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Grenoble INP - Institute of Engineering

PhD in Microelectronics: Security Sensors and Countermeasures for Detecting Physical X-ray Attacks Grenoble INP - Institute of Engineering in France

Degree Level

PhD

Field of study

Computer Science

Funding

Available

Deadline

Oct 14, 2026

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Country

France

University

Grenoble INP - Institute of Engineering

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Keywords

Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Materials Science
Semiconductor Physics
Digital Design
Microelectronics
Hardware Security
Attack Detection
Physics

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About this position

PhD opportunity in microelectronics at Grenoble INP - Institute of Engineering in Grenoble, France, focused on security sensors and countermeasures for detecting physical X-ray attacks.

This doctoral project is part of the ANR GALAXI project (Global and Local Advanced Attacks through X-Ray Irradiation), coordinated by TIMA and involving CEA-Leti, SIMaP, LCIS, LabHC, and Mines Saint-Étienne. The project studies how X-ray attacks affect secure circuits, including combinations with other physical vectors such as laser, electromagnetic, thermal, and side-channel attacks.

The PhD work is carried out in the WP3 activity on detection and countermeasures, co-led by LCIS and TIMA. The main scientific goal is to design robust sensors and countermeasures against X-ray and multimodal attacks. One research axis focuses on sensors that can detect X-ray exposure even when the device is powered off, including structures sensitive to total ionizing dose (TID) or laser, such as PUF-like structures and leakage sensors, together with mechanisms that can record and report an attack after restart. A second axis focuses on assessing existing countermeasures such as masking, hiding, and redundancy, and on designing new countermeasures resistant to both transient and permanent effects, with prototyping and validation on FPGA.

This PhD is suited to candidates with a strong background in digital design, FPGA prototyping, and hardware security. Useful knowledge includes physical attacks, fault injection, side-channel analysis, semiconductor device physics, and scientific English. The position requires a Master degree or equivalent.

The offer is a full-time temporary PhD position starting on 22 October 2026. The application deadline is 14 October 2026 at 20:00 (Europe/Paris). Applications must be submitted by email to [email protected].

Funding details

Available

What's required

Master Degree or equivalent in engineering or a related field is required. Candidates should have core competencies in digital design and FPGA prototyping (VHDL/Verilog), knowledge of hardware security including physical attacks, fault injection, and side-channel analysis, basic knowledge of electronics and device physics such as semiconductors and MOS devices, and a good level of scientific English.

How to apply

Send your application by email to [email protected] before 14 October 2026 at 20:00 (Europe/Paris).

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