International Association
for Cryptologic Research

The PhD students will join Prof. Mitrokotsa's group focusing on security and cryptography, working in the area of privacy-preserving biometric authentication and within the Marie Curie ITN project: "TRESPASS-ETN: Training in Secure and Privacy-preserving biometrics". Privacy-preserving biometric authentication focuses on guaranteeing accurate biometric authentication, while at the same time providing strong privacy guarantees (e.g., avoid tracking, profiling of users and leakage of sensitive information). The focus of one of the PhD positions would be to examine how to guarantee privacy-preservation in biometric authentication systems by employing advanced cryptographic methods such as secure multiparty computation (SMPC) primitives (e.g., homomorphic encryption) and verifiable computation (when biometric authentication is applied in a distributed setting). The second PhD position will focus on employing differentially private mechanisms in the biometric authentication process. The goal is to achieve high accuracy in the authentication process, while at the same time avoid any leakage of information.
Please apply:
https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/Working-at-Chalmers/Vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=p8404

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Professor Aikaterini Mitrokotsa (Networks and Systems), aikmitr@chalmers.se

More information: https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/Working-at-Chalmers/Vacancies/Pages/default.aspx?rmpage=job&rmjob=p8404

We are looking for postdoctoral researchers with an excellent track record in one of the following fields of applied cryptography:

• symmetric-key cryptology such as block ciphers, stream ciphers, hash functions, message authentication codes, authenticated encryption schemes, etc.
• post-quantum cryptology
• cryptology for emerging technologies such as IoT and public ledger/blockchain
• side-channel analysis, whitebox cryptography, countermeasures
• implementation aspects of cryptography in software or hardware
• provable security of symmetric cryptographic primitives and modes of operation

The appointment is for 3 years with a flexible starting date in 2020. We offer a competitive salary, a team of other postdocs as well as PhD students within the field to work with, a dynamic and highly international work environment as well as possibilities to conduct top-notch research in any subdomain of applied cryptology.

More information: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/183156/postdoctoral-research-fellow-position-in-informatics-applied-cryptology

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Prof. Andrey Bogdanov, andrey.bogdanov@uib.no

Call for 3 Years Funded Doctoral Positions

Safety and Security in Industry Research Lab (SafeSecLab)

https://karriere.tuwien.ac.at/Job/126869?culture=en

Deadline: 19.03.2020

Cyber-physical production systems (CPPS) need suitable networked architectures that take into account and combine safety (operation of the system must not pose any danger) and security (protection against unauthorized manipulation). As part of the newly founded "TÜV AUSTRIA Safety and Security in Industry Research Lab" (SafeSecLab), several related research questions are addressed within the framework of dissertation projects (3 years funding) at TU Wien.

Open PhD topics:

• Safety and Security Modelling
• Safe and Secure System Architectures
• Automated Risk Management
• Secure Hardware Design

More details can be found on the application website: https://karriere.tuwien.ac.at/Job/126869?culture=en

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Wolfgang Kastner

More information: https://karriere.tuwien.ac.at/Job/126869?culture=en

Simula UiB (http://simula-uib.com) in Bergen, Norway, has one three-year Ph.D positions available in the field of cryptography. Ph.D students at Simula UiB enjoy a startup-like international working environment with good salaries and work-life balance, with very few obligations on top of doing research. Project/Job description: The Ph.D candidate will be supervised by Helger Lipmaa (https://sites.google.com/view/helgerlipmaa) on topics related to zk-SNARKs and zero-knowledge and their various applications (cryptocurrencies, verifiable computation, e-voting, to name a few). Zk-SNARKs have been become excessively popular during the last few years due to the application in privacy-preserving cryptocurrencies, leading the MIT technology review to name them one of the “10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2018” (https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2018/). Candidate Profile: a completed MSc degree in cryptography, or related areas (in particular, theoretical computer science, including algorithms and/or complexity theory, and mathematics). We will also consider applicants who are in the final phase of their Master studies. We expect an excellent academic track record, including top grades. The student is expected to be at home both in theory and in practice. Simula UiB is an equal opportunity employer, and women are particularly encouraged to apply. Simula UiB Offers: Modern office facilities located in downtown Bergen ("the gateway to the fjords"). A competitive salary starting from NOK 479.600 (approx 48000 euros). Special emphasis on wellness and work-life balance. Numerous additional benefits. About Simula UiB: Simula UiB AS is a research centre owned by Simula Research Laboratory AS and the University of Bergen (UiB). The goal of Simula UiB is to increase the security expertise in Norway through research and education in cryptography and information theory. The student will officially defend at UiB.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Helger Lipmaa

