Research Staff Member - 2027

The Center for Communications Research, Princeton (CCR Princeton) is seeking new research staff members in mathematics, statistics, physics, computer science, engineering, data science, and related fields to join our team.

Overview

CCR Princeton and its sister institutions, CCR La Jolla and CCS Bowie, form the Center for Communications and Computing, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) that is a division of the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA). We work under a long-term contract to the National Security Agency to address scientific problems related to its mission.

We are a collaborative research institution looking to add self-motivated colleagues who like working on hard problems. Solutions often come from interdisciplinary collaboration, drawing on knowledge from mathematics, computer science, statistics, and signals analysis. Some projects require deep and sophisticated mathematics, others the latest computational technologies, and many require both.

How We Work: We have a shared-credit environment and a flat organizational structure. Collaboration is encouraged by an "open door" policy, informal conversations at daily tea, regular seminars, and easy access to spontaneous discussion sessions. The result is small, flexible working groups, with researchers free to choose what to work on according to their interests and expertise.

Each summer we hold an intensive ten-week program, SCAMP (Summer Conference on Applied Mathematical Problems), where researchers from academia, government, and industry join us to collaborate with our research staff on focused problems that change from year to year. Rather than recruiting in specific subfields, we are looking for individuals with exceptional demonstrated research ability.

Applicants will normally have a Ph.D. or equivalent. In addition to internal work, we encourage continued academic research, and support travel to both internal and external conferences. CCR Princeton is in central New Jersey, and there are excellent schools and many enjoyable activities in the area. We maintain close relations with Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study, both of which are nearby.

In addition to easy access to New York City and Philadelphia, Princeton is a bikeable, cosmopolitan town with high-quality options for dining and the arts. Minimum Requirements/Qualifications: Education requirement is as follows: BS +10 years of experience, or MS +8 years of experience or Ph.D. in in a discipline appropriate for the position.

You must be a US citizen and be able to obtain an appropriate security clearance, which we will sponsor. Researchers may be able to begin work without a security clearance, performing unclassified or academic work while awaiting clearance. The start date for this position is flexible.

Compensation

We support transparency, equity, and fairness in our compensation program and provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range based on data-driven market analysis for each position. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range, a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $111,515 - $283,015.

Individual salary within this range will be commensurate with the incumbent’s experience and unique skills or qualifications. Why Work at IDA: Competitive salary and benefits, including diverse health insurance options, generous 10% contribution to retirement, 6 weeks 100% paid parental leave and 20 days paid time off.

Mission-oriented work at a non-profit that supports and protects our Nation’s warfighters; as a non-profit, IDA employees are eligible for Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSFL). Professional development including tuition reimbursement, internal and external trainings. #ITatIDA