International Association for Cryptologic Research

International Association
for Cryptologic Research

All job postings
PhD Candidate in Embedded Security
CSEM, Neuchâtel / EPFL, School of Computer and Communication Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland

CSEM is a private, non-profit research, technology and innovation center. Our division of Integrated and Wireless Systems, in collaboration with the HexHive lab, EPFL, is looking for a PhD Candidate in Embedded security.

We have a multidisciplinary competence in the area of embedded, low-power embedded systems, spanning the full stack from HW, through firmware, to communication technologies, embedded intelligence, and security.
This offers an exciting opportunity for a candidate interested in HW design, cryptography, and security to address research questions that are relevant to practical applications in the domain of low-power embedded systems and Internet of Things (IoT), thanks to the immediate feedback and guidance from CSEM's researchers and engineers.

Your mission will contribute to applied research and development in one or more of these of these research directions of interest:
  • Side channel-resistant implementations of cryptographic HW accelerators, with an emphasis on minimization of overhead and trade-offs between overhead and security level.
  • HW-accelerated implementations of post-quantum cryptography for constrained platforms. Investigation of alternative cryptographic primitives to PQC key encapsulation and signature schemes with lower implementation overheads, suited for IoT.
  • Identification, design, and implementation of HW (cyber)security features for constrained embedded platforms for practically relevant security profiles, with an emphasis on design minimalism.
  • Research on tools automatizing the design of side-channel- secure processor instructions and/or HW accelerators.
Your profile.
  • A Masters (or equivalent) degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics or Computer Science
  • Good background in applied cryptography and security
  • Solid background in HW design and resource trade-offs
  • Solid background with programming in C
  • Familiarity with embedded development is an advantage
  • Fluency in English is required, proficiency in French is an advantage
Contact:

For more information please contact Damian Vizar damian[dot]vizar [at]csem[dot]ch

You need to apply to the EPFL, IC faculty's doctoral school by April 15th: https://www.epfl.ch/education/phd/edic-computer-and-communication-sciences/edic-computer-and-communication-sciences/edic-how-to-apply/
Last updated: 2021-04-02 posted on 2021-03-31