Research Scientist

Employment position: Full-time, 40 hours per week with benefits offered

Salary: $95,000 to $110,000, depending on qualifications and experience

Security Clearance: Must be a U.S. citizen and be eligible for a security clearance (secret or higher)

Date Posted: 27 March 2026

Closing Date: When filled. Anticipated start date is May/June 2026.

Location: Remote. Travel required (~25%)

Relocation: Not available

Position Description:

Cognitive Performance Group is seeking qualified candidates to join its growing team as a Research Scientist. CPG's mission is to apply science to improve and support individual and team decision-making and complex cognitive performance. We do that by conducting studies and co-developing products that model, measure, train, and support decision-making and cognitive performance in complex, time-pressured, high-risk, uncertain, and dynamic operating environments. We specialize in military contexts, and we solve novel problems for Warfighters with our cutting-edge techniques and scientific rigor. We are a dedicated, inter-disciplinary team of applied researchers, trainers, technologists, veterans, and military subject-matter experts who work closely and collaboratively with our partners, clients, stakeholders, and the end users we serve. CPG is a women-owned small business and supports customers primarily in the Department of Defense (DoD) and other Government agencies. 

The Research Scientist serves as a Principal Investigator who conceptualizes the steps required to meet the clients’ objectives, secures research funding, and leads a project team in the performance of all aspects of applied research, including service and product line development. The ideal candidate for this position specializes in human performance assessment, such as generating metrics and measurement approaches, developing new instruments, developing learning and performance assessments for classroom environments, conducting studies of learning and performance outcomes, and evaluating training intervention effectiveness. The ideal candidate has at least 10 years of experience conducting human subjects research for the Department of Defense. This position is a conceptual leadership role within a company of highly talented researchers and, as such, offers excellent opportunities for collaboration on interesting real-world challenges. Our remote work environment is exceptionally welcoming and participative.  

Key Responsibilities

Applied Research Experience

•      Ability to use the scientific method to conduct applied research using qualitative, quantitative, and

mixed methods.

•      Comfort working with ambiguity and novel concepts in innovative and rapidly changing

environments.

•      Planning, preparing, and conducting studies about human performance, such as non-participation

observation, ethnographic studies, or interviews.

•      Conducting applied research studies in operational environments based on an understanding of

human cognitive performance, organizational context, technology supports, team dynamics,

and individual behaviors.

•      Functional understanding of statistics and data analysis methods and tools.

•      Analyzing user, customer, and stakeholder needs and identifying research programs that fill gaps or

requirements.

HMT, HCI, or UX/UI Experience

•      Understanding of human-centered design (HCD) principles (e.g., ISO 9241).

•      Familiarity with industry standard HMT, HCI, or UX/UI techniques and tools.

•      A proven record of HMT, HCI, or UX/UI evaluation (e.g., task analysis, heuristic evaluations, interface

analysis, scenarios and use cases).

•      Experience using an HCD approach in all stages of the product development lifecycle, especially

formative and summative usability testing.

•      Experience adapting or developing techniques and tools to stakeholder requirements.

Business Development

•      Maintaining relationships of trust and partnership with customer agencies and individual customers.

•      Developing new business through networking and proposal writing.

Collaboration and Communication

•      Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to rapidly synthesize

knowledge.

•      Ability to work effectively in a virtual environment as a team member and independently.

•      Supporting the mission of the organization through knowledge sharing and collaboration.

•      Ability to coach and mentor junior researchers.

Project Management

•      Experience collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams made up of researchers, engineers,

technologists, subject-matter experts, end users, and other stakeholders on research and product

development.

•      Proven ability to lead projects and remote teams, including budget and schedule management,

quality control, and customer relations.

•      Conducting presentations on research findings for clients and at research meetings.

•      Preparing and presenting scientific papers and technical reports at professional conferences.

Other

•      Must possess an active security clearance.

•      Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, especially SharePoint, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

•      Ability to learn new skills quickly.

•      Ability to travel approximately 25% of time, including an occasional weekend.

•      Interest in conducting research and development for the Department of Defense that directly

supports Warfighters.

Required Qualifications:

•      Minimum of a Master’s degree from an accredited institution in an applied psychology discipline such

as Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, or Experimental

Psychology; a learning and development discipline such as Adult Education, Instructional Design, or

Modeling & Simulation; or a related field such as Communication or Sociology.

  ·  Strong research, analysis, and synthesis skills

·      Exceptional problem-finding and creative problem-solving skills.

Experience with two or more of the following:

·      Operations Research/Systems Analysis

·      Cognitive Task Analysis or similar qualitative analysis method

·      Quantitative analysis

·      Metrics and assessment instrument development

·      Design of learning tools or systems

·      Curriculum development

·      Talent management

·      Job analysis

·      Competency modeling

•    Professional experience in the Department of Defense as an active duty service member, Government

civilian, or employee of a contractor.

•     Interest in conducting research and development for the Department of Defense that directly

supports Warfighters.

•    Proven ability to conceptualize and develop new projects or programs of research that address

customer and user community requirements.

•      Proven record of published writing and/or public speaking to a professional audience.

•      Eligibility to hold a security clearance.

•      Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, especially SharePoint, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

•      Ability to learn new skills quickly.

•      Ability to travel approximately 25% of time, including an occasional weekend.

Preferred Qualifications:

•   PhD from an accredited institution in an applied psychology discipline such as

Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Educational Psychology, Cognitive Science, or Experimental

Psychology; a learning and development discipline such as Adult Education, Instructional Design, or

Modeling & Simulation; or a related field such as Communication, Anthropology, or Sociology.

•  Experience working with one or more of the following organizations: Army Research Institute; Army

Research Laboratory; Air Force Research Laboratory; Office of Naval Research; Naval Air Warfare

Center Training Systems Division; Marine Corps Training and Education Command; or similar

military organization.

•  Proven ability to secure new business contracts.

•  Possession of an active security clearance.

How to Apply

Please visit the post on our Careers page: https://cpg-online.com/research-scientist-2026

About CPG

Cognitive Performance Group (CPG) is a women-owned small business specializing in training and assessment solutions that improve cognitive and decision-making performance. CPG provides exciting growth opportunities for highly qualified and motivated individuals. We offer competitive salaries and benefits including a flexible schedule, SIMPLE IRA plan, paid time-off, performance bonuses, a health stipend for use in a health savings account, a remote office stipend, a professional development stipend, and professional development programs. CPG is an EEO/AA employer. Visit us at www.cognitiveperformancegroup.com.