Formal Methods Research Intern

Riverside Research Institute•Lexington, MA

5d•$25 - $35•Hybrid

About The Position

The Secure and Resilient Systems group seeks a Formal Methods Research Intern to support the specification and verification of systems-level software. This role offers the opportunity to work alongside a team of experienced computer scientists and cybersecurity professionals on cutting-edge research initiatives. This position will focus on establishing meaningful cyber and systems security properties. Throughout the internship, you will gain hands-on experience with and develop a deep understanding of formal methods, building valuable skills in secure systems development.

Requirements

Enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in Computer Science, Computer Security, Formal Methods, Automated Reasoning, or related major
Ability to work collaboratively on speculative research projects
Experience with functional and imperative programming
Exposure to programming language concepts, definitions, and implementations (type systems, operational semantics, interpreters, compilers, etc.)
Exposure to Linux or Unix-like systems
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Able to obtain a clearance in the future if needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Rocq, Lean, or similar proof assistant
Exposure to the Rust programming language
Exposure to proof techniques (progress and preservation, logical relations, separation logic, refinement, translation validation, symbolic execution, etc.)
Foundational knowledge of cybersecurity principles (non-interference, robust property preservation, etc.)
Experience with version control or other software collaboration tools
Superior written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

Develop technical fluency in formal methods for cyber and system security
Build specifications/proofs in proof assistants like Rocq and Lean
Build tools/capabilities in programming languages like Rust and OCaml
Document and communicate design decisions, technical challenges, and progress to technical management
Collaborate with team members on all aspects of formal methods research, identifying machine-checkable properties of interest, developing and applying tools to check such properties, verifying such tools, reviewing papers/proposals, etc.