Lecturer in Cryptography

As part of its strategic development, the Department of Informatics is seeking applications from candidates for the position of Lecturer in Computer Science (Cryptography), starting in September 2023, or as soon as possible thereafter.  

The successful applicant for this post will undertake research and teaching in an area of Cryptography and more broadly Cybersecurity. They will be assigned to teach on the Department’s MSc in Cybersecurity (face to face and/or online), or other postgraduate or undergraduate degree programmes offered by the Department of Informatics, and will be expected to supervise both undergraduate and postgraduate projects. While we cannot guarantee teaching in cryptography, we hope to expand our cryptography teaching portfolio in the near future.  

Accordingly, the successful applicant will need knowledge and awareness of current research and practical challenges in Cryptography. All areas of cryptography are of interest to the Department, including but not limited to theory (TCC), applied (RWC), public-key (PKC), symmetric-key (FSE) and embedded systems and hardware (CHES). Outstanding candidates engaged in research and teaching which complements that of the existing members of the Department will be considered favourably.  

The successful candidate will be appointed to the Cybersecurity (CYS)  group[A1] [A2]  and will have the opportunity to contribute to the Security Hub and to the King’s EPSRC-NCSC Academic Centre of Excellence in Cybersecurity Research (ACE-CSR) –

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/cybersecurity-centre

. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues in the new cryptography lab launching in January 2023 [A3] and other labs in the CYS group. Research collaboration across research groups, with departmental hubs and with other Departments in the Faculty and across the College is strongly encouraged. 

The mission of CYS is to conduct word-class research to address research and practical challenges in Cybersecurity such as the ones listed above through six main interconnected pillars: (i) Trustworthy AI; (ii) Formal and automated (program) analysis for verification and testing of security protocols and systems; (iii) Human-Centred Security and Privacy; (iv) Provenance and Trust; (v) Systems Security; and (vi) Cryptography. 

To realise our mission, we look at security & privacy challenges with a broad perspective and regularly sit in the program committees of and publish in top-tier and well-known venues in Cryptography (EUROCRYPT, CRYPTO, ASIACRYPT, IACR Area Workshops), Security & Privacy (e.g., IEEE S&P, USENIX Security, ACM CCS, NDSS, IEEE CSF, USENIX SOUPS, IEEE TDSC, IEEE TIFS, ACM TOPS), Artificial Intelligence (e.g., IJCAI, AAMAS, IEEE TKDE), Measurement (e.g., WWW, IMC), Software Engineering (e.g., IEEE TSE), and Human-Computer Interaction (e.g., CHI, CSCW, TOCHI). 

Top-quality research establishes CYS members as leaders in their fields, but it is its transformative aspect that provides the opportunity to serve the society while supporting King’s as an outstanding institution in science and technology. As such, CYS has strong links with industry and civil society organisations, which engages with us in collaborative research projects. 

Applicants must have a PhD, an excellent publication record, and the ability to attract research funding.  It is essential that applicants have the enthusiasm and commitment required to contribute to the further development of the research standing of the Department of Informatics, and to make a full contribution to teaching and administrative activities. 

Diversity is positively encouraged with a number of family-friendly policies, including the operation of a core hours policy, the right to apply for flexible working and support for staff returning from periods of extended absence, for example maternity leave. The Department of Informatics is committed to ensuring an inclusive interview process and will reimburse up to £250 towards any additional care costs (for a dependent child or adult) incurred as a result of attending an interview for this position. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract  

This is a full-time post – 100% full time equivalent

The successful candidate is expected to:  

• engage in advanced research, maintain an outstanding track record of published research at a level of international excellence and lead activities promoting research impact.
• make a significant contribution to the teaching, examining and project supervision of undergraduate and MSc students in the Department of Informatics
• supervise research students in the Department of Informatics and act as personal tutor to students as agreed with the Head of Department, assist with difficulties, e.g. learning support/problems and be responsible for the pastoral care of students.
• Undertake any other reasonable duties that may be requested by the Head of Department.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria 

1.       PhD in computer science, cryptography or related field  

2.       Strong research record in computer science and/or cryptography as evidenced by publications in high quality journals and/or conferences; Research experience and good reputation in computer science, cryptography or relevant research field; Potential to acquire research project funding; Ability to supervise research students 

3.       Ability to teach undergraduate and postgraduate modules in computer science and cybersecurity 

4.       Ability to make a significant contribution to administrative work 

Desirable criteria 

1.       Teaching and examining experience  

2.       Experience in attracting external research funds 

3.       Administrative experience 

The selection process will include a presentation and a panel interview. The candidates will also have the opportunity to meet members of the department. Interviews are scheduled to be held in early April 2023. Presentations scheduling will be confirmed once shortlisting has taken place. Meetings, presentations and interviews are subject to pandemic constraints and may be held online.