Do you want to make a difference in the emerging world of computing ushered by the open standard RISC-V?
The Computer Architecture for Embedded Systems (CAES) Chair at the University of Twente invites applications for a 4-year PhD position on the topic of "Design and characterization of Hardware Security methodologies for RISC-V."
We are looking for a talented and focused researcher with a strong background in digital design and computer architecture who has the ambition to contribute to creating novel approaches to achieve secure processor resilience against cybersecurity threats.
The successful applicant will be supervised by Dr. Ir. Marco Ottavi. During the four years appointment, the PhD student will have the opportunity to broaden their knowledge by joining international exchange programs, participating in national and international conferences and workshops, and visiting other research institutes and universities worldwide.
You will work within the framework of the KDT-JU-funded TRISTAN (Together for RISc-V Technology and ApplicatioNs) project. TRISTAN'S overarching aim is to expand, mature, and industrialize the European RISC-V ecosystem to compete with existing commercial alternatives.
Your project will focus on the activities:
- Investigating the security risks to the RISC-V processor and creating new attack models based on existing vulnerabilities.
- Developing design changes to improve the security of the RISC-V architecture against side-channel attacks and hardware Trojans in IP cores.
- Testing the effectiveness of these solutions using microarchitectural side-channel attacks such as Meltdown and Spectre, and/or analyzing power and electromagnetic traces for side-channel analysis.
Also, in collaboration with the other TRISTAN PhD candidate at the CAES Chair, you will explore dual-purpose modifications to the core to obtain both security and reliability enhancement.