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EURAXESS

Postdoctoral Researcher in Compositional Approaches in Cryptography and/or Cybersecurity

Tallinn University of Technology
1 Mar 2024

Job Information

Organisation/Company
Tallinn University of Technology
Department
Department of Software Science
Research Field
Computer science » Other
Researcher Profile
Recognised Researcher (R2)
Country
Estonia
Application Deadline
Type of Contract
Temporary
Job Status
Full-time
Hours Per Week
40
Offer Starting Date
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?
HE
Reference Number
101087529
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?
No

Offer Description

The Department of Software Science of TalTech invites applications to fill in a postdoctoral researcher position.

CONTEXT

In recent years applied category research has resulted in a suite of techniques that can collectively be described as a theory of processes and resources. The associated string diagrammatic syntax is intuitive yet powerful: concepts such as functoriality and compositionality allow the rigorous and modular description of processes at various levels of abstraction.

The goal of this post is to develop a theory of composable crytpgraphic/cybersecurity protocols akin to the work of Broadbent and Karvonen [1], building on an appropriate selection of underlying cryptographic/organisational assumptions. The goal is to make cryptographic/cybersecurity protocols, for example Zero-Knowledge protocols [2], understandable to non-experts while not sacrificing rigour.

[1] A. Broadbent, M. Karvonen. Categorical Composable Cryptography. In Proceeedings of FoSSaCS 2022.

[2] D. Firsov, D. Unruh. Zero-Knowledge in Easycrypt. In Proceedings of CFS 2023.

TASKS

  • Perform high-level research in collaboration with a team of Tallinn-based researchers in academia and industry: Prof Pawel Sobocinski (TalTech), Dr Niels Voorneveld (Cybernetica), Dr Denis Firsov (Matter Labs).
  • Disseminate research results in top-tier conferences and journals.
  • Contribute to the goals of the Horizon Europe CHESS (Cybersecurity Excellence Hub in Estonia and South Moravia) project https://chess-eu.cs.ut.ee/, funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101087529.
  • Help to supervise graduate students in the Laboratory for Compositional Systems and Methods and have the opportunity to contribute to teaching.

Employment contract period: 1 September 2024 - 28 February 2026.
Monthly gross salary for the position: 3000 euros.
Contact person for further information: Pawel Sobocinski, pawel.sobocinski@taltech.ee

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

To apply for the job, please send the following documents in English by 28 March 2024 at the latest by clicking the application link:

  • a motivation letter; 
  • documents proving that the candidate holds the required academic degree for the position applied; 
  • a CV, including a list of publications;
  • an academic portfolio, including a motivated self-evaluation regarding compliance with the requirements for the researcher position set out in the Academic Career Management Regulation, Annex 3 “Academic Evaluation Matrix” (shall be submitted by a university staff member only) or a free format evaluation of the academic activity undertaken so far and the competencies required for work (shall be submitted by an external candidate only) detailing how the candidate meets the qualifications of the position; 
  • other documents considered important by the candidate.

Regarding further information on the application documents and recruitment process please contact TalTech HR konkurss@taltech.ee.

Requirements

Research Field
Computer science
Education Level
PhD or equivalent
Research Field
Mathematics
Education Level
PhD or equivalent
Specific Requirements
  • PhD degree in Computer Science, Mathematics or a closely related field.
  • Has published work in one or more of the following fields: category theory, cryptography, cybersecurity.
  • Is motivated to perform interdisciplinary research across the boundaries of the above three sub-disciplines.
  • Advanced English is required, Estonian language is a plus.
Languages
ENGLISH
Level
Excellent

Additional Information

Benefits

TalTech has a green and one of the most compact university campuses in Europe that includes the Tehnopol Tallinn Science Park. Low hierarchy, academic freedom and a balanced work and family life are valued at TalTech. The university provides individual development and training opportunities, material and non-material tokens of acknowledgement, sporting opportunities at TalTech Sports Club and all-staff activities.

Additional comments

Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) is the flagship in engineering and IT science and education in Estonia, providing higher education at all levels in engineering and technology, information technology, economics, science, and maritime. TalTech’s mission is to be a promoter of science, technology, and innovation and a leading provider of engineering and economic education in Estonia. The university has over 2000 employees and over 10 000 students, and approximately 70 000 alumni.

The Department of Software Science was established on January 1, 2017 as part of the structural reform of Tallinn University of Technology. The purpose of the research groups at the Department of Software Science is to advance internationally and nationally relevant state of the art in research in the areas of computer science, information systems, data science, artificial intelligence and cyber defence.

The Compositional Methods and Systems group of the Department of Software Science focusses on harnessing compositional techniques to improve software trustworthiness in several application areas, including concurrency theory, quantum programming and AI safety and trustworthiness.

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available
1
Company/Institute
Tallinn University of Technology
Country
Estonia
State/Province
Other / Non-US
City
Tallinn
Postal Code
12618
Street
Akadeemia tee 21B, zip code 12618

Contact

City
Tallinn
Website
Street
Ehitajate tee 5
Postal Code
19086
E-Mail
konkurss@taltech.ee