Description

FPGA/ASIC Design and Hardware Security Research Engineer-CIPHER

Submit Resume ID: 497509 Type: Researchers Location: Atlanta, GA Categories: Cybersecurity, Embedded Systems, Hardware Development/Design, Electromagnetics, Modeling/Simulation, Signal Processing

Project/Unit Description

The Trusted Microelectronics Program Office (TMPO) researches microelectronic applications, CAD tools, architectures, and materials to evaluate the security, trust, and reliability of microelectronic devices and the critical systems which rely upon them. TMPO develops tools and techniques in the areas of assurance, anti-tamper, and reliability for FPGAs, ASICs, SoCs, microcontrollers, and other microelectronics. TMPO employees are Research Faculty of Georgia Tech and have the opportunity for dual appointments and teaching positions with other departments of the university. TMPO is a division of GTRI's cyber security lab which contains 300+ engineers and scientists and represents >10% of the total research award funding at Georgia Tech.

Job Purpose

Microelectronics expert to research and contribute to the design, synthesis, characterization, packaging, testing, reliability, security, and trustworthiness of nano-fabricated microelectronic semiconductor devices. This may include research of prototype or commercial semiconductor devices and tools, e.g., ASICs, FPGAs. This position involves close collaboration with a highly technical team of research leaders to accomplish task and program objectives, contribute technically to proposal ideation, and conceive and execute internal research efforts refining core research processes and capabilities. Responsibilities range from CAD/EDA tools development, semiconductor nano-device design, fabrication, and verification, to clean-room equipment utilization. Formal methods and other advanced algorithmic techniques will be leveraged to enable and evaluate security and trustworthiness pre and post-fabrication. The position will utilize a wide range of knowledge from semiconductor physics to micro/nano synthesis and fabrication tools, and develop novel techniques, algorithms, and tools to evaluate CAD/EDA flows, architectures, materials, and fabricated devices with new properties and features.

Key Responsibilities

Utilize industry standard microelectronic design and verification tools (.e.g Vivado, Quartus, Cadence, Modelsim, OneSpin)

Apply knowledge of microelectronic circuitry and its design implementation into microelectronics hardware security techniques

Develop custom software and scripting solutions in support of microelectronic design security and analysis

May Implement software interfacing with microelectronic design EDA/CAD tools

May Implement advanced algorithms covering graph analysis, data analysis, and clustering

Utilize basic microelectronics laboratory equipment (oscilloscopes, signal generators, logic analyzer, optical microscopes, soldering equipment) to support design, analysis, and verification tasks

Develop and maintain familiarity with at least one of the following languages: Verilog, VHDL, Python, C, C++, Rust, Kotlin, or Java (or similar)

Contribute small sections to technical reports and presentations

Additional Responsibilities

Research methodologies using novel combinations of commercial, open- source, and custom tools to implement security enhancements to standard FPGA/ASIC design, verification, and hardware testing practices

Utilize analysis techniques involving low-level (RTL and gate) design inspection, simulation, formal methods, and bench testing to identify and characterize security and trust concerns of existing designs

Execute experiments using custom devices, PCBs, and/or simulations to characterize physical parameters, properties, and behaviors of microelectronic semiconductor devices

Required Minimum Qualifications

Candidates currently enrolled in an accredited degree program relevant to this position will be considered.

Strong understanding of embedded systems, hardware design, digital logic design, and various microelectronic architectures

Competency designing hardware leveraging at least one industry-standard HDL language (i.e., Verilog, SystemVerilog, VHDL)

Experience working with at least one major FPGA vendor design tool suite (i.e., Xilinx Vivado, Altera/Intel Quartus, Microsemi Libero)

Preferred Qualifications

Active Top Secret Clearance

Hands-on experience with hardware testing, troubleshooting, and embedded hardware/software integration using general laboratory test equipment such as oscilloscopes and logic analyzers

FPGA/ASIC design experience with common hardware interfaces (e.g., UART, SPI, I2C), data flow (e.g., FIFOs, clock domain crossing), and bus protocols (e.g., AXI, AMBA)

Experience performing verification of hardware designs leveraging industry-standard tools and methodologies (e.g., ModelSim/Questa, SystemVerilog, UVM)

Experience using Python/Octave/MATLAB/Simulink for modeling digital signal processing blocks

Experience with analog/digital circuit design and PCB design and manufacturing

Experience with embedded C/C++ programming and a high-level scripting language (e.g. Python, TCL)

Comfortable working in a Linux environment

Travel Requirements

<10% travel

Education and Length of Experience

This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook

0 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or similar technical area.

U.S. Citizenship Requirements

Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens.

Clearance Type Required

Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance.

Benefits at GTRI

Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: https: // hr.gatech.edu/benefits

Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) at Georgia Tech Research Institute aims to enhance the Institute's mission of solving the world's most complex technical problems by creating a workforce with a shared appreciation for diversity, raising awareness around inclusiveness, and fostering a sense of belonging and appreciation for all members of our community.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Georgia Tech Research Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and actively seeks diversity among its employees. Equal Employment Opportunity is the Law.

Posted: 04/29/2022 Closes: 05/29/2022