IACR News
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16 February 2025
University of Surrey, UK
The Surrey Centre for Cyber Security (SCCS), within the School, has an international reputation in cyber security and resilience research excellence in applied and post-quantum cryptography, security verification and analysis, security and privacy, distributed systems, and networked systems. SCCS is recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre as an Academic Centre of Excellence for Cyber Security Research and Education. Its research was also a core contributor to Surrey’s 7th position in the UK for REF2021 outputs within Computer Science. Surrey was recognised as Cyber University of the Year 2023 at the National Cyber Awards.
Surrey has an international leading track record in security and communications research and runs the newly formed Doctoral Training centre in Future Open Secure and Resilient Communications in collaboration with Queens University Belfast with funding for 50 PhD students.
This post sits within SCCS and this role encourages applications in the areas of systems security, web security, cyber-physical systems, cyber resilience, ethical hacking, machine learning for security, with application in various domains with preference in communications, space, banking, and autonomous systems. Candidates with practical security experience and skills will complement our strengths in cryptography and formal verification.
This post will support the growing cohort of students across all undergraduate Computer Science programmes and support students in the highly successful MSc in Cyber Security.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Professor Steve Schneider
More information: https://jobs.surrey.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx?ref=009425
Adva Network Security; Munich, Germany
Responsibilities
• Research and develop innovative and secure solutions for key-exchange, encryption and authentication in optical networks.
• Analyze the security of cryptographic algorithms and protocols.
• Collaborate with the research community in national and international projects.
• Demonstrate technical excellence at conferences or workshops.
Requirements
• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics or a related field.
• Good knowledge of cryptographic concepts and information security principles.
• Solid programming skills in (C and Python preferred).
• Good presentation, communication, and scientific writing skills.
• Fluent in oral and written English, fluency in German is a plus.
Apply here: https://adtran.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ANS/job/Berlin-ANS-Germany/Engineer-Advanced-Technology--M-F-D----PhD_R003928
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Dr. Helmut Griesser [Helmut'Griesser(a)advasecurity'com]
More information: https://adtran.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/ANS/job/Berlin-ANS-Germany/Engineer-Advanced-Technology--M-F-D----PhD_R003928
13 February 2025
University of New South Wales, Canberra
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Dr Shabnam Kasra
More information: https://www.unsw.edu.au/research/hdr/application
12 February 2025
University of Versailles St-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France
A tenured Professor faculty position (“Professeur des universités”) is open to highly qualified candidates who are committed to a career in research and teaching. Preference will be given to candidates with very strong research achievements in one or several of the areas related to the general fields of cryptology and information security.
Responsibilities include research leadership and dissemination, supervision of doctoral students, development of national or international research projects, and strong commitment to teaching at undergraduate or graduate level.
Deadline for submitting applications: Friday, April 4, 2025, 4 PM, Paris time (France).
For selected candidates, in person auditions will take place in Versailles.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Except for candidates who are currently “Maître de conférences” in France and hold an HDR diploma (“Habilitation à diriger des recherches”), a “Qualification aux fonctions de professeur des universités” certificate from the french “Conseil National des Universités” is usually required to apply. However candidates who already hold a tenured Professor (or equivalent) position may in some cases be exempted from this certificate.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Louis Goubin, Full Professor, head of the "Cryptology and Information Security" group
e-mail: louis.goubin (at) uvsq.fr
IBM Research Zurich, Switzerland
We have an opening of two PhD positions (one starting September 2025, one starting in 2026) and 1 postdoc (starting September 2025) in the Foundational Cryptography group at IBM Research Zurich. The PhD positions are fully funded for 4 years. The Foundational Cryptography team currently consists of 9 permanent researchers and 7 PhD students.
The research project that the students and postdoc will be working on is about developing post-quantum cryptographic algorithms for human authentication, PIN-based protocols, and the IoT. A background in any of lattice-based cryptography, multi-party computation, or password-authenticated key exchange is helpful but not a requirement. We will explore both theoretical limitations and usable solutions, and depending on the interest of the applicant, either a more foundational or practical direction can be taken.
Applicants need to have a passion for the mathematical analysis of algorithms in general and cryptography in particular. A master's degree in mathematics or computer science and fluently written and spoken English is required.
