Internet Research Lead

Who We Are

Cisco ThousandEyes is a Digital Experience Assurance platform that empowers organizations to deliver flawless digital experiences across every network – even the ones they don’t own. Powered by AI and an unmatched set of cloud, internet and enterprise network telemetry data, ThousandEyes enables IT teams to proactively detect, diagnose, and remediate issues – before they impact end- user experiences.

ThousandEyes is deeply integrated across the entire Cisco technology portfolio and beyond, helping customers deploy at scale while also delivering AI-powered assurance insights within Cisco’s leading Networking, Security, Collaboration, and Observability portfolios.

About the Role

Looking to turn cutting-edge networking research into real-world impact? You’re in the right place.

We are on the hunt for an outstanding researcher with a strong industry track record in leading complex research projects, capable of effectively collaborating across teams and functions to define, research, and bring novel technical ideas to life and in the hands of customers. 

As the research lead for Internet Insights, you will serve as the technical lead for a team of researchers, data scientists, and engineers with the mission to create the Google Maps of the Internet! At ThousandEyes, you’ll have access to a one-of-a-kind dataset—spanning global networks, enterprise systems, applications, CDNs, IXPs, and more—and the opportunity to turn that data into actionable intelligence that powers Cisco ThousandEyes products.

You will own research projects that leverage this data to design algorithms and solutions that provide data-driven insights into how applications, networks, CDNs, etc are performing across the internet. This will empower our customers to assure their digital supply chain.

You will work closely with our product teams to understand customers’ daily operational challenges and translate them into technical problems. You will then lead your team of researchers in designing algorithms and building proof-of-concepts to solve these challenges. Finally, you will collaborate with engineering teams to productionize your solutions, where they can deliver value at scale.

This role offers broad influence across product direction, roadmap, and strategy—and a direct path from research to impact.

Qualifications

Education

• PhD or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field

Experience:

• 5+ years of industry experience in research and advanced technical roles
• Proven track record of leading research projects from concept to production
• Demonstrated success in cross-functional collaboration across product and engineering teams
• Strong portfolio of work in internet measurement or network systems research

Expertise:

• Deep understanding of computer networking and internet architecture (e.g., applications, CDNs, routing, SD-WAN)
• In-depth knowledge of core internet protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, TLS, DNS, BGP, HTTP, MPLS, etc.)
• Proficient in Python, with experience using data science libraries (e.g., pandas, NumPy, scikit-learn)
• Proficiency with network monitoring diagnostics tools (e.g. tcpdump, ping, traceroute, etc.)
• Working knowledge of SQL and NoSQL databases (e.g., MySQL, MongoDB)
• Experience in distributed data processing frameworks (e.g. Spark, Flink)

Bonus points:

• Experience with data and ML infrastructure tools (e.g., Airflow, DAGs, Jupyter notebooks, OpenSearch)
• Experience in developing AI/ML solutions, preferably within networking
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure)

Communication:

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong ability to present complex technical ideas clearly to diverse audiences
• Demonstrated ability to influence product direction through technical insights

Cisco values the perspectives and skills that emerge from employees with diverse backgrounds. That's why Cisco is expanding the boundaries of discovering top talent by not only focusing on candidates with educational degrees and experience but also placing more emphasis on unlocking potential. We believe that everyone has something to offer and that diverse teams are better equipped to solve problems, innovate, and create a positive impact.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification. Not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification. Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome and doubting the strength of their candidacy. We urge you not to prematurely exclude yourself and to apply if you're interested in this work.

Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

US – COMPENSATION RANGE – MESSAGE TO APPLICANTS

$188,200 - $293,000 USD

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S.:

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings. Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday, plus a day off for their birthday. Employees accrue up to 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year and have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues without tapping into their PTO. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community. Employees are also able to purchase company stock through our Employee Stock Purchase Program.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco pays at the standard rate of 1% of incentive target for each 1% revenue attainment against the quota up to 100%. Once performance exceeds 100% quota attainment, incentive rates may increase up to five times the standard rate with no cap on incentive compensation. For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.