International Association
for Cryptologic Research

Ph.D. positions in cryptography and security, with focus on distributed protocols and blockchain Cryptology and Data Security Group, University of Bern Ph.D. positions are available in the Cryptology and Data Security research group at the Institute of Computer Science, University of Bern, led by Christian Cachin.

Our research addresses all aspects of security in distributed systems, especially cryptographic protocols, consistency, consensus, and cloud-computing security. We are particularly interested in blockchains, distributed ledger technology, cryptocurrencies, and their security and economics.

Candidates should have a strong background in computer science. They should like conceptual, rigorous thinking for working theoretically, or be interested in building innovative systems for working practically. Demonstrated expertise in cryptography, distributed computing, or blockchain technology is a plus. Applicants must hold a master degree in the relevant research fields.

Positions are available starting January 2021 and come with a competitive salary. The selection process runs until suitable candidates have been found. The University of Bern conducts excellent research and lives up its vision that “Knowledge generates value”. The city of Bern lies in the center of Switzerland and offers some of the highest quality of life worldwide.

If you are interested, please apply be sending email with one single PDF file and subject line set to Application for Ph.D., addressed directly to Prof. Christian Cachin at crypto (at) inf.unibe.ch.

Since we receive many applications, we encourage you to include material that demonstrates your interests and strengths and sets you apart from others.

For more information, please contact Christian Cachin (https://crypto.unibe.ch/cc/).

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Christian Cachin

More information: https://crypto.unibe.ch/jobs

The University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and the chair of Cyber Security invites applications from PhD holders in the area of cryptography and information security. The researcher will join a group of researchers focusing in applied and theoretical cryptography, network and information security and privacy-preservation led by Prof. Katerina Mitrokotsa. We are affiliated to the Department of Computer Science (DCS) and the Institute of Computer Science. More precisely, the student shall be working on investigating efficient authentication and verifiable delegation of computation mechanisms that provide: i) provable security guarantees, and ii) rigorous privacy guarantees. The overall aim of the PhD position will be to design and evaluate provably secure cryptographic protocols for privacy-preserving authentication and verifiable delegation of computation protocols. The research shall also consider the case where multiple clients outsource jointly computations to untrusted cloud servers.
Research area: Research areas include but are not limited to:

• Verifiable computation
• Secure Multi Party Computation
• Privacy-preserving authentication
• Cryptographic primitives

Your Profile

• A MsC degree in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics or a relevant field;
• Strong mathematical and algorithmic CS background;
• Good skills in programming is beneficial;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Deadline for applications: 30 September
Starting date: Fall 2020 or by mutual agreement

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Katerina Mitrokotsa

More information: https://jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stellen/phd-position-in-information-security-and-cryptography-m-w-d/6366821b-4848-4217-90d2-78e6b1096162

The IMDEA Software Institute invites applications for tenure-track (Assistant Professor) positions. We are primarily interested in excellent candidates in Systems, including Distributed Systems, Embedded Systems, etc.; Data Science, including machine learning; Security and Privacy; Software Engineering>; and Cyber-Physical Systems. Exceptional candidates in other topics within the research areas of the Institute will also be considered. Tenured-level (Associate and Full Professor) applications are also welcome.

The primary mission of the IMDEA Software Institute is to perform research of excellence at the highest international level in the area of software development technologies. It is one of the highest ranked institutions worldwide in its main topic areas.

All positions require a doctoral degree in CS or closely related area, earned by the expected start date. Candidates for tenure-track positions will have shown exceptional promise in research and ability to work independently as well as collaboratively. Candidates for tenured positions must have an outstanding research record, recognized international stature, and demonstrated leadership. Experience in graduate student supervision is also valued at this level.

For full consideration, complete applications must be received by December 1, 2020 but will continue to be accepted until the positions are filled.

The institute is located in the vibrant area of Madrid, Spain. It offers an ideal working environment, combining the best aspects of a research center and a university department. The institute offers institutional funding and also encourages participation in national and international research projects. The working language at the institute is English.

Salaries at the Institute are internationally competitive, established on an individual basis, and include social security provisions, and in particular access to an excellent public health care system.

