Senior Hardware Security Researcher

Overview

Artificial Intelligence and Digital Research Centre

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct hardware and firmware security assessments, combining physical and logical attack techniques to identify and exploit vulnerabilities.
• Perform memory extraction from Flash, EEPROM, NOR/NAND, or other storage devices.
• Reverse engineer firmware and binaries using tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, or radare2 to uncover security weaknesses.
• Implement and automate custom test benches and toolchains for HW/SW analysis.
• Execute and analyse side-channel attacks (CPA, DPA, EM, timing, TVLA) and fault injection campaigns (voltage glitching, EMFI, laser) on embedded targets.
• Analyse secure boot, cryptographic primitives, and firmware protection mechanisms to identify design and implementation weaknesses.
• Interface with embedded systems through JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, and similar debug or communication protocols.
• Deliver clear, well-documented technical reports.

Required Qualifications

• At least 5 years of experience of hands-on experience in hardware or embedded system security, covering both physical and logical attack surfaces.
• Proven experience performing firmware extraction and analysis (memory dumping, patching, and reconstruction).
• Experience with side-channel analysis and/or fault injection (voltage glitching, EMFI, laser, etc.), and commercial platforms, such as ChipWhisperer or/and Riscure Inspector.
• Strong understanding of applied cryptography, secure protocol design, and embedded crypto implementations.
• Experience with embedded systems (ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, STM32, etc.) and debugging interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI).
• Advanced programming skills in Python, C, and assembly for hardware interfacing and comfortable working in Linux environments with build systems, cross-compilation, and version control (git).
• Solid knowledge of lab instrumentation: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, pulse generators, etc, as well as reverse engineering tools and techniques (Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, radare2, ARM/RISC-V disassembly).
• At TII, we help society to overcome its biggest hurdles through a rigorous approach to scientific discovery and inquiry, using state-of-the-art facilities and collaboration with leading international
• institutions.
• Our rigorous discovery and inquiry-based approach helps to forge new and disruptive breakthroughs in AI, advanced materials, autonomous robotics, cryptography, digital security, directed energy, quantum computing and secure systems.