2026 BS/MS Graduate – AI/ML Research Engineer: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)

This is a prestigious "applied research" role, not a standard software engineering job. You are not building commercial chatbots or ad-tech algorithms; you are adapting "frontier models" (like GPT-4, Llama 3, or multimodal equivalents) for National Security.

APL acts as a "University Affiliated Research Center" (UARC). This means they sit halfway between academia (research, publishing papers) and the military (building practical weapons/defense systems).

The Timeline: They are recruiting now for the Class of 2026. This is standard for defense roles because the Security Clearance process can take 6–12 months.

Key Responsibilities
You will join the Intelligent Systems Center (ISC), which is APL’s central hub for AI, Robotics, and Neuroscience.

Agentic AI: Building AI that doesn't just answer questions but takes action (e.g., "Coordinate a swarm of drones to map this area").

Wargaming: Using AI to simulate complex battlefield scenarios to help the US military plan strategies.

Red Teaming: Acting as an "attacker" to find vulnerabilities in AI models before they are deployed in high-stakes environments.

Robotics: Deploying models on actual hardware (using ROS2/Docker) rather than just running them in the cloud.

The "Intelligent Systems Center" (ISC)
The ISC is a collaborative facility housing over 100 researchers. It functions like a well-funded university lab but with classified data.

Focus Areas: Robotics Intelligence, Neural Interfaces (Brain-Computer Interfaces), and Robust/Resilient AI.

Facilities: They have specific labs for "GenAISys" (Generative AI Systems) and "Mixed Reality" testing.

Strategic Context: The "Clearance" Factor
The Barrier: You must be a US Citizen and eligible for a Top Secret clearance.

The Trade-off: Getting a TS clearance is a "Golden Ticket." Once you have it, your market value skyrockets because few AI engineers possess one. However, it requires a squeaky-clean background (strict scrutiny on drug use, foreign contacts, and debt).

Remote Work: Because this work involves "Secret" and "Top Secret" data, it is almost entirely on-site in Laurel, MD. You cannot do classified work from a home office.

Salary & Culture Analysis
The Pay Range ($85k - $165k): This is wide because it covers both BS and MS graduates.

BS Estimate: ~$95k – $110k

MS Estimate: ~$120k – $145k

Note: While lower than Big Tech (Google/Meta), APL offers exceptional job stability (layoffs are rare) and better work-life balance (40-hour weeks are standard).

Demographics: APL has a strong focus on diversity relative to the defense sector.

Gender: JHU (the parent institution) reports 48% female faculty representation (2023 data). APL specifically holds a diversity score of 83/100 on Comparably, placing it in the top 5% of similar-sized organizations.

URG: Representation of faculty from underrepresented groups at JHU rose to 11.8% in 2023.

Candidate Profile
They are looking for "Research Engineers"—people who can read a paper on Arxiv and implement it in code.

Must Haves: Python, PyTorch, US Citizenship.

Differentiators: Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System), Docker, or published papers. If you have a GitHub repo where you built a custom RAG pipeline or a robot controller, that is your strongest asset.