Bachelor and Master Students (m/f/d/🦄)︎

Teaching Assistants

Starting in the winter term 2023/2024, there’ll be new courses offered by this group. As a teaching assistant, you will support teaching these courses. Since all these courses are new, it will be possible to attend the courses while being a teaching assistant!

Your future tasks:

• Beta testing new practical exercises, provide feedback early on, with the possibility to further improve/redesign these exercises.
• Assisting students with basic questions and tasks during the labs, such as setting up Android Studio & virtual devices.

Your skills:

• Strong programming background, preferred languages include Python, Java/Kotlin, Objective-C/Swift, JavaScript, Rust, C, C++.
• Optional: Experience in creating mobile applications on iOS or Android.
• Optional: Practical experience in the area of security testing, e.g., through participation in CTFs.
• Enrolled in a B.Sc./M.Sc. program in Germany.

Interested? Please send your CV and list of attended courses to jiska.classen(at)hpi.de!

Research Assistants

Do you want to gain practical knowledge in the area of mobile & wireless security? You can join as a student assistant early on and support ongoing research projects. This will be an ideal starting point for writing a thesis later on. Due to the real-world relevance of all projects, what you learn during this job will be valuable no matter if you decide to stay in academia or join industry later on.

Your future tasks:

• Reverse-engineer and analyse real-world software to find high-impact security vulnerabilities and uncover privacy issues.
• Create security research tooling, e.g., automated security scanning and testing frameworks, binary analysis scripts, wireless firmware instrumentation, creating and improving fuzzers, and more.
• Participate in writing papers — you’ll get assistance, as this is likely the first paper you’re writing, but willingness to document your findings in a structured way is required.

Required skills:

• Strong programming skills, depending on the project you choose.
• Previous knowledge in IT security, e.g., through your study program, as a working student in the industry, or participation in CTFs.
• Willingness to learn new skills, such as reverse engineering.
• Enrolled in a B.Sc./M.Sc. program in Germany.

What we offer:

• Challenging but supportive working environment, such that you have a chance to learn something new and interesting during your job.
• Support in presenting your work at prestigious conferences, including financial travel assistance.

Ready to learn something new and dive deep into applied security research? Please send your CV, list of attended courses, and other proofs for relevant skills to jiska.classen(at)hpi.de!

PhD/PostDoc Positions (m/f/d/🦄)

In this new team, we’re looking for a motivated PhD student or PostDoc. Potential research areas include mobile and wireless security on all layers — starting at the hardware level, continuing with firmware, operating systems, going up to popular applications and wireless protocols.

Your future tasks:

• Depending on your previous knowledge, the research area for you as a PhD/PostDoc could be one of the following: 
  • Mobile operating systems (iOS, Android),
  • wireless firmware & hardware attacks,
  • automated vulnerability finding including fuzzing,
  • design and implementation of secure solutions, or
  • … other topics related to the general research area, feel free to request a topic that matches your skills and interests.
• Publication of your work at top-tier international academic conferences.
• Presentation of you work to the more general public, e.g., speaking at Black Hat, DEF CON, CCC events, …
• Participate in teaching activities.

Your skills:

• Master’s degree (or PhD for postdoctoral position) in Computer Science or a related area by the time of appointment.
• Profound knowledge in the area of IT security (for postdoctoral candidates proven in the form of publications in these areas), preferably including practical experience through participation in CTFs or similar.
• Programming skills, ideally proven by participation in open-source software projects.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken).

What we offer:

• Collaborative work environment in a newly established research group.
• Outstanding setting to conduct top academic research with strong connections to industry.
• Flat hierarchies, motivated teams and none-bureaucratic cooperations.
• Working at the HPI campus in Potsdam-Babelsberg (S-Bahn station Griebnitzsee) near to Berlin.

We look forward to your application including a CV and motivation letter. Applications for the PhD position should also include a list of attended Master courses and grades, whereas applications for the PostDoc position should include contact information for two references.

Please submit your application documents (only as PDF) via email to: jiska.classen(at)hpi.de.