PhD on Symmetric Cryptography over Prime Fields and Integer Rings

Symmetric-key cryptography is of vital importance in the field of cybersecurity and data protection, offering tools for data encryption and authentication. While public-key cryptography is crucial for exchanging the key or signing data, symmetric cryptography guarantees better performance and faster speed for encrypting data.

Without doubt, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and Keccak/SHA-3 (Secure Hash Algorithm 3) are the two most used and famous symmetric cryptography algorithms. Winners of the standardization processes sponsored by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), they are currently adopted by the U.S. and the European governments. As the majority of the symmetric primitives published in the literature, they are designed to naturally operate over bits, in order to maximize their performances in Software and Hardware implementations.

At the current state of the art, the approach of designing symmetric primitives that naturally operate over bits is showing all its limit when those symmetric primitives are used in new emerging contexts, such as rising applications of practical importance including Format Preserving Encryption (FPE), Multi-Party Computation (MPC), Homomorphic Encryption (HE), and Zero-Knowledge (ZK). These applications are usually defined over prime finite fields, and more recently, even over integer rings. In order to work, such protocols and applications rely on the evaluation of symmetric cryptographic primitives (as ciphers and hash functions), whose details have a crucial impact on the performances of the considered application/protocol. From this point of view, using traditional symmetric primitives such as AES and Keccak/SHA-3 for performing operations over a prime fields or an integer ring represents a significant bottleneck in terms of performances.

As part of this project, your work will consist in designing, implementing, and analyzing dedicated symmetric  primitives operating directly over prime fields or integer rings, that can provide efficient solutions for rising applications of practical importance such as FPE, MPC, HE, and ZK.

Due to the novelty of these symmetric primitives, special attention will be given to their security, with the goals to improve the current cryptanalytic results, and to develop new innovative security arguments.

You will be supervised by Dr. Lorenzo Grassi in order to conduct research and publish the results at top-ranked international academic conferences and journals. You will be expected to collaborate with fellow PhD candidates and researchers from Coding Theory and Cryptology group in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and from other international institutions.

The successful candidate will be an integral part of the prestigious ERC Starting Grant 'Getting SYMmetric CryPtography Out of its Comfort ZONe' (SYMPZON). SYMPZON aims to reshape the process of designing and analyzing symmetric algorithms that operate over the integer rings, by both developing a new theoretical framework, and by constructing concrete cryptographic primitives for practical use cases.

Profile

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to join our research team in cryptography. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in mathematics, computer sciences, engineering, or a closely related field. The candidate must be highly motivated and be able to demonstrate their potential for conducting original research in symmetric cryptography.

Requirements:

• Hold a Master's degree (achieved with good results) in mathematics, computer science, engineering, or a related field, or you should expect to obtain such a degree soon.
• A good knowledge of algebra (including field and ring theories, and Gröbner basis) and good programming skills.
• A strong interest in cryptography, especially symmetric cryptography and its real-world deployment.
• If possible, some experience with (symmetric) cryptography.
• A research-oriented attitude.
• Fluent in spoken and written English (C1 level), with good communication, presentation and writing skills.
• A positive attitude and excellent interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work in a team and on own initiative.

Salary Benefits:

A meaningful job in a dynamic and ambitious university, in an interdisciplinary setting and within an international network. You will work on a beautiful, green campus within walking distance of the central train station. In addition, we offer you:

• Full-time employment for four years, with an intermediate evaluation (go/no-go) after nine months. You will spend 10% of your employment on teaching tasks.
• Salary and benefits (such as a pension scheme, paid pregnancy and maternity leave, partially paid parental leave) in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, scale P (min. €2,901 max. €3,707).
• A year-end bonus of 8.3% and annual vacation pay of 8%.
• High-quality training programs and other support to grow into a self-aware, autonomous scientific researcher. At TU/e we challenge you to take charge of your own learning process.
• An excellent technical infrastructure, on-campus children's day care and sports facilities.
• An allowance for commuting, working from home and internet costs.
• A Staff Immigration Team and a tax compensation scheme (the 30% facility) for international candidates. 

38 hours per week

De Rondom 70