Phd Signal Processing Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

At MITRE, your passion fuels work that impacts our nation and improves lives. This is where your skills strengthen national security, cybersecurity, health, transportation, and citizen services. We're a nonprofit engineering, applied research, and advanced technology organization working in the public interest. With objectivity and integrity at our core, we lead federally funded research and development centers for U.S. government agencies - collaborating with industry and academia to deliver integrated, high-impact solutions that advance our nation's health, security, and prosperity. Our people tackle the toughest technical challenges, supported by competitive benefits, meaningful career development, and a culture of innovation, collaboration, and technical excellence. Choose MITRE for a career with purpose - and help shape the future. MITRE is seeking a Wireless Signal Processing Engineer to support the development of advanced wireless communications, sensing, and mission systems for our U.S. Government sponsors. At MITRE, you will apply your understanding of RF systems to model and simulate complex electromagnetic environments and leverage your signal and information processing expertise to develop resilient communications systems and mission-critical sensing capabilities. The ideal candidate will have strong analytical skills and experience in both classical digital signal processing/digital communications and machine learning/data science. This position will require a strong grounding in RF systems; the candidate must possess a working knowledge of the fundamentals of receiver design and wireless channels/propagation. The candidate should be familiar with state-of-the-art wireless technologies and engineering challenges engineering challenges associated with employment of RF systems in congested, constrained, and contested electromagnetic environments Roles and Responsibilities: This position requires an ability for innovative thought, deep technical expertise, and knowledge of the challenges that will shape the development of cutting-edge resilient wireless solutions for Government Sponsors. In this position, you will apply your technical expertise towards furthering the public good by developing, applying, and evaluating state-of-the-art communications and signal processing technologies. Typical projects include: * End-to-end modeling and simulation (M&S) of commercial cellular physical layer signals to enable spectrum coexistence innovation;
* Development of novel signal processing algorithms for improved signal detection in congested environments;
* Evaluation of different MIMO transmission schemes for throughput, reliability, interference mitigation, etc.;
* Theoretical analysis for performance assessments of novel geolocation techniques;
* Waveform design and prototyping under challenging channel conditions;
* Next-generation AI-enhanced signal processing design for ISAC or spectral efficiency;
* Characterize bands under study for repurposing or coexistence with commercial and incumbent systems;
* Evaluate and advance propagation modeling based upon system operations Responsibilities may include: * Using technical knowledge of communications and signal processing principles to help solve problems across various application areas
* Designing models and simulations or lab tests to evaluate technical solutions
* Define appropriate evaluation methodologies to evaluate the compatibility of communication, radar, and navigation systems operating in shared or adjacent frequency bands. * Assess the operational impacts of interference on system performance across current and emerging technologies E.g., commercial 6G on government systems * Mentoring and staff development of junior engineers, and continued technical growth
* Comprehension of standards documents to inform M&S decision-making
* Leading the development and contributing to the develop of project proposals for sponsors and internal research and development (IR&D)
* Drive research areas, investigate novel solutions, and distill information for varying audiences across internal and external sponsors Basic Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, Computer Engineering or related discipline and 5 years of related experience; or 3 years and a master's degree; or a PhD
* Proficient with MATLAB, Python, or C++ or other tools or languages
* A strong technical background in at least two of the following areas:
* statistical signal processing (detection and estimation theory)
* waveform design, modulation theory, error control coding, information theory
* stochastic processes, propagation modeling, channel estimation and equalization
* receiver design and array signal processing
* Machine learning, AI, and optimization algorithms for waveform design, sensing, and management
* system performance analysis, link-level simulation, system-level simulation
* wireless protocols such as 5G NR, LTE, Wi-Fi, IoT, Bluetooth
* Excellent written and oral communication skills
* Willingness/passion for mentoring and developing junior engineers
* Experience delivering technical reports, presentations, and/or code, including definition, completion, and technical quality
* This position requires a Secret Clearance * Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements for a clearance, U.S. Citizenship is required. * This position requires a minimum of 3 days on site each week. Preferred Qualifications: * Technical, task, or project leadership experience in technical innovation
* Familiarity with modeling and simulation tools such as Sionna, MATLAB, Simulink, STK, HFSS, CST, Wireless InSite, SEAMCAT, HTZ communications, or similar. * Understanding of software-defined radios, adaptive communications, electronic protection, or dynamic spectrum access concepts
* Ability to obtain and maintain a US Top Secret security clearance
* Experience with large codebases, software engineering best practices, and/or GPU-accelerated programming
* Familiarity with RF sensing and navigation systems (including radar, GPS/GNSS).
* Experience in sensor fusion and autonomy. This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
None This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Secret Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$126,800 - $158,500 - $190,200 Annual Work Location Type:
Onsite It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability. Commitment to Non-Discrimination All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, local or international law. MITRE intends to maintain a website that is fully accessible to all individuals. If you are unable to search or apply for jobs and would like to request a reasonable accommodation for any part of MITRE's employment process, please email for general support and for intern positions. This service is for individuals requiring reasonable accommodation requests. Please note that vendor solicitations will not receive a reply. Benefits information may be found here . Copyright © 1997-2026, The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved. MITRE is a registered trademark of The MITRE Corporation. Material on this site may be copied and distributed with permission only.