Qureos Mentor

University of Maryland University College

<div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Job Description Summary
</b></h1>Organization's Summary Statement:
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The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence &amp; Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland is a University-Affiliated Research Center (UARC) dedicated to advancing research, innovation, and technology transition to improve decision making for U.S. national security. ARLIS combines deep scientific expertise with operational insight to address challenges in intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence / machine learning, quantum science, and human-machine teaming. Researchers, scientists, engineers, and analysts at ARLIS collaborate with government agencies, industry partners, and academic institutions to deliver actionable insights and transformative solutions through research and development. Employees at ARLIS work on projects of critical importance, contribute directly to the nation&rsquo;s security, and are supported by a culture that values integrity, collaboration, and professional growth.
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The Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) at the University of Maryland is seeking a Postdoctoral Associate in AI Security to conduct cutting-edge research at the intersection of machine learning, cybersecurity, and national security.
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This position focuses on advancing the science and practice of securing advanced AI systems against sophisticated adversaries, such as large language models (LLMs), reasoning systems, and agentic architectures. The role operates within a mission-driven R&amp;D environment supporting government and Intelligence Community (IC) partners, where the threat model assumes highly capable actors with deep technical access to deployed systems. Opportunities include basic and open research, publishing in top-tier venues, as well as transitioning capabilities into operational use. The successful candidate will contribute to frontier research spanning adversarial machine learning, secure AI deployment, and other approaches to security and safety, such as mechanistic interpretability.
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Key Responsibilities
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<ul><li>Conduct original research in AI security, including adversarial machine learning, model robustness, and secure AI system design.
</li><li>Develop and evaluate novel attack and defense techniques for modern AI systems, including:
</li><li>Mechanistic and white-box analysis of model behavior and safety mechanisms
</li><li>Multi-turn and adaptive adversarial interactions with AI systems
</li><li>Security of reasoning models and agent-based architectures
</li><li>Design and implement experimental frameworks for evaluating AI system vulnerabilities across deployment scenarios (e.g., open-weight, API-based, and hybrid systems).
</li><li>Apply interpretability techniques (e.g., circuit analysis, feature attribution, sparse autoencoders) to understand internal model behavior and failure modes.
</li><li>Contribute to the development of benchmarks, evaluation methodologies, and datasets for AI security research.
</li><li>Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams including machine learning researchers, systems engineers, and national security domain experts.
</li><li>Translate research findings into actionable insights for government sponsors, including technical reports and briefings.
</li><li>Publish research in leading conferences and journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, IEEE S&amp;P, CCS), consistent with program objectives.
</li></ul><br>
Must be able to obtain a U.S. security clearance. If selected, you must meet the requirements for access to classified information and will be subject to a government security clearance investigation that includes criminal and credit history checks, as well as verification of U.S. citizenship, birth, education, employment, and military history.
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Final offer is contingent upon the candidate&rsquo;s ability to successfully obtain the necessary interim Secret security clearance, as determined by the U.S. Government, prior to commencing employment.
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Research Areas of Interest
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Candidates may contribute to one or more of the following focus areas:
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Adversarial AI &amp; Red Teaming
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<ul><li>Adaptive, multi-turn attacks and reasoning-based adversarial strategies
</li><li>Evaluation of model robustness under realistic threat models
</li></ul><br>
Secure AI Systems &amp; Deployment
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<ul><li>Security of agentic systems, tool use, and multi-model architectures
</li><li>Supply chain and fine-tuning risks in open-weight models
</li></ul><br>
AI Evaluation &amp; Benchmarking
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<ul><li>Development of security-focused benchmarks and evaluation pipelines
</li><li>Measurement of robustness, safety degradation, and attack transferability
</li></ul><br>
Mechanistic AI Security
