SPHERE Senior/Principal Research Engineer- Khoury College of Computer Sciences

About the Opportunity

The Security and Privacy Heterogeneous Environment for Reproducible Experimentation (SPHERE) is a newly funded NSF mid-scale research infrastructure being built by USC Information Sciences Institute and Northeastern University Khoury College of Computer Sciences. This research infrastructure will offer access to an unprecedented variety of hardware, software, and other resources, all relevant to cybersecurity and privacy research, connected by user-configurable network substrate, and protected by a set of security policies uniquely aligned with cybersecurity and privacy research needs.

We are looking to hire a senior or principal research engineer to help us build this innovative cyberinfrastructure.  The portion of SPHERE being developed at Northeastern University will focus on Internet of Things (IoT) device experimentation. The main goal is to create the largest remotely-accessible IoT testbed in the world, composed of dozens of samples of IoT devices across several categories (for example, smart speakers, smart TVs, smart cameras, etc.) and manufacturers. The SPHERE IoT testbed, in addition to hosting these IoT devices, will provide programming interfaces for interacting with them across all the modalities that these devices offer, including physical access, companion app access, and voice access. These interfaces will be designed to be accessed remotely so that testbed users can interact with the devices and perform experiments from everywhere in the world and without the need to buy any device or build their own infrastructure. The IoT testbed will be complemented with tools for capturing the network traffic produced by these devices, storing their data securely, integrating with the rest of the SPHERE research infrastructure, and for streamlining automated and repeatable experiments at a scale.

This is a unique opportunity for someone to join our vibrant team and work on groundbreaking research in supporting scalable, large-scale virtual access to diverse IoT hardware.

This position is on-site in the Boston campus.

Responsibilities:

• Software development activities. Senior research engineers are responsible for the design, implementation, testing, documentation, and maintenance of our software. Principal research engineers are also expected to lead development activities and use their specialized experience to make critical architectural choices with minimal supervision.

• Support activities. Senior research engineers are responsible for the training and supervision of less-experienced team members, periodic reporting, and coordination with our partners. Principal research engineers are also responsible for project management, risk management, and for using their specialized experience to optimize the software development process and enact contingency plans to keep software development activities on track.

• Contributions to project documentation and outreach activities, such as preparing and presenting testing demos.

Qualifications:
 

Qualifications for Senior Research Engineer

• BS/BEng in Computer Science or Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related area.

• Three years or more of recent relevant backend development experience working in an agile environment (five years recommended).

• Experience with Linux, open source tools, GitHub/GitLab.

• Experience with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment frameworks (CI/CD).

• A self-starter, resourceful, and able to work both independently and with a team.

• Nice-to-haves: experience leading a software development project, experience with system administration, cloud technologies, networking, virtualization/containerization, IoT, and/or cybersecurity.

Qualifications for Principal Research Engineer

• All qualifications for the Senior Research Engineer position.

• MS/MEng or Ph.D. in Computer Science or Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related area.

• Six years or more of recent relevant backend development experience working in an agile environment (eight years recommended).

• Experience leading a software engineering project; onboarding, training, supervising junior and senior team members; managing project tasks, milestones, deadlines, and risk.

• Specialized experience on the following technology domains: system administration, cloud technologies, networking, and virtualization/containerization.

• Nice-to-haves: experience working in a research lab or university as a research engineer or tech lead on government-funded or industry-funded implementation projects, experience with IoT and/or cybersecurity.

Additional Information:

The department is open to hiring for a Sr Research Engineer or Principal Research Engineer depending upon the candidates experience and qualifications.

Documents to Submit:

CV and Cover Letter

About Khoury College:

Khoury College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community among students, faculty and staff. We strongly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse experiences and backgrounds. We invite you to join a fast-moving, ambitious college with an underlying mission that is driven by our motto of “CS for Everyone.”

Position Type

Research

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.  

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.  

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff.  Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion. 

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other  characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity .