Portugal: Research Assistant Positions in Web Security and Privacy

Applications are invited for 5 research assistant positions funded under the Carnegie Mellon - Portugal partnership (http://www.cmu.edu/portugal), on the topic of Web Security and Privacy. These posts are part of a multidisciplinary research program involving multiple departments at Carnegie Mellon University, Lab:USE at the University of Madeira, the Information Systems Department at the University of Minho, Instituto Superior Tecnico at the Technical University of Lisbon, and Portugal Telecom. The posts are based in Portugal, will be co-supervised by Carnegie Mellon faculty, and will involve annual visits to Carnegie Mellon. The ideal candidates will have a good first degree or MSc in a relevant subject. Successful candidates may opt to apply for a PhD degree in Portugal, or a joint PhD degree with Carnegie Mellon University.

More details about the project can be found at:
http://www.labuse.org/wesp

Post WSP1: User-controllable privacy - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, human computer interaction, or mathematics. The successful candidate will focus on the development and validation of novel policy authoring and auditing tools along with novel machine learning algorithms aimed at empowering users to more effectively control their security and privacy settings. This work will be validated in the context of actual deployments of mobile social software applications in Portugal and at Carnegie Mellon. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in development for online or mobile platforms, and social network analysis. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP2: Anti-phishing for the web and the city - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, mathematics, security, or human computer interaction. The successful candidate will build on the existing collaboration between PT/SAPO and CMU and will combine the development of advanced filtering mechanisms with novel user training technologies. In addition, this work will consider the use of tag-based solutions for addressing phishing in the context of location-based services. These technologies will be evaluated through a combination of user studies and pilots, including pilots to be conducted with PT/SAPO. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in development for online or mobile platforms, and security protocols. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP3: Formal methods for social networks - University of Madeira
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either formal software development and verification, computer science, logic, or mathematics. The post involves the use of formal methods techniques and tools to validate social networks languages developed in the project. Previous knowledge of Java Modeling Language (JML) and B method for software development are assets, though training can be given. Programming experience is also desirable. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written skills in English, and the ability to work independently as well as a member of a team and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in web technologies in general. This post will be based at the University of Madeira (Funchal).

Post WSP4: Trustworthy services - University of Minho
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either computer science, mathematics, or human computer interaction. The successful candidate will develop and evaluate mechanisms and design principles aimed at empowering users to more effectively decide whether or not they can trust different types of mobile and pervasive computing. In collaboration with the rest of the project, this work will develop appropriate policies and trust mechanisms for situated social networking services, particularly those using Bluetooth. Examples of such services include a location-based friend finder, public displays that accept messages from nearby people, and situated games. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in design and development for online or mobile platforms, and an interest in trust and pervasive and ubiquitous computing. This post will be based at the University of Minho (Guimarães).

Post WSP5: Lawful services - IST, Technical University of Lisbon
We seek a candidate with a strong background in either internet law, public policy, or computer science. The successful candidate will deploy automated approaches to detecting copyright breach and develop enforcement of copyright policies in the context of peer-to-peer networks and related services. Upon collecting network traffic and demographic data, the work will focus on developing legal and technical policies to combat the distribution of copyrighted material, and will subsequently evaluate these policies in terms of effectiveness and cost. Ideal candidates will have strong oral and written communication skills in English, the ability to work independently as well as a team member and the ability to take initiative and be proactive. We welcome applicants with experience in network administration, simulation, as well as interests in policy and economics. This post will be based at IST, Technical University of Lisbon.

Contact
Potential applicants should contact Vassilis Kostakos (vassilis[ at ]cmu.edu) for informal discussions or enquiries.

Applying
The closing date for receipts of applications is June 1st 2009, and we anticipate that interviews will be held in early June. Applications should be made as soon as possible, via email. Applicants should submit a cover letter clearly indicating the position(s) for which they wish to apply, a full CV, and contact details for three referees to Vassilis Kostakos (vassilis[ at ]cmu.edu). The posts will start ideally on July 1st 2009 (or as soon as possible thereafter) by arrangement with the successful candidate. The value of each award is 11760 Euros per annum (tax exempt) for three years.

About Lab:USE and Madeira
The Laboratory for Usage-centered Software Engineering (http://www.labuse.org) is a unique research and development initiative dedicated to making technology more useful, more usable, and more accessible. Lab:USE is a research unit in the Department of Mathematics and Engineering (http://dme.uma.pt) at the University of Madeira. Members of Lab:USE also have responsibilities in teaching in the various courses of the department, in particular in the Professional Master of Human-Computer Interaction that is offered in collaboration with the HCI Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. As of 2009, Lab:USE consists of 15 faculty representing 11 different nationalities. Lab:USE has secured 2 million euros of funding for the next 3 years and is currently expanding.

Madeira is a mid-Atlantic island, positioned near the coast of Africa and the Canary Islands. It is one of the autonomous regions of Portugal. The mean annual temperature in the capital city, Funchal, can reach 20 °C. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as oceanic subtropical.