Assistant Research Scientist (PREP0005231)

Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Johns Hopkins University is seeking a PREP Research Associate to advance security evaluation and mitigation for cross-chiplet heterogeneous integration. You will model threats, develop evaluation frameworks, and collaborate with industry, academia, and government to align security requirements.

The role emphasizes publishing results and engaging with stakeholders. The candidate will work on multi-tenant computing platforms, integrating secure communication across diverse chiplet architectures

Qualifications

• Enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• Familiarity with integrated circuit design and threat analysis methodologies.
• Strong programming in C/C++, Python, and MATLAB; Verilog HDL.
• Experience with open-source architecture/interconnect simulators: gem5, Noxim, Sniper, LegoSim; and CAD tools like Cadence Innovus, Synopsys Design Compiler.
• Knowledgeable in cybersecurity tenets.
• Ability to integrate information from diverse sources effectively and efficiently.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; US citizenship is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop a security evaluation framework for heterogeneous integration, starting with multi-tenant computing platforms.
• Research vulnerabilities in chiplets, interposers, interfaces, and components; enable trusted communication.
• Develop mitigation techniques balancing security, performance, and design flexibility.
• Document results and prepare publishable material for semiconductor engineers.
• Present findings at internal meetings and with external stakeholders.

Skills

C/C++

Python

MATLAB

Threat modeling

Communication skills

Education

PhD program in Computer Engineering/CS/EE or related field

Tools

Verilog HDL

gem5

Noxim

Sniper

LegoSim

Cadence Innovus

Synopsys Design Compiler

Job description

PREP Research Associate

This position is part of the National Institute of Standards (NIST) Professional Research Experience (PREP) program. NIST recognizes that its research staff may wish to collaborate with researchers at academic institutions on specific projects of mutual interest, thus requires that such institutions must be the recipient of a PREP award. The PREP program requires staff from a wide range of backgrounds to work on scientific research in many areas. Employees in this position will perform technical work that underpins the scientific research of the collaboration.

Research Title:

Security Evaluation and Mitigation of Cross-Chiplet Vulnerabilities in Heterogeneous Integration.

This project directly addresses the semiconductor industry's need for secure and trustworthy heterogeneous integration, aligning with national security priorities and trusted microelectronics goals.

The work will entail:

• Research on threats to security of heterogeneous integration, including formal threat modeling, metrics for evaluating security leakage and mitigation effectiveness, and attack simulations.
• Research and develop a security evaluation framework for identifying and characterizing vulnerabilities across chiplets, inter-chiplet interfaces, shared interconnects, memory controllers, and other system-level resources.
• Engage stakeholders across industry, academia, and government to align security requirements, research priorities, evaluation methods, and adoption pathways, incorporating insights from workshops and ongoing collaborations.
• Focus on emerging areas such as advanced packaging and chiplet-based systems, developing actionable countermeasures and publishing findings for industry use.
• Identify, research, and document methods to support secure and interoperable security assessment across heterogeneous integrated systems, including benchmarks, test methodologies, metrics, and machine-readable reporting formats suitable for large-scale deployment.

Key responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

• § Developing a security evaluation and mitigation framework for heterogeneous integration, with an initial focus on multi-tenant computing platforms.
• § Addressing emerging vulnerabilities across chiplets, interposers, interfaces, and integrated components, while enabling trusted, scalable, and privacy-preserving communication within heterogeneous systems.
• § Developing and evaluating practical mitigation techniques that reduce security leakage while preserving system performance, scalability, and design flexibility across different chiplet architectures, interconnect topologies, and integration configurations.
• § Documenting results and developing publishable material for consumption by semiconductor engineers.
• § Presenting results at internal meetings, and occasional meetings with external stakeholders.

Qualifications

• § Enrolled in a PhD program in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• § Familiarity with integrated circuit design and threat analysis methodologies.
• § Strong technical expertise in general-purpose programming languages, including C/C++, Python, and MATLAB, as well as hardware description languages widely used in the semiconductor industry, such as Verilog HDL.
• § Expertise in open-source computer architecture and interconnect simulation tools, including gem5, Noxim, Sniper, and LegoSim, as well as leading commercial design and verification tools from Cadence and Synopsys, such as Cadence Innovus and Synopsys Design Compiler.
• § Knowledgeable in Cybersecurity tenets.
• § Ability to integrate information from diverse sources effectively and efficiently.
• § Strong oral and written communication skills.
• § US citizenship is preferred

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Total Rewards

Johns Hopkins offers a total rewards package that supports our employees' health, life, career and retirement. More information can be found here: https://hr.jhu.edu/benefits-worklife/

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Johns Hopkins University is committed to equal opportunity for its faculty, staff, and students. To that end, the university does not discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, marital status, pregnancy, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. The university is committed to providing qualified individuals access to all academic and employment programs, benefits and activities on the basis of demonstrated ability, performance and merit without regard to personal factors or demographic characteristics that are irrelevant to the program involved.

Pre-Employment Information

If you are interested in applying for employment with Johns Hopkins University and require special assistance or accommodation during any part of the pre-employment process, please contact the HR Business Services Office at [e-mail]. For TTY users, call via Maryland Relay or dial 711. For more information about workplace accommodations at Johns Hopkins University for disabilities, medical conditions (including medical conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth), accessibility, or religious reasons, please visit accessibility.jhu.edu.

Background Checks

After receiving a conditional offer, the successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification. When deciding whether a candidate's conviction history is job-disqualifying, the University considers the nature and gravity of the offense, the time that has passed since the conviction, and the nature of the job being sought.

EEO is the Law

https://www.eeoc.gov/employees-job-applicants

Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine.

Exceptions to the seasonal flu vaccine or COVID-19 vaccine (for SOM) requirement(s) may be provided to individuals with sincerely held religious beliefs or medical conditions that preclude them from receiving the vaccine. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

The pre-employment physical for positions in clinical areas, laboratories, working with research subjects, or involving community contact requires documentation of immune status against Rubella (German measles), Rubeola (Measles), Mumps, Varicella (chickenpox), Hepatitis B and documentation of having received the Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccination. This may include documentation of having two (2) MMR vaccines; two (2) Varicella vaccines; or antibody status to these diseases from laboratory testing. Blood tests for immunities to these diseases are ordinarily included in the pre-employment physical exam except for those candidates who provide results of blood tests or immunization documentation from their own health care providers. Any vaccinations required for these diseases will be given at no cost in our Occupational Health office.