More information: https://www.simula.no/about/job/call-phd-student-cryptography

Funded position for PhD in the Mathematics of Post-Quantum Cryptography, to work on theoretical questions. The research will be on some or all of the following: isogenies, algebraic geometry, codes, lattices. The ideal candidate will have a strong undergraduate mathematics knowledge including abstract algebra, number theory and geometry. An MSc is a plus. Experience with computer programming and cryptography is also desirable. This is part of a collaboration with the group of Prof. Steven Galbraith at the University of Auckland and interaction with this group is expected.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Prof. Felipe Voloch

More information: http://www.math.canterbury.ac.nz/~f.voloch/prospective.html

BIMSA

Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications (BIMSA) is a new research institution to be established and lead by Professor Shing-Tung Yau, a Fields medalist of 1982. Its location is in the Yanqi Lake area of Beijing where APEC 2014 was hosted. It was expected to launch by the end of March 2020.

Program

Advanced Cryptography and Blockchain Program will be one of the many research groups of BIMSA. It will be focused on:

• zero knowledge proofs (zk-SNARKs etc.)
• fully homomorphic encryption
• secure multiparty computation
• other related cryptographic schemes
• blockchain

with a combination of theoretical studies and practical implementations.

Positions

We have 20 open positions on all levels, with competitive compensation packages:

• Distinguished Research Professor
• Research Professor
• Associate Research Professor
• Assistant Research Professor (tenure-track)
• Visiting Research Professor
• Research Fellowship (postdoc)

We intend to build a strong and highly international team, participating in the mainstream of academic studies and industrial innovations worldwide.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Prof. Kevin Mo

More information: http://ymsc.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/content/show/91-275.html https://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/jobs/14633 https://www.linkedin.co

Cryptography, Security & Privacy Research Group at Koç University has multiple openings for summer research interns.

For summer research opportunities (at both undergraduate and graduate level), visit

http://kusrp.ku.edu.tr

All applications must be completed online. Deadline is 29 March 2020.

For more information about joining our group and projects, visit

https://crypto.ku.edu.tr/work-with-us/

Application Requirements:

1. CV
2. 2 Recommendation Letters
3. Official transcripts from all the universities attended
4. Statement of Purpose
5. Application Form filled online

Closing date for applications:

Contact: http://kusrp.ku.edu.tr

More information: http://kusrp.ku.edu.tr

The Services and Cybersecurity (SCS) group at the University of Twente invites applications for a 4-year PhD position in secure data management.

In this PhD project, we will investigate cryptographic concepts for secure data management with a particular focus on searchable encryption schemes that enable the secure search over encrypted data. Existing searchable encryption schemes typically allow for some leakage in order to achieve efficient solutions, which makes them susceptible to leakage-abuse attacks. The PhD project will investigate different ways to attack such schemes and will deliver new schemes that are secure against such attacks while still being efficient. The developed solutions will be validated in the application domain of healthcare in collaboration with our partners CZ (a major Dutch health insurance company) and TNO (the Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research).