The IBM Research Zurich lab is located on the beautiful Lake Zurich, close to the Swiss Alps. Research divisions include IT Security, Quantum, AI, and Hybrid Cloud Systems. IBM fosters an inclusive and diverse working environment. Applicants from minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Julia Hesse
07 February 2025
Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
We are looking for a PhD student to join the Crypto Team and Security Group at Chalmers with Christoph Egger as main supervisor. The position is fully funded for 5 years and comes with 20% teaching duties in the department. The Crypto Team currently has 2 faculty members and 4 PhD students and is embedded in the security group that captures a wide range of topics.
Depending on the interests of the applicant, possible research topics include fine-grained and bounded space cryptography, realization of idealized models, relationship between cryptographic notions, and similar topics in foundational cryptography. Exploring connections to statistical security notions and formal methods is possible. One or two extended research visits are encouraged during the doctoral study.
Applicants should have a strong interest in the mathematical analysis of algorithms in general and cryptography in particular. A master's degree in mathematics, computer science, or a related discipline is required. The working language in the department is English, and applicants are expected to be fluent both in written and spoken English. Swedish courses are available for interested students.
- In Bounded Space Cryptography we are working with adversaries that are not restricted in their runtime but have limited memory and are trying to achieve basic cryptographic tasks that are secure against such adversaries.
- Idealized Models are simplifications made in proofs for real-world cryptographic protocols. We often know that this is an oversimplification in general and can hide attacks. We are interested in studying under which circumstances the simplifications can be justified.
- Cryptography relies on unproven assumptions like the hardness of factoring. Studying Relations between Cryptographic Notions asks the question of the type "If I can build public key encryption, can I also always have signature schemes?" and proves whether such statements are true or false.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Christoph Egger, christoph.egger@chalmers.se
More information: https://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/work-with-us/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=p13670
Nomos
Closing date for applications:
Contact: angel@status.im
More information: https://boards.greenhouse.io/logos/jobs/6526845
31 January 2025
Technology Innovation Institute (TII), Abu Dhabi, UAE
We are looking for a permanent researcher to join the Cryptographic Protocols team within the Cryptography Research Center (CRC) at TII. The main task of the team is to conduct applied academic research and assist in product development, spanning topics such as: TLS, QUIC, Tor, Key Exchange, secure channels, cryptographic primitives and their implementation, privacy enhancing technologies, MLS and Secure Messaging, WebRTC, and formal methods. The nature of our work spans both theory and practice, covering aspects such as provable security, security models, efficient designs, implementation aspects, and attacks.
Applicants should have completed (or be close to completing) their PhD in a related area and preferably also have postdoctoral research experience. Preference will be given to applicants with publications in top-tier venues such as CRYPTO, EUROCRYPT, ASIACRYPT, ACM CCS, IEEE S&P, and USENIX.
Required Skills:
- Fluency in English (verbal and written) and an ability to communicate research effectively.
- Good problem-solving skills and an ability to conduct research independently.
- Good interpersonal and collaborative skills.
- Solid knowledge in cryptography with a focus on one or more of the following: Key Exchange, Secure Messaging, Postquantum cryptography, Provable Security, Cryptography Engineering, and Cryptographic Protocols more generally.
Valuable Skills:
- Strong background in Mathematics and/or Computer Science.
- Programming, Software Engineering, experience in implementing cryptographic primitives and attacks on real-world cryptosystems, reverse engineering of closed-source protocols.
- Experience in analyzing protocol standards and specifications.
- Experience in Formal Methods and related tools.
What we offer:
- Vibrant working environment, flexible working conditions, and travel funding.
- Industry-competitive tax-free salary.
- Family-wide health insurance and children’s education allowance.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Jean Paul Degabriele
More information: https://www.tii.ae/cryptography
School of Cryptology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
We are inviting talented and highly motivated applicants to submit applications for a PhD studentship at School of Cryptology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. The positions are fully funded and have a 3 to 5-year duration, with a negotiable start date.
We explore topics including, but not limited to:
Applicant skills/background:
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Siwei Sun (siweisun.isaac at gmail.com)
University of St.Gallen, Switzerland
The student is expected to work on topics that include security and privacy issues in authentication. More precisely, the student will be working on investigating efficient and privacy-preserving authentication that provides: i) provable security guarantees, and ii) rigorous privacy guarantees.
Key Responsibilities:
- Perform exciting and challenging research in the domain of information security and cryptography.
