Level

NVIDIA

Senior Research Scientist, AI for Cybersecurity

NVIDIA is hiring a Senior Research Scientist, AI for Cybersecurity. It pays $224k-$357k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on NVIDIA.

Level's read on this job

  • On Level's scale, this research scientist role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
  • The listed pay starts 17% above the typical research scientist posting on Level.
  • Tools and skills the posting cites include Python, AI agents and machine learning.
  • Level lists 2,700+ other open roles at NVIDIA.
  • The role was posted in the last few days.

AI in this role

Lead research on advancing AI models and autonomous agents for cybersecurity, vulnerability discovery, and automated defense.

python
ai-agentsmachine-learningcybersecurityvulnerability-discoveryagent-architecturesthreat-detection

We are looking for a Senior Scientist to lead research on advancing AI models and agents for cybersecurity and applying them to important security problems. This includes improving capabilities such as security reasoning, code and system understanding, planning, tool use, long-horizon investigation, and effective collaboration with human defenders, as well as applying these capabilities to vulnerability discovery, secure development, threat and anomaly detection, malware and attack analysis, incident investigation, security validation, and automated defense.


The ideal candidate will advance the underlying models, agent architectures, data, training and post-training methods, and evaluations needed for effective cybersecurity, while addressing the requirements of real security environments: high precision, robustness to adaptive adversaries, explainability, privacy, secure deployment, and effective human oversight. You will connect foundational AI and security research with practical tools and workflows that materially improve prevention, detection, investigation, and response. NVIDIA is a leader in accelerated computing and AI systems. This role offers the opportunity to set research direction, influence future platforms, and translate foundational advances into practical capabilities in collaboration with research, product, and engineering teams.


What you'll be doing:

  • Define a high-impact research agenda and lead projects that advance AI models and agents for cybersecurity and apply them to important security problems.
  • Improve model and agent capabilities for security reasoning, code and system understanding, planning, tool use, memory, long-horizon investigation, and collaboration with human defenders through advances in architectures, data, training, post-training, and evaluation.
  • Develop AI-powered capabilities for vulnerability discovery, secure development, threat detection, malware analysis, incident investigation, security validation, and automated defense that are robust to adversarial manipulation, uncertainty, distribution shift, and incomplete or noisy operational data.
  • Build and evaluate prototypes in realistic environments, measuring detection quality, false positives, time to insight, analyst effectiveness, security risk, and operational scalability.
  • Collaborate across AI, security, research, engineering, and product teams; publish original research; mentor researchers and interns; and help translate advances into deployed capabilities.

What we need to see:

  • A Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years of relevant experience. An established record of research excellence demonstrated through influential publications, open-source systems, patents, technology transfer, or substantial research collaborations.
  • Deep expertise in one or more relevant areas such as agentic AI, model training, reasoning and tool use, machine learning for security, vulnerability research, program analysis, software security, intrusion detection, malware analysis, or security operations.
  • Experience defining and leading ambiguous, multi-disciplinary research projects and providing technical mentorship.
  • Strong experimental and prototyping skills; Python and relevant AI/ML frameworks, including experience training, adapting, or evaluating models or agents; experience with systems software, security tooling, or large-scale data systems.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills and the ability to work effectively with both AI researchers and security practitioners.

Are you a creative, collaborative, and self-directed researcher who can advance AI agents for cybersecurity, expand what they can do for defenders, and turn new ideas into high-impact research and technology? If so, we want to hear from you!

Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and the pay of employees in similar positions. The base salary range is 224,000 USD - 356,500 USD for Level 5, and 272,000 USD - 431,250 USD for Level 6.

You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Applications for this job will be accepted at least until October 26, 2026.

This posting is for an existing vacancy. 

NVIDIA uses AI tools in its recruiting processes.

NVIDIA is committed to fostering an inclusive work environment and proud to be an equal opportunity employer. As we highly value diversity in our current and future employees, we do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by law.

How we rate this

Senior Research Scientist, AI for Cybersecurity at NVIDIA rates 95 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

  1. ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
  2. ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
  3. ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
  4. ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

AI agentsMachine learningCybersecurityVulnerability DiscoveryAgent ArchitecturesThreat DetectionPython

Also common in research scientist jobs at this level

Pay

This job starts at
$224k
Typical research scientist job
$192k

This posting starts 17% above the typical research scientist job. See research scientist jobs

Questions you could be asked

  1. How do you decide when an AI agent can act on its own versus asking for approval first?
  2. Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
  3. Tell me about a project where cybersecurity was part of your work. What did you do?
  4. Tell me about a project where vulnerability discovery was part of your work. What did you do?
  5. Tell me about a project where agent architectures was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

  • List these exact terms on your resume: AI agents, Machine learning, Cybersecurity, Vulnerability Discovery, and Agent Architectures. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
  • Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
  • Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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