A Research Scientist at CNA operates at the intersection of rigorous scientific inquiry, data-driven analysis, and national security. As a researcher within a premier federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), you will tackle highly complex, ambiguous, and high-stakes challenges for the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, and other federal agencies. The insights you generate do not sit on a shelf; they directly shape military operations, strategic planning, resource allocation, and national security policy.

What makes this role exceptionally rewarding is the sheer scale and real-world impact of the problem spaces. You might find yourself analyzing operational data from naval deployments, optimizing logistics for global supply chains, or evaluating the strategic implications of emerging technologies. CNA values empirical research and objective analysis, meaning your work will be grounded in hard data, field observations, and robust scientific methodologies.

To succeed in this position, you must be more than an exceptional researcher. You must be a skilled communicator who can translate highly technical, quantitative findings into clear, actionable advice for military commanders and government decision-makers. The environment is collaborative and multidisciplinary, bringing together experts from diverse fields to solve problems that have no pre-existing solutions.

The questions you will encounter during the CNA hiring process are designed to test your analytical depth, your ability to structure vague problems, and your communication skills. These questions are drawn from real candidate experiences and reflect the actual challenges you will face on the job.

Research Methodology & Case Studies

This category evaluates your ability to design a robust research project from scratch, handle ambiguous prompts, and select appropriate analytical frameworks.

• How would you design a research study to evaluate the effectiveness of a new naval training program when historical data is incomplete?
• Walk us through a research project you managed from conception to completion. How did you handle data limitations?

Preparing for an interview at CNA requires a strategic focus on both your technical research capabilities and your communication skills. You should approach this process not just as an academic exam, but as a demonstration of how you will perform as an advisor to senior leadership.

Analytical Rigor & Research Design – CNA prides itself on objective, empirical analysis. You must demonstrate a deep understanding of research design, data collection methodologies, and statistical analysis. Be ready to explain the "why" behind your methodological choices in past projects.

Communication & Accessibility – The best analysis is useless if decision-makers cannot understand it. Interviewers will closely evaluate your ability to simplify complex ideas without losing technical accuracy. Practice translating your academic or professional work into high-level, actionable insights.

Problem-Solving under Ambiguity – Many projects at CNA begin with vague sponsor requests. You will be evaluated on your ability to take an unstructured problem, break it down into testable hypotheses, and propose a structured research plan.

Mission Alignment & Integrity – Working in national security requires a high degree of intellectual honesty and alignment with the public interest. Show that you are motivated by the mission of supporting military and government decision-makers with unbiased truth.

The interview process at CNA is exceptionally thorough, structured, and designed to evaluate candidates from multiple angles. Because CNA is known for its high-quality workforce and long employee tenure, the organization invests heavily in vetting candidates to ensure a strong mutual fit. The entire process typically takes about two months from the initial recruiter outreach to a verbal offer.

The process begins with an administrative HR screening call to clarify the role, expectations, and compensation, followed by a virtual interview with the hiring manager to discuss your qualifications. From there, the process shifts to intensive evaluations, including a take-home case study assignment and a comprehensive, day-long series of on-site interviews. This final stage features a research presentation to a diverse panel and several one-on-one interviews with senior managers.

The timeline above outlines the standard progression of the hiring process. Candidates should interpret this timeline as a guide for pacing their preparation, recognizing that the take-home assignment and the research presentation require significant time investments. While the process is demanding, candidates consistently report that the transparency, organization, and friendliness of the team make it a highly professional and supportive experience.

To succeed in the CNA hiring pipeline, you must understand the specific components of the advanced rounds. Each stage of the process is designed to test a distinct set of professional and technical capabilities.

The Research Presentation

The centerpiece of the on-site interview is a 60-to-90-minute research presentation. Typically, you will be asked to present your dissertation topic or a major research project you have completed. The audience is highly diverse, often including the hiring manager, senior team members, a vice president, and researchers from other divisions.

Be ready to go over:

• Audience Adaptation – You must present highly specialized research in a way that is engaging and accessible to professionals who do not share your specific academic background.
• Active Q&A Management – Expect the audience to ask challenging questions throughout your presentation rather than waiting until the end. They are testing how you think on your feet and handle intellectual pushback.
• Methodological Justification – You must defend your choice of data, variables, and analytical models under scrutiny.

Example scenarios:

• Presenting a complex statistical model of economic trends to a panel of policy analysts and military operations experts.
• Addressing an unexpected question from a senior VP about the real-world operational limitations of your research data.

The Case Study Exercise

The case study exercise evaluates how you approach unstructured, real-world problems. You may receive this as a take-home assignment with a multi-day deadline, or as an interactive prompt during your on-site interview. The prompt will present a vague challenge or research question relevant to national security or public policy.

Be ready to go over:

• Problem Deconstruction – How you break a broad, ambiguous question down into specific, researchable components.
• Research Design – Designing a project end-to-end, including data collection methods, analytical tools, and potential risk mitigation strategies.
• Resource Constraints – Showing awareness of practical limitations, such as time, budget, and data availability, and explaining how you would work around them.

Advanced concepts to consider:

• Handling highly classified or sensitive data environments.
• Mitigating selection bias in operational military data.
• Incorporating qualitative field observations to validate quantitative models.

Example scenarios:

• Designing a research plan to assess the impact of cyber warfare capabilities on naval fleet communications.
• Explaining how you would measure the operational readiness of a military unit using proxy variables when direct metrics are unavailable.

Panel & One-on-One Interviews

Following your presentation, you will participate in a series of one-on-one and panel interviews with senior managers and directors from various divisions. These conversations focus on behavioral fit, your career trajectory, and your interest in CNA's mission.

Be ready to go over:

• Interdisciplinary Collaboration – Your ability to work alongside economists, physicists, historians, and former military personnel.
• Sponsor Management – How you handle client relationships, manage expectations, and deliver objective findings that may challenge a sponsor's existing beliefs.
• Long-term Career Goals – Showing why you want to build a long-term career at CNA and how your skills align with their research divisions.