- Support and assist in teaching computer security and cryptography courses.
- The PhD student is expected to have a MSc degree or equivalent, and strong background in cryptography, network security and mathematics.
- Experience in one or more domains such as cryptography, design of protocols, secure multi-party computation and differential privacy is beneficial.
- Excellent programming skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
Please apply by 15th February 2025 through the job link. Applications will be evaluated continuously.
Closing date for applications:
Contact:
Eriane Breu (Administrative matters)
Prof. Katerina Mitrokotsa (Research related questions)
More information: https://jobs.unisg.ch/offene-stellen/funded-phd-student-in-applied-cryptography-privacy-preserving-authentication-m-f-d/36538ff2-210a-4dbd-bd48-575e4b7447cf
Parity Technologies
About Us
Parity is one of the world's most experienced core blockchain infrastructure companies, building the open-source technologies that will lay the foundation for the new decentralised internet.
Parity was founded by Dr. Gavin Wood, co-founder and former CTO of Ethereum, the primary engineer behind the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), inventor of the Solidity programming language, and primary author of the Ethereum Yellowpaper.
We believe in a decentralised web that respects the freedom and data of individuals and empowers developers to create better services. Our vision is to create a world based on truthful, rather than trustful, interactions.
About the Team
The Incubation team operates at the forefront of blockchain innovation. Under the direct leadership of our founder, Dr. Gavin Wood, the team is responsible for identifying and prototyping new ideas for Polkadot. Currently, the team's primary focus is on advancing PolkaJAM - the next-generation decentralised virtual machine - a protocol combining the best elements of Polkadot and Ethereum.
About the Position
- Evaluate and refine technical designs proposed by the team, benchmarking them against blockchain scaling solutions.
- Conduct performance modelling and analysis.
- Document technical insights and formalise research findings.
- Collaborate with engineering teams, translating research insights into actionable technical strategies.
About You
- PhD in Computer Science, Cryptography, Distributed Systems, etc.
- Strong technical knowledge of Ethereum, Layer 2 scaling solutions, cryptography, or low-level systems programming.
- Ability to analyse and evaluate designs proposed by the team
- Experience developing performance models and defining measurement strategies to validate theoretical assumptions.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Joe Mullaney
More information: https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/parity/c04f3045-bdad-45bf-81e2-e0c5fd7cbde0
The University of Manchester, Department of Computer Science
The successful candidate will lead cutting-edge research in quantum cryptography and related areas. The role includes securing external funding, publishing in top-tier venues, supervising PhD students, and contributing to teaching in the CS department.
Candidates should have a PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or a related field, an outstanding research record in quantum cryptography or related areas, experience in securing research funding, and a strong teaching background.
The position is permanent and based in Manchester, a leading hub for quantum research. Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. For more details and to apply, visit:
https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=31138
Application deadline: March 31, 2025.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: For informal enquiries please contact Bernardo Magri (bernardo dot magri at manchester.ac.uk)
More information: https://www.jobs.manchester.ac.uk/Job/JobDetail?JobId=31138
29 January 2025
INSA Lyon, CITI Lab (Villeurbanne, France)
The CITI Lab at INSA Lyon, France, is seeking a motivated PhD student to engage in pioneering research in frugal cryptography.
The research project focuses on designing and analyzing cryptographic primitives, evaluating their energy consumption in various contexts such as Internet communication and Machine Learning. The PhD candidate will also develop generic tools and methodologies to assess the energy impact of cryptographic implementations. The work aims to create secure and efficient cryptographic solutions adapted to the needs of a digital and sustainable future.
This fully funded position has a 3-year duration, with a negotiable start date.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with faculty and researchers to design innovative cryptographic protocols.
- Publish research findings in leading computer science conferences and journals.
- Participate in academic activities, including seminars, workshops, and conferences, to stay updated on advancements in the field.
- Potentially assist in teaching duties as a teaching assistant (TA).
Requirements
- A strong background in cryptography, with an MSc in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related discipline (preferred but not mandatory).
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to thrive in a collaborative research environment.
- Strong organizational and time-management abilities to balance research, coursework, and teaching responsibilities.
- Critical thinking and analytical skills, with fluency in technical English.
- Proficiency in programming.