For more information and the link to apply, please visit:
https://www.utwente.nl/en/organization/careers/!/1097017/full-time-phd-position-in-secure-data-management

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Andreas Peter; a.peter@utwente.nl

More information: https://www.utwente.nl/en/organization/careers/!/1097017/full-time-phd-position-in-secure-data-management

The Cybersecurity - Identity Management group at the Hasso-Plattner-Institute (HPI), University of Potsdam is seeking to fill several PhD and PostDoc positions in the area of cryptography and privacy.

Your future tasks

• Development of provably secure cryptographic protocols for real-world problems. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
  • Distributed identity management
  • Privacy-enhancing technologies
  • Foundations and solutions for real-world cryptography
• Publish and present results at top-tier international conferences
• Participate in teaching activities

Your skills

• Master's degree (or PhD for postdoctoral position) in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related area by the time of appointment
• Profound knowledge in the areas of cryptography and IT security (for postdoctoral candidates proven in the form of publications in these areas)
• Excellent English language skills

What we offer

• Collaborative work environment in a newly established research group
• Outstanding setting to conduct top academic research with strong connections to industry
• Working at the HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg (S-Bahn station Griebnitzsee) near to Berlin

We look forward to your application including two references, motivation letter and copies of relevant diplomas and certificates. Please submit your application documents (only as PDF) via email.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Anja Lehman, email: anja.lehmann (at) hpi.de

More information: https://hpi.de/lehmann/

The cryptographic protocols mainly comprise functionalities such as public-key encryption, digital signatures, and key exchange. These cryptographic protocols are based on the difficulty of certain mathematical operations, such as finding the prime factors of a very large integer. However, recent advances in quantum computing mean that these difficult math problems might soon be solved efficiently, with a potentially serious impact upon our security. Realizing the availability of quantum computers from research labs to general purpose use in the near future, the preparation against such a threat has taken shape recently, and happening to be a fast growing topic of research referred as post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Nowadays, certain candidate families of post-quantum schemes have been realized including code-based, hash-based, multivariate, lattice-based and supersingular isogeny-based. Security of all these primitives are based on different mathematical problems which are believed to be hard even with respect to quantum computation and quantum communications. In this project, we aim to achieve the following goals: • To study the existing PQC schemes and demonstrate state of the art PQC following an extensive review. • To propose post-quantum schemes taking in account their possible application to IoT security or Blockchain.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: joaquin.garcia_alfaro@telecom-sudparis.eu and Kalpana.SINGH@irt-systemx.fr

Constraint Programming for Cryptanalysis of Symmetric Encryption Schemes

• Location: LIMOS, Clermont-Ferrand, France
• Salary: 2000€
• Duration: 1 year
• Keywords: Cryptanalysis symmetric, constraint programming, SAT solving, ILP.
• Starting date: As soon as possible, when we have a good candidate; at least before October 2020.

Your Profile

• A PhD in Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Cryptography or related field.
• Competitive research record in symmetric cryptography or in constraint programming.
• Commitment, team working and a critical mind.
• Good written and verbal communication skills in English are essential.

This post-doc is founded by the ANR project Decrypt started in January 2019.

Transforming a theoretical cryptanalysis into a SAT problem or into a set of linear constraints could be a hard and time-consuming task. Our aim is to use constraint programming (CP) to simplify the way the symmetric key attacks are modeled and thus to overpass existing cryptanalytic results. Preliminary studies are really encouraging.

Goal

The main goal is to identify schemes and attacks for which it is possible to use off-the-shelf CP, SAT or ILP approaches. To achieve this goal, the work will be divided into the following tasks.

