Open positions

At the moment, we have the following positions open:

We are looking for founding group members with passion, talent, and grit!

You will have the chance to work on basic and applied research at the intersection of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and distributed architecture.

You will actively contribute to defining significant and timely research questions, devising innovative scientific methodologies and adapting them to practical contexts, constructing novel adversary models and corresponding defense mechanisms, and systematically evaluating the proposed approaches through rigorous experimental studies.

Note: Sometimes, we may not have funding available for additional PhD, Master’s, or BSc positions. During such periods, we can only accommodate applicants who have their own sponsorship, fellowship, or assistantship. We will be glad to support your application process once you apply to our group.

Applications for PhD positions

Basic Eligibility

Applicants should hold a B.S. or M.S. degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, or a closely related field. A solid foundation in programming, algorithms, and logic is expected, along with demonstrated problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Candidates must also meet the graduate admission requirements of Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

Preferred Qualifications

While not required, prior research or industry experience in areas such as cybersecurity, cyber-physical systems (CPS), Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), or blockchain will strengthen your application. Additional desirable qualifications include scholarly publications in conferences or journals, strong software engineering practices (such as version control, testing, and reproducible workflows), and competitive GRE scores (with Quantitative ≥ 160).

How to Apply

Prospective students should email me with the subject line “Prospective PhD Student [Desired Semester and Year]” and include the following materials: a curriculum vitae, unofficial transcripts (undergraduate and graduate, if applicable), a brief statement of research interest (maximum one page), GRE scores, and English proficiency scores (IELTS or TOEFL).

Master’s and Bachelor’s Projects for SIU Students

If you are a Master’s or Bachelor’s student in Computer Science at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, interested in a research or thesis project, feel free to contact me (or any member of our group) by email or stop by my office (EGRA 409F).

Master’s Students from Other Universities

If you are interested in pursuing a Master’s degree at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, please refer to the Graduate School admissions page. In some cases, we may host external Master’s students for a thesis project or a short research visit, provided they have their own funding and demonstrate exceptional qualifications (typically outstanding academic performance and strong recommendations).