To Apply: Please submit your CV along with transcripts from both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Clementine Gritti (clementine.gritt(at)insa-lyon.fr)
26 January 2025
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan
As part of the collaboration between the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and Partisia (Aarhus, Denmark), the Applied Cryptography Unit at OIST is seeking to hire a postdoctoral scholar to conduct research on applications of Secure Multi-party Computation (MPC) to quantum cryptography.
The postdoc will investigate how MPC techniques may be used to enhance the security and functionality of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enabled networks. The project will be led by Prof. Carlos Cid at OIST, with close collaboration with researchers from Partisia. The ideal candidate will have experience in the design and analysis of secure computation protocols, and strong knowledge of quantum cryptography.
We are seeking candidates with excellent post-graduate academic formation in cryptography, mathematics, computer science, or a closely related field, with research strong experience in the design and analysis of secure computation, and in quantum cryptography. Candidates must have a PhD at the time of commencing the position. This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment for 2 years, potentially extended depending of performance and other circumstances.
Starting Date: as soon as possible.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Carlos Cid (carlos.cid_[at]_oist.jp)
More information: https://www.oist.jp/careers/postdoctoral-scholar-multi-party-computation-and-quantum-cryptography-applied-cryptography-unit
Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST), Japan
The Applied Cryptography Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) is seeking to hire a postdoctoral scholar to conduct research on quantum-resistant cryptography.
The postdoc will work on a project, part of a collaboration between Prof. Carlos Cid at OIST and Prof. Ludovic Perret at EPITA Research Lab, EPITA, Paris, France, focusing on the design and benchmarking of novel hybrid protocols for secure satellite communication that use classical and post-quantum cryptography combined with space-based Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). The successful candidate will have experience in the design and analysis of protocols in post-quantum or quantum cryptography, with a strong motivation to work at the intersection of these two domains.
We are seeking candidates with excellent post-graduate academic formation in cryptography, mathematics, computer science, or a closely related field, with research experience in the design and analysis of protocols in post-quantum or quantum cryptography. Candidates must have a PhD at the time of commencing the position. This is a full-time, fixed-term appointment for 2 years, potentially extended depending of performance and other circumstances.
Starting Date: as soon as possible.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Carlos Cid (carlos.cid_[at]_oist.jp) and Ludovic Perret (ludovic.perret_[at]_epita.fr)
More information: https://www.oist.jp/careers/postdoctoral-scholar-quantum-resistant-cryptography-applied-cryptography-unit
IDEMIA - Courbevoie, France
Since our founding, IDEMIA has been on a mission to unlock the world and make it safer through our cutting-edge identity technologies.
The IDEMIA Smart Identity (ISI) Division of the IDEMIA Group is looking for a Cryptography/Security Engineer to help us secure our products and thus protect your identity from external threats.
The candidate has strong interest and suitable experience in any of the following areas:
• Integration of state-of-the-art cryptography algorithms in embedded systems.
• Physical attacks on embedded systems / smart-cards.
• Automatic vulnerability detection in embedded devices and/or firmware.
Responsabilities: The candidate will support R&D development teams, lead our research in ongoing / upcoming, and contribute to the growth of our activities through working groups.
Requirements:
• Master's degree (or equivalent) or PhD in Mathematics, Cryptography, Computer Science, or Embedded Electronic.
• Solid knowledge and demonstrable experiences in any of the aforementioned areas.
• Experience in developing/analyzing cryptographic primitives’ implementations in one high-level language (e.g., Python, MATLAB) and C/C++. (essential)
• Experience with vulnerabilities research. (desirable)
• Proficiency in English (essential) and French. (essential)
• Problem-solving, independence, communication skills. (essential)
• Knowledge in Side-channel attacks or Fault Injections attacks. (desirable)
• Post-quantum Cryptography (PQC) techniques for any of the aforementioned areas. (desirable)
The candidate will work at our Paris-La Defense office, closely with members of our R&D team in France and abroad. Travel may be required.
Applications will be processed continuously until the position is filled.
Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the projects we work on, this position requires an on-site presence five days a week.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Applicants are invited to submit a digital application on our career portal.
More information: https://careers.idemia.com/job/Courbevoie-Ing%C3%A9nieur-en-S%C3%A9curit%C3%A9-2-92400/1162028901/
University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
The School of Computer Science is further investing in its already strong Security and Privacy Research group.