1. Study symmetric encryption schemes and identify for several schemes the different components that are used in the scheme design.
2. Design CP, SAT, and ILP models for cryptanalytic problems on selected schemes. We will mainly focus on the following attacks: cube attacks, conditional cube attacks with division property, (related-key) differential and linear cryptanalysis, word-based division property / integral distinguisher.
3. Experimentally evaluate CP, SAT, and ILP solvers on the models designed in previous tasks, and compare these solvers with existing dedicated cryptanalysis approaches. Design of a tool to automate this task is one of the goals of the project.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Pascal Lafourcade pascal.Lafourcade@uca.fr

More information: https://decrypt.limos.fr/post/postdoc-offer-limos/

A Ph.D. position is open in université Jean Monnet. This Ph.D project aims to develop novel techniques that can protect cryptographic implementations against side-channel attacks and fault attacks. The protection studied will be mainly algorithmic protection, with experimental evaluation of their effectiveness and efficiency. Various directions can be explored with respect to the candidate background.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Vincent Grosso

PQSecure Technologies, LLC is a growing startup company active in the area of post-quantum cryptographic engineering with focus on embedded and IoT devices. PQSecure is currently funded by National Science Foundation SBIR Phase II fund and is an active participant of National Institute of Standards and technology (NIST) for post-quantum cryptography. We are looking for a postdoc/research scientist with post-quantum cryptography and implementations experience and relevant publication records. Candidates should hold a PhD in Computer science/engineering, or electrical engineering, or applied mathematics with excellent programming skills and cryptographic protocol design. PQSecure offers a competitive hiring package including, 401k, health insurance, stock option, 3 weeks of PTO, travel reimbursement for relevant conferences, and etc.). The position is for one year with possibility of renewal based on the performance of the candidate. The salary will be $87,000 per year. PQSecure is located in the beautiful city Boca Raton, FL. The deadline for applications is February 15, 2020. The position will be open until filled.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Dr. Reza Azarderakhsh razarder[a/t]pqsecurity.com

We are living in an era where everything is connected, thus continuously generating, acquiring and processing a huge amount of data. Users may enjoy a diversity of assisted services, personalised applications and targeted recommendations. However, spread concerns about users' privacy are arising.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to work in privacy-preserving algorithms and protocols. The proposed topics include (but are not limited to):

- Post-quantum privacy-enhancing techniques

- Privacy-preserving machine learning/deep learning modelling for IoT personalised applications

- Privacy-preserving computation for distributed learning.

We look favourably on applicants who can demonstrate a knowledge of cryptography, machine learning, information security and who have strong programming and mathematical skills. Within your statement, please make sure to discuss which area of research you are interested in and your academic background to support this. In the first instance, candidates can discuss applications with Dr Nesrine Kaaniche via email (n.kaaniche@sheffield.ac.uk).

Required Qualifications: Good first degree in Computer Science If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score (or equivalent) of 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each component.

Funding Details: The studentship will cover tuition fees at the Home/EU rate and provide an annual stipend at the standard RCUK rates for three and a half years.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Dr. Nesrine Kaaniche (n.kaaniche@sheffield.ac.uk)

2 PhD positions are provided in College of Big Data, Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT), China. The research topics include but not limited to: blockchain, IoT security, data security, and applied cryptography.

Taiyuan University of Technology (TYUT), which was one of the first three national universities in China, was established in 1902. TYUT now has 30960 undergraduates, 7017 postgraduates and 762 doctoral students.

Scholarship for graduates from TYUT: tuition fees will be waived, and the monthly living allowance will be provided. Scholarship and admission details can be found in the pdf file from this link: http://ciee.tyut.edu.cn/info/1016/3205.htm

Application deadline: open until the positions are filled. All successful candidates are expected to start in September 2020.

Interested applicants are advised to email the following documents to huangxin@tyut.edu.cn. (1) CV, (2) Reference letters, (3) Personal statement, (4) School transcripts, (5) Publications if possible.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Prof. Xin Huang, Email: huangxin@tyut.edu.cn

PhD internship with research interest in cybersecurity is available in SUTD, especially on the topics of cyber-physical and IoT system security, applied cryptography and blockchain security. The attachment will be at least 3 months. Allowance will be provided for local expenses.

Interested candidates please send your CV with a research statement to Prof. Jianying Zhou.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Jianying Zhou (jianying_zhou@sutd.edu.sg)

More information: http://jianying.space/

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Mathematics has two full-time research assistant positions in the area of System Security.

