What Your Job Will Be Like

We are seeking a Computer Science researcher (job title: R&D Cybersecurity) who is an expert in formal methods. This opening is for an experienced researcher who can demonstrate the necessary technical knowledge and skill base in formal methods and automated verification of hardware and software.

Our researchers are expected to conduct innovative research, publish and present results in referred journals and conferences, work in multidisciplinary teams, and seek out new and significant problems of national importance. Our Center is especially interested in candidates who can develop and apply formal methods research, including using automated or semi-automated tools that can support the verification of hardware and embedded software systems. Collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams is essential to successfully realizing these objectives.

Our department (Digital Foundations & Mathematics 1) develops and maintains capabilities for the formal verification of digital systems. The verification activities include analysis of hardware and software; modeling and simulation of digital or software systems; synthesis of hardware or software to meet formal specifications; and development of specialized software utilizing advanced mathematics to meet specialized customer needs. Our team consists mostly of researchers in computer science, analysis of programming languages and domain specific languages, high-performance computing, and physics. We collaborate and team closely with organizations across Sandia and a broad spectrum of external partners.

On any given day you may called on to:

• Develop formal verification capabilities that leverage domain specific languages and support interfaces to standard open-source model checkers and automated theorem provers
• Solve practical software and hardware engineering problems with real-world data that involve symbolic execution and discrete-event simulations
• Engage our capability development efforts using your skills with Haskell, OCaml, Rocq, Python, C, Rust, Verilog, VHDL, NuSMV, TLA, binary analysis, and assembly languages
• Evaluate emerging AI approaches for accelerating the construction of formal models and specifications from text sources using open source or foundational models that improve the verification workflow process but do not degrade the level of digital assurance necessary for high consequence systems that require formally verified requirements and system behaviors
• Collaborate within a multi-disciplinary team to solve challenging digital assurance problems with national security impact

Due to the nature of the work, the selected applicant must be able to work onsite.

Salary Range

$139,900 - $280,600

*Salary range is estimated, and actual salary will be determined after consideration of the selected candidate's experience and qualifications, and application of any approved geographic salary differential.

Qualifications We Require

• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline and five (5) years of directly relevant experience, or an equivalent combination of directly relevant education and engineering or scientific experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform independent research and development.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DOE Q-level security clearance.

Qualifications We Desire

The ideal R&D S&E Cybersecurity candidate for Sandia National Laboratories will in addition possess the following:

• Graduate degree in Computer Science/Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Information Systems, Computer Forensics, Mathematics or a directly related field where an independent research project was a graduation requirement (e.g., independent project, thesis, or dissertation).
• Experience in one or more of the following: reverse engineering, software vulnerability assessment, web application assessment, computer networking, computer architecture, compilers, or similar computer security topics.
• Proficiency in scripting or high-level programming.
• Familiarity with secure-system design principles and information assurance principles.
• Excellent communication skills and a demonstrated ability to develop technical ideas and results and present them in oral and written form in a concise manner.

Also, for this Formal Verification posting we are seeking individuals with expertise in one or more of the following areas directly relevant to Formal Verification research and assessments:

• Model checking, logical inference, and automated theorem proving.
• Equivalence checking, symbolic execution, discrete-event simulation, and specification languages.
• Familiarity with one or more of Haskell, OCaml, Rocq, Python, C, Rust, Verilog, VHDL, NuSMV, TLA, binary analysis, and assembly languages.
• Proficiency with high-performance computing platforms.
• A background in solving practical problems in science and engineering that involve encounters with real-world data.
• Evidence of relevant and exceptional achievements in formal methods research, as demonstrated in the form of technical publications, presentations, software or hardware verification tools, and/or knowledge of applications.
• Experience working in a collaborative research environment on problems in a variety of domains.

About Our Team

Our department (Digital Foundations & Mathematics) develops and maintains multiple technical capabilities. We develop and apply tools for the formal verification of digital systems. We are always interested in candidates with cross-disciplinary skillsets who can contribute to one or more of our programs. The formal verification activities include formal methods analysis of hardware and software; modeling and simulation of digital or software systems; synthesis of hardware (digital logic) or software to meet formal specifications; binary analysis (developing a custom lifter capability); and development of specialized software utilizing advanced mathematics to meet customer needs. Our department consists mostly of researchers with backgrounds in computer science, analysis of programming languages and domain specific languages, high-performance computing, and physics. We collaborate and team closely with organizations across Sandia and a broad spectrum of external partners.

Posting Duration

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of three (3) calendar days, including the 'posting date'. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.