Senior Principal Scientist for Cryptography and Applied Cryptography Research

About the role

The Cryptography, ICAM, & System Assurance Department at MITRE is a multi-disciplinary team focused on driving innovation in cryptography, system assurance, and identity, credential, and access management (ICAM).

Responsibilities

• Establish and execute MITRE’s long-term scientific and technical vision for cryptography and secure computing foundations across the corporation.
• Define technical strategy and guide research investments spanning post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic agility, applied cryptography, cryptographic protocols, secure key management, privacy-enhancing technologies, confidential computing, secure hardware, trusted execution environments, threshold cryptography, secure multi-party computation, homomorphic encryption, zero-knowledge proofs, formal verification, and emerging cryptographic paradigms.
• Lead the development of innovative cryptographic technologies that strengthen the security, resilience, and trustworthiness of mission-critical government systems while enabling operational transition across multiple sponsor communities.
• Shape national strategies for post-quantum cryptography migration and cryptographic modernization by developing approaches for cryptographic agility, enterprise key management, standards adoption, interoperability, and long-term technology transition.
• Advance the integration of cryptography with artificial intelligence by developing secure and privacy-preserving approaches for AI-enabled systems, trusted AI infrastructure, model integrity, secure data collaboration, and AI-enabled cyber defense.
• Conceive, champion, and establish new technical thrusts that position MITRE several years ahead of sponsor demand while advancing the state of the art in cryptographic science and secure computing.
• Shape national investments in cryptographic modernization by advising senior government leaders on emerging technologies, technical risks, standards adoption, research priorities, and future capability development.
• Influence the direction of national cryptographic strategy through leadership in standards organizations, interagency initiatives, advisory committees, technical working groups, and strategic partnerships.
• Define and evolve MITRE’s long-term technical strategy for cryptography and secure computing across the Cyber Engineering Division, MITRE Labs, and MITRE’s FFRDC Program Divisions.
• Create and lead multidisciplinary technical communities spanning cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, systems engineering, software engineering, communications, trusted microelectronics, and quantum information science.
• Foster technical collaboration across MITRE and establish enduring partnerships with government, industry, academia, federally funded laboratories, and standards organizations.
• Expand MITRE’s impact through technology transition, standards development, open collaboration, publications, reference implementations, and innovative sponsor work that advances national cybersecurity.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field with 15+ years of experience in relevant domain.
• Proven technical depth and recognized external technical stature in a breadth of technologies within the cryptography technical capability area, including commercial products, emerging tools, research capabilities, etc.
• Track record of technical innovation (research, innovation, etc.) with demonstrable impact.
• Demonstrated ability to define and lead collaborative efforts both within, and across, different organizations and stakeholders (local, sponsor, industry, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to build collaborative relationships across organizational units.
• History of successful project initiation (definition, scoping, aligning to need, costing, etc.) and project management (execution, staffing, schedule management, delivery, quality review, etc.).
• Experience in leading high-performing teams.
• Applicants selected for this position will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information or applicants who are eligible for security clearances.
• This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site.
• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related discipline strongly preferred.
• Candidates with a Master’s degree and exceptional experience will also be considered.
• Twenty or more years of progressively responsible experience conducting advanced research, development, and application of cryptographic technologies.
• Recognized technical authority in one or more areas including applied cryptography, cryptographic engineering, post-quantum cryptography, cryptographic protocols, secure hardware, confidential computing, privacy-enhancing technologies, formal verification, trusted computing, secure distributed systems, or related disciplines.
• Sustained or significant track record of original contributions in publications or cryptography communities.
• Demonstrated record of defining technical direction for programs, research initiatives, or technology transitions.