability Division (ESVD) in the Cybersecurity, Information Protection, and Hardware Evaluation Research (CIPHER) Lab. The ESVD team has deep expertise in reverse engineering, vulnerability discovery, and the development and demonstration of RF and network-based techniques to gain unauthorized access to and/or exploit various types of information networks.

Analysis efforts focus on wireless and embedded devices such as radios, modems, routers and embedded controllers comprising various military and Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. The Cyber EW Techniques Branch focuses on developing RF-delivered cyber techniques and on developing next generation EW systems supporting this mission.

Job Purpose

Wireless security engineers will develop integrated cyber and electronic warfare capabilities to conduct information operations against threat systems, and will support Test and Evaluation activities to help protect US systems from similar attacks.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist with demonstration of over the air techniques to gain unauthorized access to and/or exploit wireless communication networks.
• Demonstrate mitigation techniques to protect systems.
• Assist in the development of SDR algorithms to:
• (1) reverse engineer signals
• (2) demodulate and decode RF signals
• (3) to generate similar RF signals
• Research capabilities, implementation methods and security features of device under test to help in determining functionality and potential weaknesses.
• Commonly evaluated devices include communications devices such as radios, modems, and routers.
• Contribute to technical reports and presentations

Additional Responsibilities

• Employ hardware/firmware/software reverse engineering techniques to search for potential vulnerabilities accessible through RF apertures.

Required Minimum Qualifications

• Candidates currently enrolled in an accredited degree program relevant to this position will be considered. The candidate must have a graduation date of no later than August 2026.
• Coursework or demonstrable working knowledge of wireless/RF/digital communications concepts such as analog/digital modulation, EM spectrum, attenuators/amplifiers, filters, FEC, and interleaving.
• Experience programming in one or more of the following languages: C/C++, Python.
• Experience with software version control using Git
• Ability to Obtain and Maintain DoD Top Secret Security Clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Top Secret Clearance
• Experience developing software/debugging processes on Linux
• Experience building and managing DOCKER images
• 3-6 months experience developing SDR code using frameworks such as GnuRadio, RedHawk, xMIDAS, or similar
• Experience building and testing applications on commercial SDRs such as N.I./Ettus X410, X310, N210

Travel Requirements

<10% travel

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

• 0 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science or related field.

Please refer to our Research Faculty Technical Level Guidelines for minimum requirements at the higher levels.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https://benefits.hr.gatech.edu/.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The Institute is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all.

To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and Institute policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services.

Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities.

Equal opportunity and decisions based on merit are fundamental values of the University System of Georgia (“USG”) and Georgia Tech.

Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of an individual’s race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions.

Further, Georgia Tech prohibits citizenship status, immigration status, and national origin discrimination in hiring, firing, and recruitment, except where such restrictions are required in order to comply with law, regulation, executive order, or Attorney General directive, or where they are required by Federal, State, or local government contract.

USG Core Values Statement

The University System of Georgia is comprised of our 26 institutions of higher education and learning as well as the System Office. Our USG Statement of Core Values are Integrity, Excellence, Accountability, and Respect. These values serve as the foundation for all that we do as an organization, and each USG community member is responsible for demonstrating and upholding these standards.

More details on the USG Statement of Core Values and Code of Conduct are available in USG Board Policy 8.2.18.1.2 and can be found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section8/C224/#p8.2.18_personnel_conduct.

Additionally, USG supports Freedom of Expression as stated in Board Policy 6.5 Freedom of Expression and Academic Freedom found on-line at https://www.usg.edu/policymanual/section6/C2653.