PhD Student in Embedded Systems Cybersecurity

Vedi l’offerta su Go Lavoro: golavoro.it/annuncio-lavoro/7k0np4

PhD Position – Zero-Trust Virtualization Architectures for Secure Systems

Funded by Agenzia per la Cybersicurezza Nazionale (ACN)

This PhD project focuses on the design of next-generation secure computing architectures to address the growing threat of hardware and operating system vulnerabilities, including microarchitectural side-channel attacks such as Spectre and Meltdown. The research will investigate zero-trust virtualization architectures that leverage hypervisor-based isolation to separate high-performance and trusted execution domains, enabling advanced security mechanisms without incurring unacceptable system-wide performance penalties.

The project includes the development of strong isolation techniques for shared hardware resources, runtime side-channel detection mechanisms, in-kernel trusted execution environments, and hardware/software co-design solutions. Another key research direction that can be explored is the extension of the open RISC-V architecture with security-oriented features, including cache partitioning, secure interrupt management, DMA isolation, and memory subsystem protection.

The successful candidate will contribute to cutting-edge research at the intersection of computer architecture,



operating systems, virtualization, and hardware security.

Host Institution: Real-Time Systems Laboratory (ReTiS Lab) of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy The ReTiS Lab is an internationally recognized research laboratory focusing on real-time systems, embedded computing, operating systems, cyber-physical systems, computer architecture, and dependable and secure computing. The lab conducts both fundamental and applied research in collaboration with leading academic institutions and industrial partners.

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna is a prestigious public university in Pisa, Italy, recognized as one of the country's Schools of Excellence. It combines advanced education with world-class research in engineering, economics, law, political sciences, agricultural sciences, and medical sciences, fostering an interdisciplinary and international research environment.

Applications are OPEN here: https://www.santannapisa.it/en/fellowship-phd-asi-and-acn

Emerging Digital Technologies ACN

Zero-Trust Virtualization Architectures for Mitigating Hardware-Induced Side-Channel Attacks

Vedi l’offerta su Go Lavoro: golavoro.it/annuncio-lavoro/7k0np4