Embedded Hardware Security Research Engineer

Riverside Research Institute•Dayton, OH

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Riverside Research is seeking a mid-level Embedded Hardware Security Research Engineer to work alongside our US Air Force (USAF) and Department of Defense (DoD) partners to develop tamper-protected microelectronic devices and intellectual property (IP). This position is a mid-level engineering role that provides a technical path and opportunity to become a Subject Matter Expert (SME) role in the understanding of advanced attacks against state-of-the-art integrated circuits and the design and development of protective controls to mitigate such attacks. You will work with nationally recognized hardware security experts employing a range of microelectronics test equipment, specialized software, and computing resources to provide exceptional support to our customers. This research work is conducted on-site in Riverside Research’s microelectronics and embedded systems security laboratory in Beavercreek, Ohio.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics, and 5 years direct experience, through courses or previous employment, or a Master's degree and 3 years direct experience or a PhD without experience.
Extensive experience developing IP with Verilog, VHDL, or SystemC.
Previous experience programming microcontrollers or microprocessors.
Proven knowledge on the design of security features of FPGAs or ASICs.
Fluency in programming and/or scripting in C, C++, Rust, or Python.
Previous experience in one or more of the following topics: side channel analysis, physically unclonable functions, reverse engineering, supply chain security, voltage or clock glitching.
Experience performing statistical analysis and performing data analysis.
Extensive experience using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc.).
Proven ability to work semi-independently on assigned tasks with limited scope and with technical supervision in a highly collaborative team-based R&D environment.
Experience in creating technical reports, developing research papers and presentations supporting research areas.
Willing to travel a few times per year.
An active Secret clearance is required to start and a Top Secret clearance and additional program approvals must be obtained and maintained for this position.

Nice To Haves

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics
Active security clearance.
Previous experience applying microelectronics to one or more of the following areas: Signal Processing, RF, Secure Communications, Machine Learning, Software Verification, or Cybersecurity
Understanding of cryptographic algorithms and protocols, or their implementation in embedded technologies including microcontrollers, FPGAs, ASICs.
Familiarity implementing hardware attacks including side-channel, glitching, and their countermeasures.
Familiarity using Virtual Machines (VirtualBox, VMWare, WSL, etc.), Linux OS, and other virtualization techniques
Understanding of sub-100 nm CMOS and FinFET device fabrication, assembly, and packaging including 3DICs.

Responsibilities

Performs research supporting assessment of state-of-the-art attack effectiveness against various microelectronic devices.
Supports development of hardware algorithms for secure microelectronic devices (microcontrollers, FPGAs, etc.).
Analyzes secure architectures to identify vulnerabilities.
Develops, maintains, adjusts, and reports on project status and timelines.
Collaborates with Government research leads to develop and present papers across a variety of DoD conferences and technical interchanges.
Supports Principal Investigator and Program Manager in the development and documentation of technical requirements for approved research areas.
Interacts with third-party vendors to collect appropriate source information as requested by program, leadership.
Documents findings in technical reports and presentations.
Develops and presents technical briefings to technical audiences and conferences.