International Association
for Cryptologic Research

The cryptography and privacy group of the IBM Research - Zurich laboratory in Switzerland is looking for a highly motivated Ph.D. student, Post-Doc, or Software Engineer in the area of cryptography and security. The Ph.D. position has an initial contract of 3 years, whereas the other two positions begin with an 18 month contract. There are possibilities for extensions upon successful performance.

The main task of the candidate will be to perform scientific research and proof-of-concept implementations in the area of Lattice-Based Cryptography. Building primitives and protocols based on the hardness of lattice problems is one of the most promising avenues for achieving quantum-resistance of public key cryptographic constructions. This research therefore has real potential for wide-ranging practical use.

The ideal candidate should already be a proficient programmer and have excellent familiarity with basic internet security protocols (TLS, IKE, etc.). It is also preferable that the applicant has experience (or strong interest) in scientific computing, as part of the research will involve coming up with and implementing specialized algorithms for linear algebra and number theory operations. Knowledge of lattice-based cryptography and of the “provable security” paradigm for constructing protocols is not required, but the candidate should be a motivated learner of these topics.

For administrative reasons, the applicant should be a citizen of one of the EU-25 nations (Romania, Bulgaria, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway also OK) and be fluent in written and spoken English. Knowledge of German is not required.

IBM Research - Zurich offers a stimulating international research environment among experts in computer science, physics, and mathematics. The laboratory is located in Rüschlikon, Switzerland, at 10km from the city of Zurich and on the coast of Lake Zurich. A very competitive salary will be offered. <