TENURE TRACK POSITION FOR A RESEARCHER IN THE FIELD OF APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY

FBK is a private research institution devoted to excellence in research in numerous disciplines and designated to the role of keeping the Autonomous Province of Trento in the mainstream of European and international research. Each research area is assigned to a specific research center, of which there are twelve totals. Information regarding the research centers, their activities and production is available at . The FBK Cyber Security Center (CS) develops digital technology and cyber security to foster collaboration between various stakeholders through a combination of IT risk management techniques (to develop innovative security solutions that mitigate vulnerabilities and reduce the risk of attacks) and trust management techniques (to improve the interaction between people and technology). As part of the FBK mission, which aims to achieve results of scientific excellence and to produce an impact on society, the Center's mission is to make these techniques available to the largest number of organizations, including SMEs, which account for a substantial part of the EU economy but lack cybersecurity expertise. To this end, integrating automated cyber risk assessment support with trust management that will produce operational suggestions to assist ICT solutions designers, developers, and administrators in their daily activities is critical. The ALEPH research unit of the Cyber Security Centre pursues research in the field of applied cryptography, from algorithms and protocols through implementation to real-world applications. Its activities include assessing the suitability of novel cryptographic schemes for practical purposes in digital identity and access control, and research into new protocols building on these schemes. Our scenarios of interest range from electronic identity documents and digital credential wallets to cloud services, cryptographic access control, as well as post-quantum cryptography candidates recently announced by NIST. FBK actively seeks diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is also committed to promoting gender equality. Job Description The purpose of FBK’s Tenure Track program is to offer high-level professionals the opportunity of pursuing a structured career path to become a tenured researcher contributing to the long-term strategy of the organization. Within this framework, FBK-CS is seeking a dynamic, highly motivated researcher to be included in a cross-unit team working on the security of distributed computing environments. The candidate will be involved in research work aimed at designing, implementing, and assessing advanced techniques which leverage applied cryptography to secure communications and data in cloud-edge, distributed, and decentralized computing scenarios, with particular attention to the trade-off between complexity, efficiency, usability, and security. The research shall be applied to different scenarios such as cloud and edge/IoT, industry 4.0, healthcare, and address the requirements of different stakeholders, including telecommunication or cloud infrastructure operators, technology vendors, or end-users. The candidate will join the Cyber Security research center and will work with partners involved in industrial collaborations or national and international research and innovation projects. The candidate is expected to: Research and develop innovative cryptography for enhancing the trustworthiness of critical and distributed systems, digital identity, and access control, e.g., secure multi-party computation, threshold cryptography, electronic voting, zero-knowledge proofs for privacy-enhancing protocols, and attribute-based encryption; Develop and assess the performance of cryptographic primitive and protocol implementations with a view to concrete scenarios of interest; Be involved in project management activities (EU and industrial projects); Contribute to the achievement of research results in the Center, being able to research with autonomy, propose new topics of interest to the center, and contribute to the definition of research methodologies; Contribute to the communication and dissemination of research outputs by engaging at national and international events, leading to the successful publication of high-quality scientific articles in international conferences and journals; Co-advise students at Bachelor, Master, and PhD levels. The Ideal Candidate should have: PhD (or equivalent experience) in Mathematics, Computer Science or related fields; Solid background and research experience in cryptographic technology for the cloud and distributed systems, particularly: cryptographic access control and attribute-based cryptography; searchable encryption; threshold cryptography; key distribution; secure multi-party computation; distributed ledgers; and consensus algorithms; Experience with assessment and security proofs of cryptographic protocols; Good publication track record in the fields of the proposal position; Good programming skills in applied cryptography and prototyping of cryptographic protocols, preferably in Rust/C/Python; Good knowledge and proficiency in the English language; Working experience in the context of international and collaborative research projects; Team working attitude; Autonomy in developing research plans and organizing working activities. In particular, the following specific experience is preferable: Knowledge of cloud security challenges; Ability to analyze complex processes and systems to address the trade-offs between usability and security; Experience in implementing scientific research and development activities. Employment Type of contract: Tenure Track position leading to an FBK 3rd Level Researcher (R3) permanent contract. Duration: The maximum duration of the Tenure Track contract is up to 5 years (which may be reduced in accordance with the Committee assessment on the candidate's abilities and skills). If the final assessment of the Tenure Track experience is positive, the selected candidate for the tenure track position will be offered a permanent R3 contract. Working hours: full time (38 h per week). Gross annual salary: about 44.000€, plus objectives achievement bonus. Start date: March 2025. Workplace: Povo, Trento (Italy). Benefits: flexi-time, company subsidized cafeteria or meal vouchers, internal car park, welcome office support for visa formalities, accommodation, supplementary pension and health fund, training courses, public transport, sports facilities, language courses fees. Further details at . Application Candidates are required to submit their applications by filling in the webform available at . Please ensure that your application includes the following attachments (.pdf format): Detailed CV including a publications list; Cover Letter (explaining your motivation for this specific position); Statement of Research Interests; A list of three professional references (e-mails and phone numbers). Application deadline: 30th December 2024. Please read our Regulations “Guidelines for Tenure Track positions” and Tenure Track FAQ before completing your application. For further information or technical issues regarding the application, please contact the Human Resources Service at . #J-18808-Ljbffr