Engineering and Physical Sciences Researcher - Experienced to Expert Level (Maryland)
Department: Department of Defense
Location(s): Fort Meade, Maryland
Salary Range: $132751 - $197200 Per Year
Job Summary: As an Engineering and Physical Science professional, you will use your skills to create the systems and tools that will be used to enhance the operation of intelligence. You will advise, administer and perform scientific projects, such as planning, designing, and constructing specialized equipment, and ensuring adherence to sound engineering and scientific standards and principles.
Major Duties:
- NSA is home to one of the largest and most established in-house research organizations within the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), employing scientists with world-class skills in fields such as mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, and cybersecurity. We collaborate with leading industries, universities, and national laboratories to advance core competencies, leverage work in overlapping disciplines, and solve some of the most challenging national security problems thought to be intractable by adversaries and commercial industry. NSA's Laboratory for Physical Sciences (LPS) attracts top technical talent who not only solve the nation's urgent intelligence problems, but also invent what hasn't been invented and concentrate on what will be needed five, ten, fifteen years down the road. Through its partnership with the University of Maryland (UMD), LPS offers a unique environment where university, industry, and federal government scientists collaborate on research in advanced communication, sensing, and computer technologies. To learn more about LPS, visit: https://www.lps.umd.edu LPS is currently seeking experienced Engineering and Physical Sciences Researchers to lead advanced research efforts in the areas of: quantum systems for sensing and/or transduction; electromagnetics engineering that enable high-performance wireless communications; integrated photonics for High Performance Computing (HPC); and, novel computing devices for High Performance Computing (HPC) applications. LPS Researchers are expected to contribute to their technical fields by publishing in high-impact, peer reviewed journals; collaborating and contributing broadly with academia, industry, and the national laboratories; and supervising students and postdoctoral fellows. In addition, researchers must demonstrate an ability to work well in a team environment toward mission-oriented research goals, to provide unique and sometimes extraordinary subject matter expertise to the Intelligence Community (IC) and wider U.S. Government (USG), and bring their inventions to prototype or practical implementation. Lead Researcher: Active Devices for Beyond Moore's law / Cryologic LPS is seeking a motivated experimentalist to lead a new research effort to discover, understand, and optimize novel devices for HPC. In the 'Beyond Moore's Law' era, the exploration of computing devices operating at very high speed, low-power, or offering greater functionality for memory and logic are critical to the development of future information technologies. LPS seeks to add to its growing number of research labs in novel classical computing devices and paradigms, which include laboratories for 2D and topological materials, superconducting reversible logic, and cryogenic interconnect for novel HPC, in addition to an entire office focused on novel architectures and system-level considerations for Advanced Computing Systems (ACS). This search is not predetermined towards a specific technology; rather, LPS seeks a researcher with skillsets and a fundamental research strategy that complements and enhances existing efforts. This new research area is expected to provide opportunities for internal Agency and external community collaboration, especially for future computing systems of relevance to the NSA. Although LPS researchers are encouraged to collaborate and pursue research funding opportunities internal to the Agency and across the USG, many LPS research projects are self-funded. This new research effort is expected to be provided with start-up funds, lab space, and materials, as well as being able to take advantage of existing beyond Moore's and cryologic labs, fabrication and measurement infrastructure. The ideal candidate is someone whose research interests complement current NSA investments in fabrication, measurement, and materials development for HPC, and who has a proven track record of innovative research in technical areas of direct relevance to active devices for beyond Moore's law computing and cryogenic logic. Preferably, the demonstrated expertise should be in several of the following technical areas, and complementary to LPS investments in fabrication, measurement, and materials development for HPC hardware, including laboratory work in quantum materials and cryogenic logic: - Novel transistor development (e.g., ultra-low power, neuromorphic, superconducting, spintronic, optical) and impact on traditional and unconventional computer architectures. - Fast measurement and circuit design (including GHz rate logic) - Design, fabrication, and evaluation of logic and memory devices operating at cryogenic temperatures; and/or logic and memory devices utilizing novel material systems - Active electronic device research complimentary to quantum materials or cryogenic logic. - Industry/foundry capabilities in transistor-level device development and associated materials.
Qualifications: SENIOR Entry is with a Bachelor's degree plus 7 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 5 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 3 years of relevant experience. EXPERT Entry is a Bachelor's degree plus 10 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree plus 8 years of relevant experience, or a Doctoral degree plus 6 years of relevant experience.
How to Apply: https://apply.intelligencecareers.gov/job-description/1252788
Application Deadline: 2026-01-17