Job description In the last year, we've seen compelling signs that LLMs and agents are increasingly capable of novel cyber capabilities. We think 2026 will be the year where models reach expert-level, even superhuman, in several cybersecurity domains. This is a novel and massive threat surface. As a Research Scientist on FRT focusing on cyber, you'll build the tools and frameworks needed to defend the world against advanced AI-enabled cyber threats. Senior candidates will have the opportunity to shape and grow Anthropic's cyberdefense research program, working with Security, Safeguards, Policy, and other partner teams. This work sits at the intersection of AI capabilities research, cybersecurity, and policy—what we learn directly shapes how Anthropic and the world prepare for AI-enabled cyber threats. This is applied research with real-world stakes. Your work will inform decisions at the highest levels of the company, contribute to demonstrations that shape policy discourse, and build the technical defenses that we will need for a future of increasingly powerful AI systems.

What You'll Do

• Develop systems, tools, and frameworks for AI-empowered cybersecurity, such as autonomous vulnerability discovery and remediation, malware detection and management, network hardening, and pentesting
• Design and run experiments to elicit and evaluate autonomous AI cyber capabilities in realistic scenarios
• Design and build infrastructure for evaluating and enabling AI systems to operate in security environments
• Translate technical findings into compelling demonstrations and artifacts that inform policymakers and the public
• Collaborate with external experts in cybersecurity, national security, and AI safety to scope and validate research directions
• Senior candidates will also set research strategy, define what problems are worth solving, own the technical roadmap, and manage relationships with cross-functional partners

Sample Projects

• Building frameworks and tools that enable AI models to autonomously find and patch vulnerabilities
• Running purple-team simulations where AI defenders compete against AI attackers in network environments
• Pointing autonomous AI systems at real-world security challenges (bug bounties, CTFs etc.) to characterize risks, defensive potential, and compare to human experts
• Building demonstrations of frontier AI cyber capabilities for policy stakeholders

Qualifications

• Have deep expertise in cybersecurity or security research
• Are driven to find solutions to complex, high-stakes problems
• Have experience doing technical research with LLM-based agents or autonomous systems
• Have strong software engineering skills, particularly in Python
• Can own entire problems end-to-end, including both technical and non-technical components
• Design and run experiments quickly, iterating fast toward useful results
• Thrive in collaborative environments
• Care deeply about AI safety and want your work to have real-world impact on how humanity navigates advanced AI
• Are comfortable working on sensitive projects that require discretion and integrity
• Have proven ability to lead cross-functional security initiatives and navigate complex organizational dynamics
• Experience with offensive security research, vulnerability research, or exploit development
• Research or professional experience applying LLMs to security problems
• Track record in competitive CTFs, bug bounties, or other security-related competitions
• Experience building security tools or automation
• Track record of building demos or prototypes that communicate complex technical ideas
• Experience working with external stakeholders (policymakers, government, researchers)
• Familiarity with AI safety research and threat modeling for advanced AI systems