Principal Physical AI Distributed Systems Researcher

Are you a creative, risk-taking researcher who excels at driving innovation from the lab into the real world? Do you thrive on solving the greatest challenges in distributed systems—from AI at the edge and cybersecurity to software-defined networking—for the world’s most important autonomous machines? If you are a long-term thinker who wants to work at the intersection of product development and field‑proven technology, this role is for you! In this role, you will join a unique research team rated in the top 1% in the country for research commercialization success. As our Principal Distributed Systems Research Engineer, you won't just be conducting research that "dies in the lab"—you will be the driving force maintaining our status as the most advanced software infrastructure in the industry, ushering in the new era of autonomous vehicles, medical robotics, and smart power systems. You will conduct cutting‑edge research in distributed systems—building on a proven, data‑centric foundation while exploring the hardest open problems across the full stack, from how intelligent machines communicate to how they decide and act in the real world. You will work with a team of experts researching emerging technologies, coming up with novel solutions for the problems posed by our research sponsors, exploring new concepts for products, prototyping ideas, and leading small teams to develop and enhance advanced features related to RTI’s secure real‑time connectivity platform, Connext. This is an individual contributor role. Duties will include: Key Responsibilities Innovate new solutions that will form the foundation of secure, adaptable, and fast distributed systems. Create and execute long‑term strategic research activities. Work with the business development team to define research areas of interest and define interesting research proposal topics. Write research proposals and project reports. Execute and lead research contracts to push our technology forward. Serve in the role of Principal Investigator and/or Staff Member on externally‑funded research projects. Actively interface with research project sponsors, customers, research partners, and prospects. Keep abreast of emerging technology trends and share your insights across RTI. Communicate technical innovations through papers and presentations. Support the transition of promising technical innovations to product, including customer trials, coordinating with product management, and working closely with the engineering team to design, develop, test, and support this transition. Key Qualifications Ph.D. degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related field. Studies related to distributed systems, peer-to-peer networks, or computer networking. Solid understanding of computer network protocols; network and system programming, and real‑time and/or high‑performance applications. 7+ years of experience in distributed systems research. Excellent written communications skills, evidence of research publications, and experience writing and winning proposals, and research project management. Solid programming skills (e.g. C/C++, Java, Python or other scripting languages). Demonstrated ability to work with cutting‑edge technology/hardware with little to no support. Ability to work successfully / actively engage with a highly distributed team. US Person requirement *Due to applicable laws, government regulations and contract specifications, we are required to fill this position only with an individual who qualifies as a "U.S. Person." What We Offer You Hybrid working + Home Office Stipend to cover the costs of working from home. Flexible Paid Time Off + “Real Vacation Bonus,” an additional bonus for taking more than 1‑week of uninterrupted vacation. Competitive compensation including annual bonus based on individual and company performance. We recognize employees for their achievements, offer great opportunities for career growth and development, and provide the tools they need to succeed. Real‑Time Innovations (RTI) is the data‑streaming company for intelligent distributed systems. RTI Connext® software is the critical nervous system for over 2,000 designs across Aerospace and Defense, MedTech, Automotive, and Robotics. Connext is the only real‑time data streaming platform that can both control demanding physical systems and integrate them with cloud applications. RTI helps organizations develop, deploy, and scale intelligence and physical AI from edge to cloud, faster. RTI Runs a Smarter World™. Learn more at . RTI is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age status as a protected veteran, or status as a qualified individual with disability. The compensation range for this role is 170K - 240K for Sunnyvale, California. The salary range displayed on this job posting reflects a minimum and maximum target. Individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Please note that this range reflects the base salary target range only, and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. #J-18808-Ljbffr Real--time-Innovation