PhD Position in mobile privacy, security, and transparency

Internet Analytics Group

Deadline for receipt of applications: 08 June 2021, 14:00h Europe/Madrid Time

The Internet Analytics Group headed by Dr. Narseo VALLINA-RODRÍGUEZ invites applicants for two fully funded PhD positions.

At IAG, we do impactful and exciting research in the areas of privacy and security, regulatory compliance (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, COPPA), and network measurements. Our primary goal is to understand the Internet as a first step towards making it a better and safer place for everyone. We are passionate about doing research as we are driven by our own curiosity as Internet users.

Our studies have real-world impact. Our work has been featured in international media outlets (e.g., New York Times, The Guardian, Financial Times, WSJ, and many others) and has influenced several regulatory actions against abusive developers and tracking services, and patching several security and privacy vulnerabilities present in major mobile operating systems. As a member of the group, the candidate will also have the opportunity to collaborate with top researchers from all over the world in a multi-disciplinary and international environment.

Candidates can contact Prof. Vallina-Rodriguez by email for additional information.

Academic Qualifications:

• BSc or MSc in computer science, electrical engineering, mathematics, software engineering, or a related field.

Skills Required:

• Interest in making the Internet a safer and better place.
• Good development skills (you might need to build innovative systems for getting empirical data!)
• Experience in network measurements or software analysis are a plus.
• Excellent analytical, technical, and problem solving skills.
• Very good organization and communication skills.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.

The selected student will be supervised by Dr. Narseo VALLINA-RODRÍGUEZ

PhD positions in Modelling, Decision Making, and Learning in Edge Networks

Edge Networks Group

Deadline for receipt of applications: 08 June 2021, 14:00h Europe/Madrid Time

Successful candidate will work on the design of edge networked systems to support novel applications from the Cyber-Physical Systems and the Internet of Things. Subtopics of interest include (but not limited to), Age of Information, Learning at the Edge, and Computation Offloading for fast ML inference.

What we offer

• International workplace with the oppotunity of collaborating with top research groups at the institute and elsewhere
• The prospect to publish at top-tier venues in networking/related fields
• Help with moving to Spain and settling at IMDEA
• Competitive salary package

Academic Qualifications

Masters or Bachelors in computer science, communication engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field with a solid academic record.

Skills Required

• Strong mathematical/analytical skills with a background in at least one of the following subjects: Probability and Random Processes, Design and Ananlysis of Algorithms, Convex Optimization, and Machine Learning.
• Programming skills in at least one language. Hands on experience with system implementation is an added plus.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English is mandatory.

The selected student will be supervised by Dr. Jaya Prakash Varma CHAMPATI

PhD position in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks

NETCOM Lab

Deadline for receipt of applications: 08 June 2021, 14:00h Europe/Madrid Time

The NETCOM Lab invites applications for a PhD Student position in Beyond 5G Mobile Networks. The student will work on advanced mobile network technologies, participating on EU projects and industry collaborations, involving the following topics and tasks:

• Design and implementation of mobile network algorithms and protocols
• Resource allocation models and algorithms
• Congestion control in mobile networks
• Beyond 5G mobile network architectures
• Performance analysis and experimental evaluation

Requirements

• Degree in electrical engineering, telecommunication engineering, computer science, telematics engineering, or equivalent disciplines
• Proficiency in English is mandatory
• Excellent academic transcripts
• Solid background in networking and mobile communications
• High motivation to conduct a PhD in the area of mobile networking

The selected student will be supervised by Dr. Albert Banchs.

PhD position in Cybercrime in Underground Ecosystems

Deadline for receipt of applications: 08 June 2021, 14:00h Europe/Madrid Time

Underground markets play a key role in the proliferation of cybercrime. Users with few technical skills can easily acquire services and tools in the darknet to set up their own criminal operations. An example is illicit crypto-mining campaigns, that use botnets rented in such markets to leverage stolen resources and covertly mine 4.4% of the entire Monero in circulation (circa 58 million USD) [1]. Profits generated by these campaigns introduce massive incomes to cyber-criminals. These incomes fuel the underground economy and gear other cyber-criminal activities. More importantly, these threats generally cause important economical loses to victims.

The purpose of this PhD is to develop data driven approaches to better understand how these communities are structured and the type of crimes they support.

As an outcome, in this PhD you will learn how to devise novel methods to fight against online crime.

[1] A First Look at the Crypto-Mining Malware Ecosystem: A Decade of Unrestricted Wealth. Sergio Pastrana and Guillermo Suarez-Tangil. ACM Internet Measurement Conference (IMC). Oct 21-23, 2019. Amsterdam, Netherlands

The position offers:

• The prospect to publish at top-tier venues
• The opportunity to work on a thrilling environment

The position requires:

• A degree in Computer Science or related field, with a solid academic record
• Background in statistical learning or data analysis
• Programming skills
• Proficiency in English

The selected student will be supervised by: Dr. Guillermo SUAREZ-TANGIL