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<ul><li>Circuit-level analysis of safety and capability mechanisms
</li><li>Feature geometry, representation learning, and interpretability-driven security
</li></ul><br>
Work Environment &amp; Impact
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<ul><li>Engage in high-impact research directly supporting national security missions.
</li><li>Work alongside leading experts in AI, cybersecurity, and intelligence applications.
</li><li>Access to advanced computing infrastructure and unique government-relevant problem sets.
</li><li>Opportunity to shape emerging standards and practices for securing advanced AI systems.
</li><li>Balance of publishable academic research and mission-driven applied work.
</li></ul><br>
Why This Role:
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AI systems are rapidly becoming foundational to national security operations. At the same time, their attack surface is evolving toward more sophisticated threat models, including adversaries with deep technical access and the ability to exploit internal model behavior.
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This position offers a unique opportunity to define how next-generation AI systems are secured, combining foundational research with real-world mission impact.
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Physical Demands:
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Sedentary work performed in a normal office environment; exerts up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Ability to attend meetings both on and off campus. Spending long hours in front of a computer screen.
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Minimum Qualifications
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<ul><li>Ph.D. in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field.
</li><li>Demonstrated research experience in one or more of the following areas:
</li><li>Machine learning (deep learning, LLMs, reinforcement learning)
</li><li>Adversarial machine learning or AI safety/security
</li><li>Systems security, applied cryptography, or cyber operations
</li><li>Strong programming skills in Python and experience with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow).
</li><li>Experience designing and executing empirical research, including experimentation and evaluation.
</li><li>Ability to work in a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment.
</li><li>Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance.
</li></ul><br>
Preferences:
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<ul><li>Familiarity with white-box threat models and evaluation of open-weight AI systems.
</li><li>Experience with MLOps or large-scale training infrastructure, including distributed training, GPU clusters, or ML experimentation platforms.
</li><li>Knowledge of AI system deployment architectures, including RAG systems, multi-agent systems, or tool-augmented models.
</li><li>Experience with adversarial evaluation frameworks, red-teaming methodologies, or benchmark development.
</li><li>Experience with mechanistic interpretability and/or alternative approaches to understanding model internals (e.g., activation analysis, circuit-level reasoning, representation learning).
</li><li>Background in national security applications, including work with DoD, IC, or federally funded research programs.
</li><li>Record of publications in top-tier conferences or journals.
</li></ul><br>
Licenses/ Certifications: N/A
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Additional Job Details
</b></h1><p></p><div><p><b>Required Application Materials: Cover Letter, Resume, List of References<br>
</b></p><p></p><p><b>Best Consideration Date: 6/13/26<br>
</b></p><p></p><p><b>Posting Close Date: N/A<br>
</b></p><p></p><p><b>Open Until Filled: YES<br>
</b></p></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Financial Disclosure Required
</b></h1>No
<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p>For more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website .
</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Department
</b></h1>VPR-Applied Research Lab for Intelligence &amp; Security
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Worker Sub-Type
</b></h1>Faculty Regular
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Salary Range
</b></h1>$60,000 - $80,000
<p></p><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Benefits Summary
</b></h1></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p>For more information on Regular Faculty benefits, select this link .
</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Background Checks
</b></h1><p></p><p>Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Employment Eligibility
</b></h1><p></p><p>The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>EEO Statement
</b></h1><p></p><p>The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University&rsquo;s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice
</b></h1><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Resources
</b></h1><ul><li><p>Learn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O*Net Online
</p></li></ul><p></p><div><div><div><div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Search Firm Managed Recruitment
</b></h1></div></div></div></div><p></p><div><div><div><p>There are some positions that are not advertised on this career site as the search is being managed by a Search Firm.</p></div></div></div></div><p></p>

