Post-Quantum Security, Continuous Deployment of Software on Microcontrollers and Open Source Embedded Rust

The Inria Saclay-Île-de-France Research Centre was established in 2008. It has developed as part of the Saclay site in partnership with Paris-Saclay University and with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris .

The centre has 40 project teams , 32 of which operate jointly with Paris-Saclay University and the Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Its activities occupy over 600 people, scientists and research and innovation support staff, including 44 different nationalities.

As part of a collaboration between Inria and Orange, a prototype of CI/CD on heterogeneous microcontrollers and integrating post-quantum security levels will be designed and studied, combining microcontroller-based hardware similar to Nordic nRF52, STM32, ESP32 or RISC-V, via network links such as BLE, 802.15.4 or LTE-M, programmed with an open source operating system coded in embedded Rust (Ariel OS, see https://ariel-os.org/). This prototype will be co-developed and tested jointly with Orange. This project follows the TinyPART project (see https://tinypart.github.io/TinyPART/). Post-quantum security mechanisms will be based on NIST standards/candidates, and open communication standards/drafts from IETF for instance. The worl will also involve collaboration with cryptography experts, among others from Inria.

Collaboration :
The recruited person will be in connection with the Ariel OS open-source community & developers, collaborators at Orange and Inria researchers in the domain of secure IoT, post-quantum cryptogaphy and low-power wireless networking (BLE, Thread, LTE-M, NB-IoT etc.) as well as the engineers we collaborate with at Campus Cyber.

Responsibilities :
The recruited person will be responsible for core embedded OS development, secure low-power software update network stack developments, post-quantum cryptographic library porting and testing in the field. For preliminary information: check out Ariel OS at https://github.com/ariel-os/ariel-os

Steering/Management :
The person recruited will be a hands-on contact point between Inria, Orange, and Ariel OS maintainers. Depending on the seniority of the profile, the recruited person would supervise a couple of other engineers working at Inria on Ariel OS developement.

 Examples of activities:

• implementation, documentation and CI of embedded Rust components
• integration of existing Rust crates and/or embedded C libraries as components in the Rust OS
• hardware prototype developement and testing on IoT hardware use cases
• interacting with secure low-power IoT network protocols experts
• porting and evaluation of cryptographic libraries, interaction with post-quantum experts
• upstreaming and active participation in open-source communities

Technical Skills:

  - embedded Rust/C
  - git
  - open-source software workflows
  - RTOS or bare-metal experience on 32-bit microcontrollers such as ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, ESP32
  - knowledge of network protocols stack (BLE, NB-IoT, TCP/IP, 6LoWPAN...)
  - knowledge of cryptography and post-quantum aspects thereof

Non-Technical / Soft skills:

  - distributed team work
  - good english skills (written, spoken, read)
  - consensus building

• Subsidized meals
• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
• Possibility of teleworking and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities
• Access to vocational training
• Social security coverage

Regarding professional experience.