We seek to recruit an outstanding researcher with a specific interest in applied cryptography in the context of hardware and embedded systems security. We are particularly interested in researchers with a track record in pre-silicon leakage and/or fault analysis, secure embedded software development, statistical side channel and fault evaluation techniques, machine and deep learning for side channels.
You will be expected to develop your own research agenda over time, and you can expect to contribute to all aspects of school life (teaching, administration), initially guided and supported by Prof. Elisabeth Oswald
The University of Birmingham offers permanent positions, with a defined pathway for progression and promotion.
Further information, (salary, application requirements, etc.) as well as a link for applicants, can be found below. The closing date for applications in 2.3.2025. If you have questions around (working in) Birmingham, then please use the contact provided below.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Prof. Elisabeth Oswald, m.e. oswald@bham.ac.uk
More information: https://edzz.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_6001/job/6099/?utm_medium=jobshare&utm_source=External+Job+Share
Newcastle University
"Enhancing Privacy-Preserving Federated Learning with Incentives"
This research aims to design secure, reward-based mechanisms that incentivize data contributors to provide their sensitive input data to a collaborative, privacy-preserving federated learning process while ensuring the integrity and privacy of the process.
This has the potential to yield a fairer system and advance the goals of ethical machine learning and responsible AI.
By leveraging techniques from federated learning, cryptography, and game theory, the project will develop technical solutions that fairly reward participants based on their contributions and protect against malicious actors. The expected outcomes include secure formal models, provably secure protocols, practical implementation, and real-world applications in sectors like healthcare and finance, ultimately enhancing the real world adoption of Federated Learning.
Start date and Stipend: You will be expected to start in October of the academic year 2025/2026, the studentship will cover 100% fees and stipend at UKRI level for 4 years full time PhD studies. (2024-2025 UKRI rate £19,237).
Applicant skills/background: Candidates should possess or be highly motivated to acquire, strong knowledge in the following areas: (1) cryptography, (2) Privacy-enhancing technologies, such as FL, (3) mathematics (including number theory and game theory), and (4) computer programming in C++, Java, or Python.
Supervisors: You will be supervised by Dr Aydin Abadi (Newcastle University) and Dr Mohammad Naseri (Flower Labs). There is an opportunity to collaborate with researchers at the National Edge AI Hub, at Newcastle University.
Note: Use code COMPDLA01 when submitting an application.
Deadline: 28 Feb, 2025.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Aydin Abadi
More information: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/study/postgraduate-research/dla-studentships/
CISPA Helmholtz Center for Information Security
We explore topics including, but not limited to:
- Key exchange and secure messaging
- Public-key encryption with advanced functionalities
- Formalizing new cryptographic primitives and security models
- Modularizing complex primitives
- Developing techniques to achieve concrete (and tight) security bounds
- Designing and analyzing practical instantiations (e.g., based on elliptic curves, lattices, or isogenies)
https://jobs.cispa.saarland/jobs/detail/phd-positions-in-cryptography-and-provable-security-m-f-d-group-riepel-265.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Doreen Riepel (riepel[at]cispa.de)
More information: https://jobs.cispa.saarland/jobs/detail/phd-positions-in-cryptography-and-provable-security-m-f-d-group-riepel-265
University of Warsaw
The Faculty of Mathematics, Informatics and Mechanics of the University of Warsaw (MIM UW) invites applications for the positions of Assistant Professor in Computer Science, starting on 1st October 2025 or 1st February 2026.
MIM UW is one of the leading Computer Science faculties in Europe. It is known for talented students (e.g., two wins and multiple top tens in the ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest) and strong research teams, especially in algorithms, logic and automata, algorithmic economy, and computational biology. There is also a growing number of successful smaller groups in diverse areas including cryptography, databases and knowledge representation, distributed systems, and machine learning. Seven ERC grants in Computer Science are running at MIM UW at the moment.
In the current call, 7 positions are offered (follow the links for more details):
- Samuel Eilenberg Assistant Professor (2 positions; reduced teaching and increased salary),
- Assistant Professor (3 positions; research and teaching),
- Assistant Professor in Distributed Systems or Programming Languages (1 position; research and teaching),
- Assistant Professor (1 position; teaching only).
Deadline for applications: 14th February 2025.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Filip Murlak (f.murlak@uw.edu.pl), Oskar Skibski (o.skibski@uw.edu.pl).
More information: https://jobs.uw.edu.pl/en-gb/offer/WMIM_2025/field/ADIUNKT/