Postdoctoral Associate – AI Security

<div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Job Description Summary
</b></h1>FIRE Assistant Clinical Professor
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The Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President and the Office of Undergraduate Research seek full-time 12-month Assistant Clinical Professors to lead newly developed FIRE research streams designed around the research experience, passions, and goals of applicants.<br>
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We seek individuals from any of the following disciplines:<br>
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Natural Sciences: Biochemistry, Biology, Cellular Biology, Chemistry, Ecology, Environmental Science, Geology, Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Neuroscience, Virology, and all similar and related disciplines.<br>
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Social Science &amp; Humanities: Psychology, Economics, Education, Geography, History, Political Science, Sociology, Communications, History, Music, Gender Studies, and all related disciplines.<br>
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Technology &amp; Applied Sciences: Computer Science, Engineering, Information &amp; Data Science, Geographical Information Systems, Physics, Astronomy, Atmospheric Sciences, Computational Chemistry &amp; Biochemistry, Computational Biology &amp; Bioinformatics, and all related disciplines.<br>
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Specific Opportunity to Continue Existing FIRE Stream: We seek an individual to lead the existing, highly successful FIRE Computing &amp; Society research stream.<br>
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FIRE Faculty Leader Position Description
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FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors design and implement the group research agenda and are responsible for all research-related curriculum, instruction, and broad student mentorship. The position empowers early-career faculty members to grow as research leaders, educators, mentors, and higher education professionals. FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors work in collaboration with department-based UMD faculty members to design and implement the research agenda of a new FIRE research stream. As the lead instructor of research-related FIRE courses, the FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors are tasked with providing an excellent educational experience through the development of a research-centered curriculum that allows for iteration: students engage in work that includes periods of uncertainty, setbacks, and unexpected outcomes, and have the opportunity to repeat unsuccessful methodological attempts. As the professional who works with FIRE-participating students, FIRE Assistant Clinical Professors provide personal, academic, research, and professional mentorship.
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Additional Job Details
</b></h1><div><p><b>Appointment Details
</b></p><p>Appointments will start in August of 2026 or January 2027 and run through December 2027, with strong potential for annual renewals in January 2028, per positive performance reviews.<br>
</p><p><b>Expectations of Position
</b></p><ul><li><p>Ability to lead undergraduate peer mentors through communication and management.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to develop curriculum and protocols for research-based inquiry.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to effectively teach undergraduate students in lecture and research-based environments.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to mentor students from research, academic, and personal perspectives.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to assess student learning through the development of formative and summative assessments appropriate for inquiry-based instruction.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to manage research operations, including student progress, equipment, consumables, and oversight of the fiscal budget.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to effectively communicate with stream faculty members, undergraduate peer mentors, students, and institutional colleagues.
</p></li><li><p>Ability to problem-solve, prioritize, and manage multiple projects and timelines.
</p></li><li><p>Strong organizational and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and effectively while working autonomously and collaboratively.
</p></li><li><p>Flexibility to grow, adapt, and change as FIRE develops at UMD.<br>
</p></li></ul><p><b>Minimum Qualifications
</b></p><ul><li><p>Ph.D. (title: Assistant Clinical Professor) or Master's (title: Lecturer) degree.
</p></li><li><p>Active Research interests and goals.<br>
</p></li></ul><p><b>Preferred Qualifications
</b></p><ul><li><p>Research leadership experience.
</p></li><li><p>Experience working on funded research projects.
</p></li><li><p>Prior supervisory experience of undergraduate researchers.
</p></li><li><p>Record of success in presenting research at conferences and/or publishing research in peer-reviewed journals.
</p></li><li><p>At least one year of experience in teaching undergraduate students (either as the instructor of record or as a teaching assistant).
</p></li><li><p>At least one year of research team experience with substantial project management experience and organizational skills.
</p></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Visa Sponsorship Information
</b></p><ul><li><p>OUR will not sponsor the successful candidate for work authorization in the United States now or in the future.
</p></li><li><p>F1 STEM OPT support is not available for this position.
</p></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Required Application Materials
</b></p><ul><li><p>Cover Letter
</p></li><li><p>CV
</p></li><li><p>List of Three References
</p></li></ul><p></p><p><b>Best Consideration Date: </b><b>May 11, 2026<br>
</b><br>
</p><p><b>Posting Close Date: N/A<br>
</b></p><p></p><p><b>Open Until Filled: Yes<br>
</b></p></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Financial Disclosure Required
</b></h1>No
<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p>For more information on Financial Disclosure, please visit Maryland's State Ethics Commission website .
</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Department
</b></h1>SVPAAP-Office of Undergraduate Research
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Worker Sub-Type
</b></h1>Faculty Regular
<p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Salary Range
</b></h1>$55,000 - $85,000 commensurate with experience and discipline
<p></p><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Benefits Summary
</b></h1></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p>For more information on Regular Faculty benefits, select this link .
</p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Background Checks
</b></h1><p></p><p>Offers of employment are contingent on completion of a background check. Information reported by the background check will not automatically disqualify anyone from employment. Before any adverse decision, the finalist will have an opportunity to provide information to the University regarding disclosable background check information. The University reserves the right to rescind the offer of employment or otherwise decline or terminate employment if the information reported by the background check is deemed incompatible with the position, regardless of when the background check is completed.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Employment Eligibility
</b></h1><p></p><p>The successful candidate must complete employment eligibility verification (on Form I-9) by presenting documents that establish identity and work authorization within the timeframe required by federal immigration law, and where applicable, to demonstrate renewed employment authorization. Failure to complete employment eligibility verification or reverification within the timeframe set forth by law may result in suspension or termination of employment.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>EEO Statement
</b></h1><p></p><p>The University of Maryland, College Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment. Please read the University&rsquo;s Equal Employment Opportunity Statement of Policy.
</p><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Title IX Non-Discrimination Notice
</b></h1><p></p><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Resources
</b></h1><ul><li><p>Learn how military skills translate to civilian opportunities with O*Net Online
</p></li></ul><p></p><div><div><div><div><h1 class="jobSectionHeader"><b>Search Firm Managed Recruitment
</b></h1></div></div></div></div><p></p><div><div><div><p>There are some positions that are not advertised on this career site as the search is being managed by a Search Firm.</p></div></div></div></div><p></p>

Assistant Clinical Professor

Join University of Maryland University College and explore 2   exciting career opportunities. They're hiring for various roles with options for remote or on-site work. Apply today and become part of their innovative team.

University of Maryland University College

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Postdoctoral Associate – AI Security

Assistant Clinical Professor