COVID Note: The Institute continues working and hiring, while strictly adopting all recommended hea

Closing date for applications:

Contact: hiring@software.imdea.org

More information: https://software.imdea.org/open_positions/call_for_faculty.html

We are seeking to recruit a post-doctoral research assistant to work in the area of cryptography. The position is available now until 1 June 2022.

The PDRA will work alongside Dr. Martin Albrecht, Dr. Rachel Player and other cryptographic researchers at Royal Holloway on topics in lattice-based cryptography. This post is part of the EU H2020 PROMETHEUS project (http://prometheuscrypt.gforge.inria.fr) for building privacy preserving systems from advanced lattice primitives. Our research focus within this project is on cryptanalysis and implementations, but applicants with a strong background in other areas such as protocol/primitive design are also encouraged to apply.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Martin Albrecht

More information: https://martinralbrecht.wordpress.com/2020/06/26/postdoc-at-royal-holloway-on-lattice-based-cryptography-3/

We are looking for talented and motivated Post-docs to work on the ERC AdG project PROCONTRA: Smart-Contract Protocols: Theory for Applications. The project is about theoretical and applied aspects of blockchain and smart contracts.

The ideal candidates should have a PhD degree in cryptography (or related field) from a leading university, and a proven record of publications in top cryptography/security/TCS venues.

We offer competitive salary, a budget for conference travel and research visit, and membership in a young and vibrant team with several international contacts (for more see: www.crypto.edu.pl).

A successful candidate will be given a substantial academic freedom and can work on a variety of research problems related to the main theme of the project.

There is no specific deadline for this call, but we will start looking at the applications from Oct 15th, 2020.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Stefan Dziembowski

More information: https://www.crypto.edu.pl/positions

What we are always looking for?
CISPA constantly seeks applications from outstanding students regardless of their national origin or citizenship. Currently we are looking for students interested in applied cryptography and topics like:

• privacy-preserving signatures,
• anonymous credentials,
• eID and ePassport security.

Admission to the Computer Science graduate program is highly competitive. A successful Master’s degree from a top-tier, research-oriented institution of higher education in a subject relevant to our research is required. Applicants should have an outstanding academic record, proficiency in spoken and written English, and strong letters of recommendation from their academic advisors.

What we offer?
CISPA maintains an open, international and diverse work environment. Every Ph.D. student is a member of a research group lead by his or her supervisor. Admitted students are as a rule paid employees of CISPA with a full time contract (TV-L E 13). The working language is English.

How to apply?
https://jobs.cispa.saarland/jobs/detail/phd-students-in-all-areas-related-to-cybersecurity-privacy-cryptography-and-machine-learning-1

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Lucjan Hanzlik (hanzlik@cispa.saarland)

More information: https://jobs.cispa.saarland/jobs/detail/phd-students-in-all-areas-related-to-cybersecurity-privacy-cryptography-and-machine-learning-1

The University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and the chair of Cyber Security invites applications from PhD holders in the area of cryptography and information security. The researcher will join a group of researchers focusing in applied and theoretical cryptography, network and information security and privacy-preservation led by Prof. Katerina Mitrokotsa. We are affiliated to the Department of Computer Science (DCS) and the Institute of Computer Science.
The position has an attractive salary and located in beautiful St. Gallen and Switzerland.
Research area: Research areas include but are not limited to:

• Verifiable computation
• Secure Multi Party Computation
• Privacy-preserving authentication
• Cryptographic primitives

Your Profile

• A PhD degree in Cryptography, information security;
• Strong mathematical and algorithmic CS background;
• Strong publication record;
• Good skills in programming is beneficial;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English

Deadline for applications: 30 September
Starting date: Fall 2020 or by mutual agreement
How to apply Submit your application through the online application system

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Katerina Mitrokotsa

More information: https://jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stellen/postdoc-fellow-in-cryptography-information-security/707c8a38-0c75-436e-b1b2-4ee6629d1323

We are looking for Research Fellow (Post-Doc), to join our group. The applicants should have background and be interested in working on different aspects of lattice based cryptography, in particular on:

• security proofs for lattice-based schemes,
• building and implementing lattice-based constructions,
• cryptanalysis and side channels attacks.

