Research Engineer

Company: Northeastern University
Location: Boston
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

About the Opportunity About Khoury College Khoury College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community among students, faculty and staff. We strongly encourage applicants from underrepresented groups, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and those with diverse experiences and backgrounds. We invite you to join a fast-moving, ambitious college with an underlying mission that is driven by our motto of “CS for Everyone.” About the Opportunity The Security and Privacy Heterogeneous Environment for Reproducible Experimentation (SPHERE) is a newly funded NSF mid-scale research infrastructure being built by USC Information Sciences Institute and Northeastern University Khoury College of Computer Sciences. This research infrastructure will offer access to an unprecedented variety of hardware, software, and other resources, all relevant to cybersecurity and privacy research, connected by user-configurable network substrate, and protected by a set of security policies uniquely aligned with cybersecurity and privacy research needs. We are looking to hire a research engineer to help us build this innovative cyberinfrastructure. The portion of SPHERE being developed at Northeastern University will focus on Internet of Things (IoT) device experimentation. The main goal is to create the largest remotely-accessible IoT testbed in the world, composed of dozens of samples of IoT devices across several categories (for example, smart speakers, smart TVs, smart cameras, etc.) and manufacturers. The SPHERE IoT testbed, in addition to hosting these IoT devices, will provide programming interfaces for interacting with them across all the modalities that these devices offer, including physical access, companion app access, and voice access. These interfaces will be designed to be accessed remotely so that testbed users can interact with the devices and perform experiments from everywhere in the world and without the need to buy any device or build their own infrastructure. The IoT testbed will be complemented with tools for capturing the network traffic produced by these devices, storing their data securely, integrating with the rest of the SPHERE research infrastructure, and for streamlining automated and repeatable experiments at a scale. This is a unique opportunity for someone to join our vibrant team and work on groundbreaking research in supporting scalable, large-scale virtual access to diverse IoT hardware. This position is on-site in the Boston campus. Qualifications: BS/BEng in Computer Science or a closely related area. This requirement can be waived in case of relevant software development work experience. Fluency in at least one programming language. Experience with Linux and software development tools (e.g., git). A self-starter, resourceful, and able to work both independently and with a team. Nice-to-haves: experience or interest in system/network administration, IoT, and/or cybersecurity. Position Type Research Additional Information Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer. Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Compensation Grade/Pay Type: 109S Expected Hiring Range: $67,855.00 - $95,845.00 With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.

Keywords: Northeastern University, Quincy , Research Engineer, Engineering , Boston, Massachusetts