Postdoctoral Researcher/Assistant Research Scientist – AI, Cybersecurity & High-Performance Research Computing

Agency

Department

Texas A&M University–Central Texas invites applications for a Postdoctoral Researcher/Assistant or Associate Research Scientist position with expertise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cybersecurity, and High-Performance Computing (HPC).

The successful candidate will be self-motivated, creative, and team-oriented, with a strong background or research interests in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cybersecurity. We are especially interested in candidates with hands-on experience applying agentic AI to cybersecurity, for example, autonomous or multi-agent, tool-using systems for threat detection, incident response, or vulnerability assessment.

You will work in the Center for Cybersecurity Innovation at Texas A&M University – Central Texas, as we actively expand our research focus to include emerging areas such as agentic AI, next-generation deep learning architectures, privacy-preserving techniques, automated frameworks for real-time cyber threat detection and mitigation, and the design and implementation of a dedicated High-Performance Computing (HPC) lab. This standalone HPC facility will serve as an open, high-capacity computing infrastructure accessible to researchers, faculty, and students across the university.

In this position, you will design and implement practical, agentic AI solutions for cybersecurity anomaly detection, conduct real-world empirical evaluations, explore innovative techniques for privacy preservation, and assist in the setup, configuration, and ongoing operational rollout of the new multi-user HPC lab environment.

This position is currently funded through a grant with an anticipated funding end date of November 22, 2027. Texas A&M University - Central Texas is committed to retaining this position after the grant has ended, if financially feasible.

About the University:

Texas A&M University-Central Texas (A&M-Central Texas) became a stand-alone university on May 27, 2009, one of 12 universities within the Texas A&M University System. A&M-Central Texas is an upper-level institution offering the junior- and senior-level coursework needed to successfully complete baccalaureate degrees and all coursework leading to the completion of graduate degrees, including master’s and specialist programs.

The university provides a wide range of flexible course schedules, including online, hybrid, evening, and weekend classes. The beautiful new campus of A&M-Central Texas is located on 672 acres of land in Killeen, Texas. Located in the heart of Central Texas, Killeen has a city population of over 153,000, a metro population of 496,000, and a thriving economy fueled by Fort Hood, one of the largest military bases in the country. Killeen is approximately an hour north of Austin and is situated within the I-35 corridor, one of the fastest-growing trans-metropolitan regions in North America. This area is known for its affordable living, welcoming community, rich cultural offerings, and well-developed infrastructure. Killeen offers convenient access to major metro areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, and Houston.

A Presidential Proclamation issued on September 19, 2025, imposes a $100,000 fee on all new H‑1B petitions filed after September 21, 2025, and Texas A&M University–Central Texas will not pay this fee. Additionally, a moratorium issued by Governor Abbott on January 27, 2026, restricts the filing of new H‑1B petitions unless approved by the Texas Workforce Commission. Accordingly, if you will now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status this moratorium may affect our ability to employ you should you be selected as the final candidate. Applicants must be authorized to work for any U.S. employer.

Responsibilities:

• Lead or assist with the technical implementation, deployment, and configuration of a standalone High-Performance Computing (HPC) lab environment; help establish user onboarding protocols, multi-tenant resource management policies, and hardware access workflows so the facility can be used broadly by cross-disciplinary researchers and students.
• Architect, implement, and evaluate next-generation AI/ML frameworks (including agentic AI, deep learning, and privacy-preserving methods) for threat detection and mitigation.
• Design, build, and evaluate agentic AI systems (e.g., autonomous or multi-agent, tool-using LLM-based agents) for cybersecurity use cases such as automated threat hunting, incident triage/response, and vulnerability assessment.
• Execute rigorous experimental evaluations to benchmark AI performance and privacy safeguards in realistic cybersecurity environments.
• Supervise and guide undergraduate and graduate research assistants working on AI and cybersecurity initiatives.
• Author high-impact manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals and top-tier conference proceedings, providing empirical benchmarks for the broader research community.

Minimum Requirements:

• Earned doctorate in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, or a closely related field; or an equivalent combination of education and related experience.
• Strong programming background (e.g., Python, C/C++).
• High self-motivation, creativity, and a collaborative mindset.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 1–3 years of experience in cybersecurity, AI research, and/or high-performance computing (HPC) lab environments.
• Demonstrated experience with agentic AI (e.g., autonomous or multi-agent, tool-using LLM-based systems) applied to cybersecurity problems such as threat detection, automated incident response, or vulnerability assessment.
• Hands-on proficiency with AI frameworks and libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Keras, Jupyter).
• A track record of peer-reviewed scientific publications.
• Experience conducting empirical evaluations, user studies, or usability assessments.

Salary: $80,000

Hours: Monday - Friday; 8:00 am to 5pm. Occasional weeknights and/or weekends.

Supervision of Others: This position does not supervise employees.

Work Location: This is not a remote position. The selected candidate will be required to work on campus.

To Apply:

Please apply directly on our Texas A&M University-Central Texas Job Site. Please submit a cover letter, a resume, and the contact information of three professional references when applying for this position.

All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check.

Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer.