Security Research Engineer

Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft's mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers' heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate.

The Greenwood Cyber + AI Lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a Microsoft Security initiative focused on turning emerging cybersecurity and artificial intelligence challenges into applied research, experimentation, and real-world outcomes. Located in Tulsa's historic Greenwood District and operating as part of the region's federally designated Tech Hub, the Lab brings together Microsoft researchers and engineers with startups, industry, universities, community organizations, and public-sector stakeholders to accelerate cybersecurity and AI innovation, strengthen technical capability, and tackle consequential challenges that extend from the local ecosystem to national priorities. As a Security Research Engineer, you will be a hands-on technical contributor at the center of this work-helping scope high-value use cases, conduct security research, build and test prototypes and AI-enabled workflows, and move projects rapidly from problem definition to measurable results. You will also serve as an important technical bridge between the work happening in Greenwood and Microsoft Security, helping apply emerging capabilities in areas such as AI and agentic security to real-world scenarios while bringing insights from Lab experimentation back into Microsoft's broader security research and engineering ecosystem.

Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

We are looking for a hands-on Security Research Engineer who is excited to work at the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and real-world experimentation. Based at Microsoft's Greenwood Cyber + AI Lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma, you will work directly with Microsoft teams, startups, industry partners, universities, and community stakeholders to turn meaningful security challenges into focused technical research, experiments, prototypes, and measurable outcomes.This role offers a unique opportunity to conduct applied security research while helping build technical capability and innovation in Tulsa's historic Greenwood District and connecting that work to Microsoft Security and broader Cyber + AI priorities.

Responsibilities include:

• Conduct applied security research across emerging cybersecurity and AI challenges, including threat analysis, vulnerability research, security architecture, operational security, and the security implications and opportunities created by AI and agentic systems.
• Translate real-world challenges from startups, industry, academia, and other partners into well-defined technical use cases, research questions, success criteria, and executable experiments; contribute to focused, sprint-based engagements that move quickly from scoping through testing, findings, and tangible outcomes.
• Design, build, test, and iterate on technical prototypes, research environments, tools, automations, and AI-enabled security workflows using the Greenwood Cyber + AI Lab's computing and security infrastructure, applying sound engineering, data-quality, privacy, and security practices throughout the research lifecycle.
• Identify security vulnerabilities, risks, attack paths, and potential mitigations through techniques such as threat modeling, architectural and design reviews, security testing, data analysis, and experimentation; document findings and collaborate with Microsoft and partner teams on appropriate remediation or solution approaches.
• Connect experimentation in Tulsa with Microsoft Security research, engineering, products, and emerging capabilities, helping translate relevant advances-including AI-enabled and agentic security technologies-into applied scenarios while bringing insights from real-world Lab engagements back into Microsoft.
• Contribute to the Greenwood Cyber + AI Lab's place-based mission by collaborating with Tulsa-area startups, universities, industry, and community partners; sharing research and technical insights through demonstrations, workshops, publications, or other forums; and helping strengthen the region's cybersecurity and AI innovation ecosystem while connecting Tulsa to broader national and global technology initiatives.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 1+ year(s) experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 2+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements:

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

Microsoft Cloud Background Check:

• This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
• OR equivalent experience.
• Ability to work on-site at the Greenwood Cyber + AI Lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as required to support hands-on technical experimentation, Lab operations, and partner engagements.
• Experience conducting applied cybersecurity research or engineering in areas such as threat analysis, vulnerability research, threat modeling, security architecture, penetration testing, detection, attack disruption, or other offensive or defensive security disciplines.
• Experience developing or experimenting with artificial intelligence, machine learning, large language models, AI agents or agentic systems, automation, and/or AI-enabled cybersecurity workflows, including the ability to prototype and evaluate technical approaches using code and modern computing environments.
• Experience translating ambiguous real-world problems into technical experiments, prototypes, or solutions and collaborating across technical and non-technical stakeholders, such as engineering teams, customers, startups, universities, industry partners, or public-sector organizations, to drive projects toward measurable outcomes.

Security Research IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $133,800 - $219,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.