PhD Student in Adaptive and Distributed Post-Quantum Cryptography for Constrained Object Meshes (M/F)
RESPONSIBILITIES:
As part of your thesis, you will join our research laboratory and contribute to the design and validation of new post-quantum cryptography approaches adapted to mesh networks of constrained objects: connected objects, drone swarms, or satellite networks.
- Context and Challenge
6G plans to interconnect heterogeneous objects organized in mesh topologies, often ad hoc, without fixed infrastructure or a permanently available trust authority. The exchanged data can be critical and require long-term confidentiality. However, while post-quantum cryptography addresses the quantum threat, its deployment on resource-limited equipment constitutes a major scientific challenge.
- Problem
Post-quantum mechanisms generate keys, ciphertexts, and signatures that are more voluminous than their classical equivalents. On low-bitrate networks and battery-powered nodes, their use can lead to overhead, losses, retransmissions, and excessive energy consumption. Added to these constraints are implementation attacks, notably via side channels and assisted by artificial intelligence, as well as the need to distribute trust in the absence of a central authority.
- Objective
This thesis aims to design, analyze, and validate an adaptive and distributed post-quantum security framework guaranteeing end-to-end quantum resistance, energy and network efficiency, trust distribution through threshold cryptography, and robustness against implementation attacks. The work will revolve around four research questions:
- How to optimize end-to-end cryptographic strength on a dynamic graph according to channel, energy, mobility, and load?
- What is the impact of cryptographic cost on mesh stability and connectivity and its articulation with routing?
- How to adapt post-quantum threshold cryptography to constrained nodes?
- What robustness do adaptive configurations maintain against side-channel attacks and artificial intelligence attacks?
The work will combine simulation, embedded prototyping, and experimental validation and is intended to be showcased through international scientific publications.
PROFILE SOUGHT:
You are a graduate of an engineering school or hold a Master 2, or equivalent degree, in computer science, cybersecurity, cryptography, networks and telecommunications, embedded systems, or applied mathematics, and wish to engage in an ambitious research project in post-quantum cryptography. You possess solid knowledge in cryptography and security. Knowledge or initial experience in the following areas will be particularly appreciated:
- Wireless networks, ad hoc networks, and connected objects;
- Post-quantum cryptography and associated standards;
- Network simulation, notably with ns-3 or OMNeT++;
- Programming in C and Python;
- Development on embedded systems, notably ARM Cortex-M or RISC-V;
- Probabilities, statistics, and optimization;
- Side-channel attacks and machine learning applied to security.
You master scientific English in writing and reading and demonstrate a real interest in research, experimentation, and the scientific dissemination of the work conducted.