The Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services (SCS) group at the University of Twente is looking for a full-time PhD to join the research team, working on Secure Cloud. The position is funded by the Dutch organisation for Applied Research TNO.

In this PhD project, we intend to research the use of fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) for building cloud functionality. In theory, FHE is the perfectly secure tool for storing and processing sensitive data in an untrusted cloud environment. However, this innovative encryption method introduces a significant overhead leading to a large computational and communication effort. Recent scientific results have shown progress to overcome this burden by e.g. software and hardware speed-ups.

The goal is to study the current state-of-the-art in FHE-based solutions for cloud functionality and develop ways to build cryptographic cloud components that could be used for e.g. Federated Mission Networking. You will be working part-time at TNO in The Hague and collaborate with an inspiring team of cryptographers. Therefore, a security screening will be part of the selection process.

As the prospective PhD candidate, you will be appointed for a period of four years, and you are expected to perform high-quality research that gets published at some of the top security or cryptography conferences. This position offers a mix of theoretical work - such as defining novel cryptographic protocols and proving their security - and more practical work in which you will implement prototypes of these protocols and potentially integrate them into existing cloud infrastructure.

The SCS group is internationally recognized in the broad areas of systems and data security and is unique for its collaborative and friendly atmosphere, in which researchers have considerable freedom in picking their projects and receive substantial support from supervisors and colleagues. We publish in top-tier conferences to maximize our visibility and impact, and we can guide you toward becoming a top researcher and boosting your CV. Besides, during the PhD, you will have the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and network by joining international exchange programs, participating in national and international conferences, and visiting other research institutes and universities worldwide.

• You are a highly motivated and enthusiastic researcher, aspiring to do world-class research and have real-world impact.
• You have a solid background in cryptography and you enjoy learning about existing cryptographic tools and protocols, and developing new ones.
• You have a MSc degree with excellent grades in computer science, mathematics, or a closely related discipline; applications from students who are about to finish their MSc degree studies will be considered as well.
• You have solid software development skills that you optimally applied already to write programs that include cryptography.
• You are an independent and original thinker with a creative mindset and excellent analytical and communication skills.
• You are curious and interested in learning how things work and how to make them better.
• You have great team spirit and like to work in an internationally-oriented and interdisciplinary environment.
• You are fluent in English.

• As a PhD candidate at UT, you will be appointed to a full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year, within a very stimulating and exciting scientific environment;
• The University offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues;
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU);
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 2.770,- (first year) to € 3.539,- (fourth year);
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis;
• Free access to sports facilities on campus;
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other staff.

Digitalization brings many new opportunities for businesses and governments by fostering the development of innovative online services. However, this development also brings new challenges, notably in terms of intelligence, interoperability, security, and privacy. The mission of the Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services (SCS) group is to advance the development of innovative online services with improved quality through context-alignment and with reduced security and privacy threats.

SCS is part of the Twente University Centre for Cybersecurity Research (TUCCR), a public-private partnership where experts, professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students from industry and knowledge partners collaborate to deliver talents, innovations, and know-how in the domain of cybersecurity. The mission of TUCCR is to strengthen the security and digital sovereignty of our society by performing top-level research on real-world data, systems, and network security challenges. To achieve significant societal impact, TUCCR combines technical, socio-economic, and ethical know-how and is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, ranging from security labs, testbeds, and data lakes.