PhD Candidate in AI and Hardware Security

Join Us!
We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a computer security and/or machine learning background to join the Parallel Computing Systems (PCS) group at the University of Amsterdam. We look for vulnerabilities of AI systems across the whole AI system: from adversarial examples, backdoors and model extraction attacks to physical side-channel and fault injection attacks on AI chips. We build defenses that are both robust and efficient. A strong background in machine learning, hardware or security, together with the drive to develop expertise in the other areas, is highly valued. You'll get hands-on access to the hardware lab and close supervision.

This is what you will do
In this project, you will work to secure AI hardware by investigating vulnerabilities at the algorithm, software, and hardware levels and developing countermeasures to address them. You will study how weaknesses in one layer can be exploited through another. For example, side-channel leakage from an accelerator can be used to extract neural network parameters.

Tasks and responsibilities:

• designing and carrying out realistic security evaluations on AI algorithms and hardware, such as model extraction, fault injection, and side-channel analysis, on platforms including NPUs, GPUs and other AI chips;
• investigating how vulnerabilities arise and how weaknesses at the algorithm, software, and hardware levels interact, and developing models and tools to explain these mechanisms;
• developing models and tools to explain why these vulnerabilities arise. Designing hardware-aware countermeasures that are robust, low-overhead and practical to deploy;
• validating your methods experimentally on real device in hardware lab, not only in simulation;
• publishing your results in leading international conference and journals, and completing a PhD thesis within four years;
• presenting your work at international venues and helping to build collaborations with academic and industrial partners;
• contributing to teaching (about 10% of your time), for example as a teaching assistant or by supervising Bachelor and Master students.

What we ask of you
Your experience and profile

• an MSc in computer science or a related field;
• a strong background and interest in AI and hardware security;
• a demonstrated ability to perform research (for instance in the form of publications or a Master thesis);
• the willingness to work collaboratively with other researchers;
• professional command of English and presentation skills

This is what we offer you
A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years). The preferred starting date is as soon as possible. This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,204 to € 4,051 (scale P). This does not include 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% year-end allowance. The UFO profile PhD Candidate is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Curious about our extensive secondary benefits package? You can read more about it here.

You will work in this team
The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The Parallel Computing Systems (PCS) group at the University of Amsterdam performs research on the design, programming and run-time management of parallel and distributed computer systems. The modeling, analysis and optimization of the extra-functional aspects of these systems, such as performance, power/energy consumption, thermals, reliability, and security but also the degree of productivity to design and program these systems, play a pivotal role in this work.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Projectleider Technisch Onderhoud

Als projectleider technisch onderhoud heb je de regie over meerdere planmatige onderhoudsprojecten: van voorbereiding tot oplevering en nazorg. Je zorgt voor een passende aanpak en goede afstemming, zodat werkzaamheden veilig en zorgvuldig kunnen plaatsvinden in gebouwen en aan installaties die intensief worden gebruikt voor onderwijs, onderzoek en patiëntenzorg. Je brengt verschillende belangen samen en bewaak je de voortgang van je projecten.

Jouw werkzaamheden:

• werkomschrijvingen, bestekken, begrotingen en doorloopplanningen (laten) opstellen en beoordelen;
• onderhoudswerkzaamheden inkopen en aanbestedingen begeleiden;
• het voorbereiden, coördineren en bewaken van onderhoudsprojecten, van initiatief tot oplevering en nazorg;
• aannemers, adviseurs en andere externe partijen aansturen en afspraken over planning, kwaliteit en resultaat bewaken;
• sturen op budget, risico’s, planning, kwaliteit en een zorgvuldige projectadministratie.

Het onderhoud gebeurt met nauwe afstemming met de gebruikers van de gebouwen. Je werkt samen met collega’s binnen Onderhoud & Beheer, Facilitair medewerkers, adviseurs en aannemers.

Assistant/Associate Professor In III-V Photonic Integration

As an Assistant/Associate Professor, you will:

• Develop new research lines on photonic integrated circuit design and/or integration technologies and realize prototype photonic integrated circuit with both scientific and real-world impact. We are looking for candidates that can leverage our in-house research infrastructure and/or collaborate with external fabrication partners.
• Collaborate across disciplines, most notably the wider field of semicon, to explore new forms of integrated systems, enabling further miniaturization, and develop new integration paradigms.
• Contribute to TU/e’s educational mission by teaching and developing BSc and MSc courses, supervising PhD students and postdocs, and potentially contributing to the university’s life-long learning goals.
• Acquire research funding from national and European programs (e.g., Dutch, Horizon Europe, ERC) and industry collaborations.

In this role, you will contribute to the ambition of the Dutch national Beethoven program to attract and educate top talent in the field of semicon, with the aim of strengthening Dutch and European industry.

Assistant/Associate Professor In Physics and engineering of reliability in PICs

As an Assistant/Associate Professor, you will:

• Develop an internationally recognized research program on the reliability, robustness, and lifetime of photonic integrated circuits and integrated light sources, combining experimental and modeling approaches to understand, predict, and mitigate failure mechanisms. The successful candidate will establish new research directions in failure and reliability mechanisms in integrated photonics, with a particular focus on wafer-scale and heterogeneous integration, leveraging our unique and world-leading research infrastructure.
• Collaborate across disciplines, most notably the wider field of semicon, to explore synergies and common physics and failure and degradation mechanisms
• Contribute to TU/e’s educational mission by teaching and developing BSc and MSc courses, supervising PhD students and postdocs, and potentially contribute to the university’s life-long learning goals.
• Acquire research funding from national and European programs (e.g., Dutch, Horizon Europe, ERC) and develop strategic collaborations with leading academic and industrial partners in photonics and semiconductors.

In this role, you will contribute to the ambition of the Dutch national Beethoven program to attract and educate top talent in the field of semicon, with the aim of strengthening our industry.

Assistant/Associate Professor In High-Frequency InP Electronics

As an Assistant/Associate Professor, you will:

• Develop an independent research line in innovative electronic device technologies that can push the frontiers of advanced electronics for high-performance circuits, with potential applications in data centers, AI acceleration, 6G, radar, and sensor technologies.
• Explore areas such as high-speed III-V component design, semiconductor epitaxial engineering, and fabrication of active components (e.g., diodes, HEMTs, HBTs), thereby leveraging our existing research infrastructure, like our cleanroom infrastructure and process knowledge.
• Contribute to TU/e’s educational mission by teaching BSc and MSc courses, supervise PhD students and postdocs, and potentially contribute to life-long learning activities.
• Actively pursue research funding through national and European programs (e.g., Dutch subsidy, Horizon Europe, European Research Councial, Chips Joint Undertaking) and industry collaborations.

In this role, you will contribute to the ambition of the Beethoven program to educate top talent and strengthen research across the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).