Our group provides a relaxed and inspiring working atmosphere allowing you to address challenging research problems or to develop new cool attacks on well-used cryptographic implementations.

Your profile:

• Academic degree in Informatics, Mathematics, or a related area; ideally (but not mandatory) with a specialization in the area of IT security or cryptography
• High interest in research in IT security or applied cryptography
• Solid know-how in at least one of these areas:
  • Applied cryptography (e. g., protocols like TLS or SSH)
  • System security (e. g., fuzzing, reverse engineering or microarchitectural attacks)
  • Web security

Deadline: 2nd March 2020. More information at: https://www.uni-paderborn.de/fileadmin/zv/4-4/stellenangebote/Kennziffer4190Englisch.pdf

Closing date for applications:

Contact: For further details about the position, you can contact Juraj Somorovsky.

More information: https://www.uni-paderborn.de/fileadmin/zv/4-4/stellenangebote/Kennziffer4190Englisch.pdf

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) is a young university which was established in collaboration with MIT. iTrust is a Cyber Security Research Center with 10+ multi-discipline faculty members from SUTD. It has the world’s best facilities in cyber-physical systems (CPS).

I am looking for postdocs & research fellows with expertise on cyber-physical system security. The candidates should have track record of strong R&D capability, be a good team player, and also have good written/oral communication skills. The positions are available immediately, and will provide an excellent opportunity to perform both basic and translational research in close collaboration with industry. Successful candidates will be offered internationally competitive remuneration, and enjoy high-quality living and low tax rates in Singapore.

Interested candidates please send your CV with a research statement to Prof. Jianying Zhou. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Prof. Jianying Zhou (jianying_zhou@sutd.edu.sg)

More information: http://jianying.space/

Télécom Paris, one of the top four engineering schools in France for training general engineers and PhDs, invites application for a tenured position of Professor in Cryptography. The successful candidate will join the Computer Science and Networks department of the school and will be at the center of a unique innovation ecosystem on the Paris-Saclay Campus.

Details about this job offer can be found on :

https://www.telecom-paris.fr/job-offer-professor-cryptography

The closing date for applications is April 12, 2020.

Informal enquiries may be made to Bertrand Meyer (bertrand.meyer@telecom-paris.fr)

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Bertrand Meyer bertrand.meyer@telecom-paris.fr

More information: https://www.telecom-paris.fr/job-offer-professor-cryptography

The Cryptography, Coding and Information Transmission Group at the University of Tartu, Estonia, is looking for a doctorate student for a project on coding for flash memories. The ideal candidate will have strength in one or more of the following areas:
• Any area related to coding theory
• Combinatorics
• Algebra
• Probability theory
• Algorithms and programming.
The income is at least 1060 euro per month (net) plus social benefits. Some travel money will also be available. Cost of living in Estonia is relatively low, see e.g. https://www.ut.ee/en/welcome/international-students and http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living . A successful candidate should:
• Hold a Master’s degree or equivalent before the start of studies (Fall 2020)
• Have a strong background in mathematics, computer science or a related field.
To apply, please submit the following documents (by email):
• Application letter
• Research statement (preliminary plan)
• Curriculum vitae
• Publication list or example publication / thesis (optional)
• Copies of documents about academic degrees
• Two letters of reference (make sure they reach us by the application deadline).
Deadline for applications: 24th February 2020. Do not hesitate to contact us in case of questions. Contact: Ago-Erik Riet, e-mail agoerik at ut.ee, see https://www.etis.ee/Portal/Persons/Display/fa2b849b-a7cb-4463-aefd-01603d27ebc6?tabId=CV_ENG , https://www.ut.ee/en/kontakt/matemaatika-statistika-instituut and http://cit.cs.ut.ee/ . For a formal advertisement please also see: https://www.ut.ee/en/phd-mathematics .

Closing date for applications:

Contact: Ago-Erik Riet