Senior Hardware Security Researcher

The Technology Innovation Institute (TII), a government-backed research center in Abu Dhabi, UAE, is seeking an experienced Senior Hardware Security Researcher to join its Cryptography Labs Hardware team within the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Research Centre. This role involves advancing research and developing prototypes that address critical challenges in hardware and embedded systems security.

Key Duties

• Carry out comprehensive security evaluations on hardware and firmware, leveraging both physical and logical attack strategies to detect vulnerabilities.
• Extract data from various memory storage types including Flash, EEPROM, NOR, and NAND devices.
• Reverse engineer firmware and binary files using tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, or radare2 to pinpoint security flaws.
• Design and implement automated test setups and toolchains for hardware/software analysis.
• Conduct and interpret side-channel attacks (e.g., CPA, DPA, EM, timing, TVLA) and fault injection methods (including voltage glitching, EMFI, laser) on embedded platforms.
• Evaluate secure boot processes, cryptographic algorithms, and firmware protection schemes to identify potential weaknesses in design or implementation.
• Interact with embedded systems through debugging and communication protocols such as JTAG, SWD, UART, and SPI.
• Produce thorough, clear, and detailed technical documentation and reports.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Minimum five years of direct involvement in hardware or embedded system security, addressing both physical and digital threat surfaces.
• Demonstrated expertise in firmware extraction and analysis activities including memory dumping, patching, and firmware reconstruction.
• Familiarity with side-channel analysis and fault injection techniques, as well as commercial tools such as ChipWhisperer and/or Riscure Inspector.
• Deep knowledge of practical cryptography, secure protocol frameworks, and embedded cryptographic implementations.
• Experience working with embedded hardware platforms like ARM Cortex-M, RISC-V, STM32 and handling associated debug interfaces (JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI).
• Proficiency in programming languages including Python, C, and assembly, with comfort in Linux environments employing build systems, cross-compilation, and version control systems like git.
• Strong understanding of laboratory instruments such as oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, pulse generators, plus reverse engineering utilities and methods (Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, radare2, ARM/RISC-V disassembly).

About the Employer and Research Environment

TII fosters innovation through rigorous scientific research across various cutting-edge fields including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cryptography, and autonomous robotics. The institute collaborates internationally to push the boundaries of technology and deliver solutions to societal challenges.