Principal Data Scientist - Agent Team (Cortex)

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior / Principal Security Researcher to join our innovative Security ML Team. Sitting at the forefront of endpoint protection, our team solves complex security challenges by applying advanced Deep Learning techniques, including resource-efficient Small Language Models (SLMs) and specialized ML algorithms to massive datasets, delivering groundbreaking security solutions directly into production.

In this role, you will serve as the core security domain expert within a multidisciplinary team of Researchers and Data Scientists. Working directly with complex malware behaviors, static file attributes, and massive telemetry, you will translate deep security insights into actionable datasets, automated rule-generation pipelines, and advanced feature sets.

Beyond classical security analysis, your research will directly drive, evaluate, and refine the AI models and detection logic that protect millions of endpoints worldwide, making this an ideal role for a security expert looking to apply data-driven methodologies and broaden their technical arsenal with AI/ML.

If you are a forward-thinking Security Researcher eager to autonomously drive high-impact research and shape the next generation of intelligent security modeling, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to a diverse and highly skilled research group that pioneers state-of-the-art technologies to protect our customers.
• Utilize analytical rigor, statistical methods, programming, and data modeling to analyze vast amounts of data, applying your cybersecurity knowledge to guide our focus and approach.
• Decompose complex problems scientifically and provide actionable insights and recommendations to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Lead and collaborate on end-to-end projects within the team and across engineering and product teams, from initial ideation to final deployment.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 6+ years of hands-on experience delivering production-grade data science and machine learning solutions.
• Proven experience with deep learning and transformer-based models, including model design, training, optimization, and evaluation.
• Strong Python proficiency with solid working knowledge of SQL.
• Advanced degree (MSc or PhD) in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Deep expertise in probability, statistics, and machine learning, with the ability to select, adapt, and apply advanced algorithms to real-world problems.
• Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end research POCs, from problem formulation and experimental design to implementation, analysis, and actionable recommendations.
• Strong focus on engineering-quality, production-ready code, with high standards for reliability, scalability, and maintainability.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical insights into clear explanations for both technical and business stakeholders.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background in the cybersecurity domain, with focus on endpoint security
• Experience working with big data platforms (e.g., GCP).
• Familiarity with cloud-native architectures and services for data processing.

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.