Post-doctoral fellow in Model-Based Approach for Modeling and Assessing the Security of Cyber-physical Systems - CDD 12 months

Who we are ?

Télécom Paris, part of the IMT (Institut Mines-Télécom) and a founding member of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris, is one of France's top 5 general engineering schools.

The mainspring of Télécom Paris is to train, imagine and undertake to design digital models, technologies and solutions for a society and economy that respect people and their environment.

We are looking for a Post-Doctoral Fellow with a passion for modelling and assessing the security of cyber-physical systems to join our dynamic team in the IT and Networks Department at Télécom Paris. As a post-doc, you will develop methodologies for modelling and assessing security threats to complex systems (vehicles, medical devices, industrial systems), and will actively participate in research projects in collaboration with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris.


SCIENTIFIC CONTEXT

Cyber-physical systems (CPSs) have been receiving increasing interest from both researchers and industrial practitioners. These are smart embedded systems e.g., vehicles, aerospace systems, medical systems, or industrial control systems, that encompass computational (i.e., hardware and software) and physical components, seamlessly integrated and closely interacting to sense the changing state of the real world. These systems involve a high degree of complexity at numerous spatial and temporal scales and highly networked communications integrating computational and physical components.

However, interconnecting the cyber and physical worlds increases the attack surface and gives rise to new impactful security threats. The security of cyber-physical systems is a major challenge for their designers and maintainers. To address this challenge, a methodology able to specify expected security requirements properties of a system, deploy enforcement points and verify their efficiency is necessary. Such a methodology should allow to model complex (systems of) systems at several levels of abstraction to enable situational awareness to different actors in term of cybersecurity. Incidentally, the modeling should expose hints (metrics or interfaces) that an evaluator can instrument to check the efficiency of security countermeasures to protect the system under test.

The main objective of this work is two-fold: i) propose methodologies and tools to accurately model cyber-physical systems, as well as the security requirements, threats and remediations that apply to them, so that operators can gain different levels of insights and interact with it at increasing levels of accuracy; ii) design methodologies to assess the security of the system under test or its resilience to threats in the presence or absence of remediations with fine control over the inputs and conditions of the assessment environment, including metrics, probes, injection points, datasets (both legitimate and malicious activities).

The proposed postdoc position is part of the CERES project, within the frame of the CIEDS (Interdisciplinary Center for Defense and Security Studies) of the Institut Polytechnique de Paris. It is partially funded by the French Agency for Defense Innovation (AID) and ministry of armed forces.

Your tasks will be to:

- Continue our ongoing research work on the development of a model-based approach to assessing the safety of cyber-physical systems.

- Prototype the above using an architecture description language such as SysML and other languages required to model the intelligent building case study.

- Evaluate the approach using the intelligent building case study.

- Write documentation and research papers.


Main tasks:

- To carry out research assignments in the field of model-based systems engineering applied to safety by design.
- Provide supervision and tutoring.
- Contribute to the reputation of the School, the Institut Mines-Télécom and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris.

You must have in-depth theoretical and practical knowledge of model-driven systems engineering and cyber security. Fluency in English is essential.

You will also need to be able to work as part of a team, have good interpersonal and teaching skills, as well as an ability to summarise and write.

If you're passionate about model-based systems engineering applied to security by design and want to contribute to large-scale projects, come and join us!

Why join us?
You'll be working in a fast-growing, pleasant, green and accessible environment (especially for people with disabilities) just 20 km from Paris (RER B and C suburban train lines, close to major roads, shared shuttle departing from Porte d'Orléans). You will benefit from :

• 49 days annual leave (CA + RTT)
  
• flexible working hours (depending on department activity)
  
• telecommuting 1 to 3 days/week possible
  
• 75% public transport pass reimbursement
  
• Proximity to numerous sports facilities, concierge service, underground parking, in-house catering, etc.
  
• Staff association at school and ministry level
  
• Good to know: our social security contributions are lower than in the private sector

Other information :
Application deadline: november 30, 2024
Job type : 12 months fixed-term contract
Job description here

Scientific contact person: Dominique Blouin (dominique.blouin@telecom-paris.fr), Jean Leneutre (jean.leneutre@telecom-paris.fr), Gregory Blanc (gregory.blanc@telecom-sudparis.eu)

We recruit on the basis of skills, regardless of origin, age or gender, and all our positions are open to people with disabilities.