AI Researcher

We welcome AI Researchers, Applied Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers and Software Engineers with experience in large-scale systems and AI/ML to join Foundation AI, a new group at Cisco focused on developing open-source LLMs (large language models) and other AI technology for cybersecurity.

Meet the Team
Foundation AI’s mission is to build transformational AI technology for cybersecurity. The Foundation AI team joined Cisco through theRobust Intelligence acquisition in fall 2024 to lead research and development of AI technology for cybersecurity at Cisco. The team has deep expertise in AI and security and is an active contributor to cutting edge research, standards and solutions in this domain (open models,benchmarks,supply chain).
At Cisco, our mission is to build AI Security at Cisco scale as well as lead the next generation of AI infrastructure for disruptive security products across Cisco.

Your Impact
Here, you will tackle ever-evolving challenges and leverage the dynamic AI landscape to craft solutions that transform the cybersecurity industry. You'll have the chance to build cutting-edge models and AI systems for cybersecurity. You'll gain deep expertise in the fields of both AI and security, engaging with all facets of Generative AI techniques and their deployment in production environments. You will collaborate with a talented team of researchers, engineers and security experts, and play a pivotal role in developing groundbreaking AI solutions. Shape the future of AI for Security with us and make an enduring impact on AI adoption across the world!

• Develop and train cutting-edge AI models for the security domain.

• Develop a platform for AI data processing, training, fine tuning, evaluation and other AI related needs.

• Develop agentic systems that automate and uplift security operations.

• Author blog posts, white papers and research papers related to developments in AI for the security landscape.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams of researchers and engineers to translate research ideas into products.

• Contribute to our group’s culture as an early member of the team.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A PhD in computer science or related fields with 3 years of industry or academic experience in artificial intelligence, OR Master’s with 5 years of related industry experience OR Bachelor’s with 8 years of related industry experience.
• Strong programming skills in generic programming languages such as Python.
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Designing and building scalable, reliable, and secure backend infrastructure (e.g., distributed systems, cloud services, data pipelines, APIs) for large-scale applications.
• A strong background in AI, machine learning, and deep learning technologies, with a solid understanding of core ML concepts such as bias and variance, supervised and unsupervised learning, and Generative AI.
• Developing, training, fine-tuning, or evaluating AI/ML models, algorithms, or platforms (including deep learning, reinforcement learning, generative models, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience and strong professional network to attract top AI engineering talent and empowering teams to deliver their best.
• Fluency in reading academic papers on AI/ML and security and translating to prototype systems.
• Experience with AI/ML security risks such as data poisoning, privacy attacks, adversarial inputs, jailbreaks, etc.
• Comfortable with fast iterative style development in an environment that requires autonomous thinking, risk taking and bias for action.
• Ability to use the latest GenAI technologies. Comfortable with traditional ML frameworks like PyTorch, TensorFlow, etc...
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.
Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.
We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.