Secure Web Applications Group

PhD students

Our group is expected to grow by another PhD students in 2024. We are therefore looking for motivated and talented students who are keen on researching the area of securing Web applications, i.e., finding security issues on the Web, proposing improvements for security, and notifying affected parties about discovered issues. To get a feeling what our group has researched in the past, please check our research page.

We expect students to have a strong background in security, shown through corresponding grades in relevant lectures or extracurricular activies such as CTFs or first papers in the area. The goal of our research group is to publish at the most relevant venues in computer security. Hence, candidates not only require a strong background and willingness to learn more about (Web) security, but should also be determined to pursue the (not always easy) goal of publishing at tier-1 venues.

In return, we can offer an excellent research environment for conducting your PhD thesis work with close individual supervision, which is fully paid according to TV-öD 13. As part of the renowned Helmholtz Association, CISPA also provides a significant funding for travel and equipment, meaning our students will always be able to present their work in person (and possibly also visit other conferences).

If you are interested, please apply through the CISPA's central job portal. Make sure that your cover letter explicitly mentions our group and explain why you believe you would be a good fit. If you have further questions, contact Ben Stock. To avoid unspecific applications, please include the title of Ben's first CCS paper in the mail text. I will ignore emails that do not contain this keyword.

Internships

We can sometimes offer voluntary or mandatory internships within our group. Depending on the type of internship, the support we can offer may differ. In order to apply for an internship outside the regular channels, please send an email to Ben Stock. Before doing so, please familiarize yourself with the research that our group does. To prove this, please include the number of vulnerabilities discovered in Ben's first CCS paper in the subject or your email. Any emails not containing that keyword will be ignored.

We expect students to have a strong background in security, shown through corresponding grades in relevant lectures or extracurricular activies such as CTFs or first papers in the area. The goal of our research group is to publish at the most relevant venues in computer security. Hence, candidates not only require a strong background and willingness to learn more about (Web) security, but should also be determined to pursue the (not always easy) goal of publishing at tier-1 venues.