Senior AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher

The future of software engineering is AI-native. Our team works to shape that future through pioneering research, practical engineering methods, and close collaboration with government, industry, and academia. At the AI-Native Software Engineering Directorate, we focus on how today's engineering teams can quickly exploit emerging technologies and harness AI capabilities to create and evolve software quickly without losing fundamental software qualities. To address this new world, we : study and guide industry and government teams’ use of AI in software engineering distill best practices and lessons from experiments and experience to shape AI-native software engineering pilot and transition improvements with organizations and measure their success create novel agents and agentic workflows to support software engineering apply AI to accelerate architecture-scale modernization help organizations establish AI-native software engineering practices guide organizations in evolving their software with architecture and AI-native approaches Our overarching goal is to create new workflows and tools that enable AI-paced delivery of software without loss of quality. We're seeking candidates with a demonstrated track record who are motivated to shape AI-native software engineering. AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher As an AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher, you will focus on conducting research in application of AI to industry and government scale software engineering problems, applying your research in government and industry settings, and disseminating results to engineering teams and the broader research and software engineering community. You will help shape our AI-Native Software Engineering strategy through exploration of challenges such as: assessing the rapidly changing capabilities of AI models and coding agents establishing metrics that help organizations understand their use of AI in development and guiding them through improvements identifying gaps in AI workflows that result in unnecessarily poor outcomes (e.g., excessive technical debt, bad architecture decisions, or frequent rework loops) creating novel agents or agentic workflows creating or adapting practices and workflows to embed software engineering discipline studying the cost implications of AI and developing strategies for more efficient use of AI (e.g., context management, token management, and balancing use of AI with non-AI approaches) You will have the opportunity to work with world class software engineers, researchers, and data scientists working on national and global scale problems. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Comprehensive knowledge of software engineering fundamentals Ability to keep up with and adapt to rapidly changing technical advances A track record of conducting research and applying scientific methods to solve difficult problems Strong written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex technical ideas in a layperson’s terms Demonstrated track record publishing in top tier peer-reviewed venues Strong collaboration skills for working with colleagues and sponsors Proficiency in writing funding proposals or pitching ideas for new research projects Willingness and ability to guide and mentor junior team members Requirements A PhD with at least five (5) years of relevant experience. You will be subject to a background investigation and you must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance. Willing to travel up to 25% of the time to locations outside of your home location. Travel sites include SEI offices in Washington, D.C., sponsor sites, and conferences. Desired Experience Experience leading research projects in novel areas Successful application of AI to improve research or software engineering progress Experience working with software engineering teams on large industry or government projects Experience working with leadership to plan, develop, and deliver an overall technical strategy Location Pittsburgh, PA Job Function Software/Applications Development/Engineering Position Type Staff – Regular Full time/Part time Full time Pay Basis Salary More Information: Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world. Click here to view a listing of employee benefits Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran. Statement of Assurance Effective August 24, the URL for the SEI Careers site will change to https://cmu.wd115.myworkdayjobs.com/SEI. Always focused on the future, the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) advances software as a strategic advantage for national security. We lead research and direct transition of software engineering, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence technologies at the intersection of academia, industry, and government. We serve the nation as a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and are based at Carnegie Mellon University, a global research university annually rated among the best for its programs in computer science and engineering. Our people apply special knowledge and skills and are part of an elite research university. We perform research and apply our expertise every day to foresee problems and exploit opportunities in software engineering, AI engineering, and cybersecurity. Quality software that is secure will control the future. At CMU SEI, we are engineering that ever-greater software-fueled future. Need Help? For technical assistance, email [email protected] or call 412-268-5072. We are committed to providing an accessible experience throughout our recruitment process. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation at any stage of the application, interview, or hiring process, please contact Equal Opportunity Services by email at [email protected] or by phone at 412-268-3930.