Doctoral students in Electrical Engineering, two towards Cryptography and two towards Computer Security - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Description of the workplace

The security and networked systems division works broadly with research within cryptography, computer security, wireless, and fixed networks. The security group has around 15 members. The main research directions are cryptography and system security for connected systems. The division runs several research projects through different large research collaboration platforms and arranges extensive workshops and seminar series, making the research at the division visible to larger audiences. Cross-disciplinary projects are formed through our research collaboration platforms and national and international research networks, contributing to a dynamic research environment. 

Through the Swedish Research Council (https://www.vr.se/english.html) and the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP) (https://wasp-sweden.org/sv/ai-autonoma-system-och-mjukvara/), we now offer four new PhD positions, two in the cryptographic area and two in the computer security area.

PhDs in cryptography:

The primary duties of the two doctoral student positions are to perform research and teaching within the cryptology field. Two different main research directions are possible. The first direction is investigating the research topics of side-channel attacks on cryptographic algorithms. The student will conduct research on attacks that exploit a variety of side channels including timing, power consumption, and EM emissions, as well as fault injections. AI-assisted security evaluations of cutting-edge side-channel countermeasures are another focal research direction. The work involves developing a solid theoretical understanding of new vulnerabilities and launching real-world attacks on critical cryptographic algorithms. The direction encompasses a thorough investigation into the mathematical foundations and the safe implementation of fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). The student will investigate problems such as determining the concrete complexity of FHE security parameters as well as assessing and enhancing the efficiency and security of FHE bootstrapping. A key focus will be the methodical examination of major open-source FHE libraries, with a particular emphasis on identifying and mitigating side-channel vulnerabilities. This research is expected to involve not only the development of novel attacks but also the creation and security assessment of various protective methods. Senior researchers will be active in the project and provide supervision. The research project is funded by Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program, and the Swedish Research Council.

PhDs in computer security:

The primary duties of the doctoral student position are to perform research and teaching within the computer security area.  The research is devoted to researching security for dynamic resource allocation in next-generation mobile networks.  Dynamic task execution in future networks will require careful verification of target resources and new principles and protocols for execution target verification are needed. In addition, different protected execution environments for dynamic execution such as Intel TDX and AMD SEV have different isolation properties and side channel risks. Side channel attacks on dynamically allocated confidential tasks are within the research scope of the positions. Furthermore, the resource allocation functions can be subject to attacks, and identifying attacks and countermeasures is expected to be studied. The research method will be a combination of system studies, simulations, and experimental research. The research projects are funded by Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program, and a research project, which is a collaboration between Lund, Linköping Universities, and KTH.

Work duties

The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies, which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties will also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

As a PhD student, you will perform experimental evaluations and publish your results in conferences or journals. 

Admission requirements 

A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant: 

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third-cycle studies in Electrical Engineering if the applicant has the following: 

• at least 60 second-cycle credits in subjects of relevance to electrical engineering, or
• an MSc in Engineering in biomedical engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, engineering mathematics, nanoengineering, engineering physics, or information and communication engineering.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
• Very good programming development skills and to work with complex computer and communication systems.  

Assessment criteria

Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following: 

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills.
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience. 

Other assessment criteria:

• Completed courses and/or master thesis work within computer security and/or cryptology.
• Industrial experience.
• Documented software development skills.
• Machine learning skills.
• Documented teaching and communication skills.
• Experience in hardware programming, particularly FPGA programming, experience in system programming, or a solid understanding of computer architecture would be an advantage. 

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive, and independence, and how the applicant, through experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave, and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. Read more on the University website about being a Lund University employee Work at Lund University. 

Terms of employment

Only those admitted to third-cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third-cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§. We intend to hire 1-4 doctoral students. 

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.). Please indicate which of the positions you are interested in, the Ph.D. student position in cryptography and/or the position in computer security.

Welcome to apply!