The research will take place in the Embedded Security and Cryptography (EMSEC) team, within the IRISA computer science institute located in Rennes, France.
To apply please send us by email your detailed CV (with publication list). The positions has flexible starting date. Review of applications will start immediately until the positions are filled.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Adeline Roux-Langlois / adeline.roux-langlois@irisa.fr

We seek a Research Project Manager to support and coordinate our research on problems within the field of consensus while assembling a team of world-class researchers. Research at Protocol Labs We’re not an ordinary Research Lab. We’re working hard to build the core protocols of the decentralized web pursuant to our vision for the future of the Internet. As part of our research team, you’ll be enabling outcomes at the forefront of our mission. Our research team is granted both the freedom to develop knowledge by working on novel applications and a responsibility to contribute those skills toward advancing the flagship projects of Protocol Labs and the research endeavors of leading institutions in the field. You’ll feel at home working with us if your knowledge and optimism enable you to craft creative solutions working around evolving needs. What will the ConsensusLab do The goal of ConsensusLab will be to focus on long-term research problems facing Filecoin and other Protocol Labs projects related to secure, scalable consensus mechanisms. As ConsensusLab Lead you will… Coordinate with teammates across the research and project teams to drive progress against the goals we want ConsensusLab to accomplish, driving consensus research to support multiple autonomous projects within the company Track and coordinate the known problems that must be solved to hit those goals, the proposed solutions to those problems, the interactions and constraints that proposed solutions have on each other, and the effects design requirements have on proposed solutions. Assemble a team of researchers to drive progress against these problems. You may be a fit for this role if you have... Strong organizational and project management skills A familiarity with consensus research, in which you explored security or scalability of a system with byzantine or rational actors A love of supporting others in their efforts to learn and push the boundaries of human knowledge Bonus points... You’ve applied game theory, mechanism design, or agent-based modeling to fault tolerant system You’ve previously managed a team of researchers working on novel consensus algorithms

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Ed Burns

More information: https://jobs.lever.co/protocol/45adb8e8-4f5b-4da5-9c25-d1b84f3792e9

Several postdoctoral positions are available in the following areas:

• Post-quantum (including lattice-based) zero-knowledge proofs.
• Fast implementation of fully homomorphic encryption and lattice-based cryptography.
• Adversarial machine learning, broadly defined

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Jonathan Katz

Technology Innovation Institute (TII) is a publicly funded research institute, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It is home to a diverse community of leading scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and researchers from across the globe, transforming problems and roadblocks into pioneering research and technology prototypes that help move society ahead.

Responsibilities

• Specify, design, implement and deploy cryptographic IP cores (including quantum-secure solutions)
• Conduct research on (but not limited to) efficient cryptographic implementations, implementation attacks and countermeasures, design methodologies and tools
• Perform security reviews of hardware designs and implementations
• Work closely with the integration team and other teams in the organization to design and prototype secure systems and communication protocols

  Minimum qualifications:

• BSc, MSc or PhD degree in Cryptography, Computer Science, Engineering or similar degree with 3+ years of relevant work or research
• Thorough knowledge of computer architecture and digital design principles Relevant hardware development experience with a focus on hardware security
• Extensive experience developing for FPGA and/or ASIC platforms in Verilog/VHDL
• Experience writing testbenches and using waveform-based debugging tools
• Solid understanding of cryptography, side-channel analysis attacks and countermeasures

  
  Preferred qualifications:

• Knowledge of UVM and assertion-based formal tools
• Understanding of low-power and high-performance techniques
• Understanding of micro-architectural attacks (e.g., Spectre, Meltdown, MDS)
• Hands-on experience integrating IP blocks in complex systems (SoCs)
• Programming skills in C/C++, Python, and/or Tcl
• Hands-on experience with lab equipment (e.g., oscilloscopes, function generators)

  Closing date for applications:

  Contact: Mehdi Messaoudi
  Talent Acquisition Manager
  mehdi.messaoudi@tii.ae

We are looking for candidates for a free Post-Doc position in the field of design and modeling of self-timed rings (STR) as a source of randomness in logic devices, implementation of true random number generators (TRNG) based on STRs in FPGAs and ASICs, analysis of statistical properties of the generated numbers, statistical modeling of the proposed TRNGs and construction of efficient embedded tests dedicated to the proposed generators and based on their stochastic models. Desired profile: Ph.D. degree is required. Required skills: a) good knowledge of digital electronics and embedded systems; b) knowledge of CAD tools and FPGA design (Intel, Xilinx or Microsemi) as well as simulation tools (Modelsim); c) ASIC design using Cadence tools (design, simulation, verification); d) good level of English. Other useful skills: e) data acquisition and data analysis (use of tcl and python languages in particular); f) signal processing, mathematical modeling, statistics; g) basic knowledge in information security.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: fischer(at)univ-st-etienne.fr

More information: https://laboratoirehubertcurien.univ-st-etienne.fr/en/teams/secure-embedded-systems-hardware-architectures/job-opportunities-2.html

We are looking for a Postdoctoral Cryptography Researcher to join our Team. This is an opportunity for someone who is genuinely excited by new technologies to influence the design and implementation of bleeding edge advanced cryptographic systems and protocols. Functioning somewhat independently and working within the larger Research Team, the Postdoctoral Cryptography Researcher will research and design cryptographic protocols and concepts, partnering with the team to develop prototypes. Our Researchers are also internal subject matter experts, providing guidance and learning opportunities to our extended staff. Researchers are also responsible for publishing meaningful research, independently and with other members of staff.

You will be working on a fast-paced, rapidly growing, high-profile project with a significant opportunity for industry-level impact on emerging blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies.

Overseen by Silvio Micali, this opportunity is for one (1) year with the possibility for extension.

Full role description (including responsibilities and qualifications) and application link is available at the further information link.

Interested candidates should submit their application at the further information link along with their CV (including list of publications), one (1) recently published paper relevant to the position responsibilities, and two (2) reference letters. You can share your paper and reference letter via the "Portfolio" link when applying, or upload the files with you CV. This position is available immediately and thus candidates who are already in the US are preferred.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Regnia O'Brien, Head of People & Talent

More information: https://jobapply.page.link/TNVg

Leveraging decades of expertise in security inks and solutions, SICPA aims at providing the next generation of trust-enabling security systems for citizens, central banks and governments in the domains of digital currency, identity and value chains. This is a great opportunity to join a strategic project and work with a team of passionate people to design, architect and develop innovative solutions.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Shape new concepts and ideas, quickly and iteratively, through prototyping.

Have meaningful impact on the crafting and delivery in the early stages of the idea, and product life cycles.

Collaborate closely with our development team to craft solid foundation for future product development.

Deliver, as part of the team, a prototype.

Deliver a functioning sandbox environment, with goal to identify competitive advantage and help implement that in practice.

Drive cooperation with platform and lab teams.

WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU

You have relevant technical skills gained via formal education (PhD preferred), and/or red/blue team experience.

You have expertise in applied cryptography, long-term security, Multi-Party Computation (MPC), key rotation schemes, SoC, SE, TEE, solving difficult challenges for systems in highly adversarial environments.

Also, you master cryptographic protocols and standards (FIPS, AAL, PKI, NIST, ISO/IEC 27001).

You are curious to solve hard problems, oftentimes with competing priorities, using smartly assembled primitives, protocols and solutions, as well as advise on choice tradeoffs.

Besides being a great listener, you are an educator that acts as an advisor and mentor to team members on your domain of expertise.

You thrive in asynchronous communication environments and can express clearly your ideas and thinking, in writing.

You have a natural ability to explain, communicate and influence a broad audience (from highly technical to managerial), seek and engage in external collaboration with academia or red teams.

Read the full job ad here: https://jobs.sicpa.com/job/Prilly_Floris-%28CH01%29-Senior-Cryptographer/616

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Mrs Iuliana Petcu Talent Acquisition Manager hrrecruitment@sicpa.com

More information: https://jobs.sicpa.com/job/Prilly_Floris-%28CH01%29-Senior-Cryptographer/616737401/

The postdoc will work alongside Prof. Martin Albrecht and other cryptographic researchers in the ISG on topics in lattice-based cryptography and related fields. This post is funded by a joint grant between Royal Holloway and Imperial College (Dr. Cong Ling) for bridging the gap between lattice-based cryptography and coding theory.

