[agents] Ph.D. Position in Security Modeling at IRISA in Rennes, France

[Barbara Kordy]

Looking for a Ph.D. thesis that combines computer security and mathematics?
IRISA, the computer science laboratory of Rennes in France, seeks to 
hire an
outstanding Ph.D. student to perform research in the field of formal 
modeling
and analysis of security. The position is within the project entitled
"Attack-Defense Trees for Computer Security: Formal Modeling of 
Preventive and
Reactive Countermeasures".

Description of work
---------------------
Attack-defense trees constitute a methodology to represent how an attacker
may compromise a system and how a defender can protect it against potential
attacks. The project's objective is to increase the expressive power of
attack-defense trees by integrating reactive countermeasures into the 
formalism.
The main tasks of the Ph.D. student will be to
- Develop mathematical foundations for attack-defense trees distinguishing
   between protective and reactive countermeasures;
- Propose quantitative evaluation techniques for attack-defense trees with
   protective and reactive countermeasures;
- Validate the extended model in real-life case studies performed in 
collaboration
   with industry;
- Co-supervise master students.

A detailed description of the thesis topic is available at
http://people.irisa.fr/Barbara.Kordy/vacancies.php

Candidate's profile
--------------------
The candidate is expected to have:
- A Master degree in computer science or mathematics;
- A proven interest in formal methods and formal modeling;
- Excellent written and oral English skills.

Background in computer security will be a plus. Knowledge of French is 
not required.

Work environment
-----------------
We offer a three year appointment funded by the French Ministry of Higher
Education and Research. The successful candidate will participate in the
activities of the Embedded Security and Cryptography (EMSEC) research team
(http://www.irisa.fr/emsec/) co-led by Prof. Dr. Gildas Avoine and Prof. 
Dr.
Pierre-Alain Fouque. The student will be supervised jointly by Dr. Barbara
Kordy (http://people.irisa.fr/Barbara.Kordy/) and Prof. Gildas Avoine
(http://www.avoine.net/).

IRISA (https://www.irisa.fr/en) is located in Rennes at the heart of the
beautiful Brittany region in the north-west of France. Rennes is situated
60km from the Atlantic Ocean, 60km from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of
Mont Saint-Michel, and 70km from the charming city of Saint Malo. Direct
high-speed rail service (TGV) connects Rennes with the center of Paris
within 2 hours and with the France's largest international airport
Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) within 3 hours.

Application
---------------
Applications should be written in English and include the following 
documents:
- Motivation letter clearly explaining the candidate's interest in the 
proposed
   topic and his/her fit to the position;
- Curriculum Vitae (including contact information, education and work 
experience,
   short description of the master thesis, list of publications, etc.);
- Transcript of grades from all university-level courses taken;
- Contact information for 2 referees.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is 
filled.
Documents should be submitted by e-mail to Dr. Barbara Kordy 
(barbara.kordy at irisa.fr).

Contact information
-----------------------
For further inquiries please contact Dr. Barbara Kordy 
(barbara.kordy at irisa.fr)

For more information about this vacancy please check
http://people.irisa.fr/Barbara.Kordy/vacancies/PhD_16.pdf