Jobs

Position: Senior R&D Cryptographer

Location: Paris 75002 / Hybrid / Remote

About Us:

Astran, a leading French data centric cybersecurity startup, is dedicated to pioneering innovative cryptographic solutions for the cloud. Our product vision is to empower organizations to extract maximum value from their sensitive datasets while it resides in the cloud, and to ease unlocking their data's full potential without compromising its confidentiality.

Our flagship product secures cloud data storage through an S3-compatible API, based on a fragmentation technology (specific implementation of AONT and Secret sharing, combined with homomorphic schemes). Our R&D roadmap is dedicated to advanced cryptographic solutions that not only secure data at rest but also provide protection for data in use within cloud environments, while maintaining the highest levels of security and privacy.

We proudly collaborate with renowned cryptographers, including Nigel Smart, an esteemed professor specializing in applied cryptography and MPC, and Ludovic Perret, a well-known professor expert in post quantum cryptography. Additionally, we actively engage with NIST to shape industry standards and have a strong commitment to patenting cryptographic innovations.

Astran is accelerated in "We Are Innovation" by BNPParibas. After winning PIA4 France 2030 and i-Lab, Bpifrance's innovation competition, and being incubated in the highly selective Parisian deeptech incubator Agoranov, Astran raised $5 million and was selected by BNPParibas from hundreds of applications. This accelerator brings together all the innovative French companies that the bank supports at Paris Grand Boulevards, in a very comfortable building with numerous advantages and activities. Health, education, energy, foodtech... startups of all sectors are working there. The only criterion is a commitment to innovation in the service of society.

We value trust, fairness, passion, and boldness to drive our mission of protecting and elevating sensitive data.

Job Description:

As a Cryptographer at Astran, you will hold a pivotal role in advancing our main product and designing cutting-edge cryptographic solutions for cloud security. Your primary focus will be on enhancing our flagship product and designing advanced cryptographic protocols involving AONT, Secret Sharing, and partially homomorphic schemes. You will also play a vital role in the creation of our upcoming product, designed to secure data in use, with a particular emphasis on our product roadmap involving MPC and MapReduce applications for big data and AI use cases.

Responsibilities:

● Lead research initiatives to improve our flagship product

● Work closely with renowned cryptographers like Nigel Smart and Ludovic Perret, and participate to our Scientific committees meetings to frame our research roadmap.

● Design state-of-the-art cryptographic solutions for cloud security, aligning with our main research program about MPC and MapReduce applications, especially for big data and AI use cases.

● Innovate and discover new cryptographic solutions that go beyond the state of the art, in order to remove technological locks that are still present on subjects such as confidential data processing, and the design of highly secure solutions that do not require encryption keys.

● Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to seamlessly integrate cryptographic advancements into our existing product.

● Drive the development of future products and features with our technical teams.

● Provide mentorship and guidance to research team members, including PhD candidates and researchers, ensuring the successful execution of research projects.

● Actively engage with local and international public organizations such as NIST to contribute to the development of cryptographic standards and best practices.

● Participate in the certification process of our product with organizations like ANSSI.

● Play a key role in patenting cryptographic innovations that strengthen the security of our products.

● Demonstrate exceptional written skills, meeting academic standards and quality, in publishing research findings and contributing to academic papers.

Qualifications:

● Ph.D. in Cryptography, Computer Science, or a related field with a strong research background.

● At least 5 years of experience in Research position on relative topics

● Proven expertise in cryptographic research with a track record of contributions to the field.

● Proficiency algorithms and protocol design, participating in their implementation using modern languages well suited for cryptography like RUST or Golang.

● Ability to improve existing products while envisioning and designing new cryptographic solutions.

● Familiarity with advanced cryptographic techniques, such as AONT, Secret Sharing, and homomorphic encryption.

● Exceptional written skills, with a commitment to academic standards and quality in publishing research findings.

● Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.

● Knowledge of Multi-Party Computation (MPC) and MapReduce applications is a significant advantage.

Join us at Astran to build the future of data security in the cloud.