The ISG is a nice place to work; it’s a friendly environment with strong research going on in several areas. We got people working across the field of information security including several people working on cryptography. For example, Carlos Cid, Anamaria Costache, Lydia Garms, Jianwei Li, Sean Murphy, Rachel Player, Eamonn Postlethwaite, Joe Rowell, Fernando Virdia and Martin Albrecht all have looked at or are looking at lattice-based cryptography.

The ISG is one of the largest departments dedicated to information security in the world with 21 core academic staff in the department, as well as research and support staff. We work with many research partners in other departments and have circa 90 PhD students working on a wide range of security research, many of whom are fully funded through our Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security. We have a strong, vibrant, embedded and successful multi-disciplinary research profile spanning from cryptography to systems security and social aspects of security. This vibrant environment incorporates visiting researchers, weekly research seminars, weekly reading groups, PhD seminars and mini conferences, the WISDOM group (Women in the Security Domain Or Mathematics) and we are proud of our collegial atmosphere and approach.

A postdoc here is a 100% research position, i.e. the postdoc would not have teaching duties. That said, if the applicant would like to gain some teaching experience, we can arrange for that as well.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Martin Albrecht

More information: https://martinralbrecht.wordpress.com/2020/09/17/postdoc-at-royal-holloway-on-lattice-based-cryptography-4/

We are looking for outstanding Post doctoral researchers working on topics related to cryptography and IT Security.

Current topics of interest include (but are not limited to):

• Secure cryptographic implementations
• Leakage/tamper resilient cryptography
• Blockchains and cryptocurrencies
• Distributed cryptography

The application must include a curriculum vitae, a short research statement, and names of 2 contacts that can provide reference about the applicant and her/his work.

The candidate shall be able to show solid expertise in cryptography/IT Security illustrated in form of publications at major crypto/security venues such as CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, ASIACRYPT, TCC, PKC, CHES, FC, ACM CCS, Oakland, USENIX Security, NDSS etc.

The position offers an internationally competitive salary including social benefits. TU Darmstadt is a leading university for Computer Science and offers excellent working environment in the heart of the Rhein-Main metropolitan area. It has a strong institute for research on IT security and cryptography with more than 300 researchers working on all aspects of cybersecurity. Review of applications starts immediately until the position is filled.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: sebastian.faust@cs.tu-darmstadt.de

Three Ph.D. positions opening at Dr. Jiafeng Harvest Xie's research group at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering of Villanova University, Villanova, PA (west of Philadelphia, USA). The research topics of these positions are focused on cryptographic engineering and fault detection related security analysis. Interested ones are warmly welcomed to apply and send their resume/CV to Dr. Xie through email: jiafeng.xie@villanova.edu

Requirements: preferred to be at the majors of Computer Science or Computer Engineering. Majoring in Mathematics are also ok. Proficiency in programming languages such as C, C++, Python, and so on is needed. Good at English communication and writing. Great enthusiasm of doing research oriented tasks. Excellent team worker.

Degree: both B.S. and M.S. graduates or similar are warmly welcomed to apply.

Deadline: better to start at Spring 2021 (Fall 2021 is also ok). It is always better to apply as early as possible. Positions are open until they are filled.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Jiafeng Harvest Xie (jiafeng.xie@villanova.edu)

We have an open PhD position in the domain of Scalable and Secure Data Sharing. The prospective candidate is expected to investigate how conventional lightweight symmetric ciphers perform over MPC, as well as benchmark their performance over MPC. The work also entails provable security in this context. The candidate must hold a Master's degree in mathematics / computer science / electrical engineering / cryptography, with strong grades. Strong background in mathematics / computer science / cryptography is expected. Any prior publications and experience in C/C++ and Python are merited.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: jobs-cosic@esat.kuleuven.be

More information: https://www.esat.kuleuven.be/cosic/vacancies/