Purpose of the Posts
Imperial College London and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are seeking a Research Fellow to join the exciting new Imperial/NTU CYber Protection for HEalthcaRe (IN-CYPHER) research programme on the cybersecurity of connected medical devices and systems. The research programme represents a collaboration between the United Kingdom and Singapore and will be based at the newly established Imperial Global Singapore (IGS).
Given the span of the IN-CYPHER programme, we are seeking motivated research fellows to join the IN-CYPHER programme. Unique in its scope, we are developing technologies that span embedded systems, and the protocols used to control and communicate sensitive patient information, all the way up to interventional devices and systems for personalised healthcare.
We are particularly looking for a Research Fellow with the following backgrounds and experience:
– Secure Distributed Systems
– Hospital Information Systems and Healthcare Applications
– Network Security and Anomaly Detection in Network Traffic
As Cybersecurity Research Fellow, the successful candidate will contribute to the programme by conducting fundamental research aligned with the programme and translating research outputs to achieve impact within the Singapore healthcare environment.
IN-CYPHER is comprised of four interacting themes, spanning the design of intelligent medical devices through to the use of their data in informing personalised healthcare. Allied to other programmes in Singapore and the UK, it represents a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of research and development into securing the vital information that flows between implantable, wearable and connected medical devices, including those currently in use, and those yet to be developed. The four themes of IN-CYPHER are:
Theme 1 Protecting Implantable Devices
Implantable and wearable medical devices – including both sensors and active devices – operate under strong design constraints. Our research in this area seeks to embed secure design from first principles, and at the most fundamental levels (silicon or substrate) of device design; we also recognise the need to consider the challenge of post-quantum cryptographically secure techniques in the immediate future.
Theme 2 Securing Connected Wearables & Healthcare Systems
Increasingly, medical devices incorporate some form of connectivity, and many of these devices are necessarily designed to be in use for between one and two decades. There is a constant risk of exploit of zero-day vulnerabilities, and therefore a requirement to detect breaches in extremely intricate complex networks and data flow pipelines. We seek solutions to this challenge that embed security at hardware level.
Theme 3 Algorithms for Privacy, Security and Provenance
To control active medical devices – such as closed-loop drug-delivery systems – information moves from sensors and devices along different communications channels; data provenance and integrity are important. Moreover, the use of data-driven algorithms potentially exposes protected patient characteristics, presenting specific technical challenges not only within operational use, but also to product development cycles.
Theme 4 Clinical Innovation & Translation
One area of personalised medicine resides in the use of data for closed-loop drug delivery, including insulin delivery. With key researchers and teams from both Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, we seek to develop threat models that are suitable for emerging approaches to personalised medicine, and particularly where data-driven techniques might offer improvements to patient outcomes.
The collaborating Departments include senior academics from the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction and the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial – the largest Biomedical Engineering Department in the UK – and senior researchers from the School of Computer Science and Engineering (SCSE), School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine at Nanyang Technological University. Candidates will be employed by Imperial Global Singapore, a research division of Imperial College London, consistently ranked within the top 10 of the QS University Rankings. Candidates must be resident and based in Singapore, but there will be opportunities for research visits to Imperial’s London-based locations.
Informal enquiries are greatly welcome. You are encouraged to send an e-mail to Dr Viktor Schlegel, Deputy Programme Director v.schlegel@imperial.ac.uk, together with an indication of the Theme(s) under which you will be most interested in working.
Questions about the recruitment process, should go to the HR at Imperial Global Singapore hrigsingapore@imperial.ac.uk.
Contract type: 1-year fixed term with potential for extension (subject to probation period)
Key Responsibilities
Main Duties
Other Duties
– Confidentiality,
– Conflict of Interest
– Business Continuity
– Data Protection
– Equal Opportunities
– Ethics related to scientific conduct and to considerations of patient data, where appropriate
– External Interests
– Financial Regulations
– Health and Safety
– Use of Information Technology
– Policies regarding smoking and e-cigarettes
– Undertake specific safety responsibilities relevant to individual roles, as set out by IGS
Positions are based in Singapore at Imperial Global Singapore at the National Research Foundations Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE) located on the campus of the National University of Singapore
Job descriptions cannot be exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other duties, which are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities.
Imperial Global Singapore is committed to equality and values diversity. IGS adheres to Imperial Values and Behaviours framework.
Person Specification
Requirements
Candidates/post holders will be expected to demonstrate the following Essential (E) / Desirable (D)
Education
a PhD (or equivalent) in any field of engineering, computer science, applied mathematics, or a closely related discipline; (E)
At Senior Research Fellow: 2 to 5 years of post-doctoral research in a field allied to one of the themes of the IN-CYPHER Programme (E)
Experience
Practical experience within a research environment and publication in relevant and refereed top journals and conferences. (E)
Experience by way of illustration, in any/multiple of the following topics: (E)
Experience of either: (D)
Experience in analysis, interpretation and visualisation of scientific data (E)
Practical experience in any of the following tools/techniques/areas: (D)
Experience of working with and supervising students or interns on undergraduate and/or graduate-level projects (D)
Knowledge
Knowledge of research methods and statistical procedures relevant to Computer Science research (E)
Fluency in programming languages used in scientific programming (e.g., Python) (E)
Knowledge of different methods to develop and analyse computational models (E)
Knowledge of computational or engineering techniques relevant to one of the 4 Themes (D)
Skills & Abilities
Ability to conduct a detailed review of recent literature (E)
Ability to develop and apply new concepts (E)
A creative approach to problem-solving (E)
Excellent verbal communication skills and the ability to effectively collaborate (E)
Excellent written communication skills and the ability to write for scientific publication to achieve impact (E)
Ability to direct the work of a small research team and motivate others to produce a high standard of work (E)
Ability to organise own work with minimal supervision (E)
Ability to prioritise own work in response to deadlines (E)
Ability to work collaboratively, as part of a large, distributed team, potentially across different time-zones (E)
Other
Willingness to work as part of a team and to be open-minded and cooperative (E)
A flexible attitude towards work (E)
Discipline and regard for confidentiality and security at all times (E)
Willingness to undertake any necessary training for the role (E)
Commitment to honesty, integrity and high standard of work (E)
Willingness to travel both within the Singapore and to the United Kingdom, and other destinations as required to conduct and disseminate research (D)
Willingness to work out of normal working hours (including weekends) if the requirements of the project demand. (D)
Imperial Global Singapore is committed to equality of opportunity and to eliminating discrimination. All employees are expected to:
1) Champion a positive approach to change and opportunity
2) Encourage inclusive participation and eliminate discrimination
3) Communicate regularly and effectively within and across teams
4) Consider the thoughts and expectations of others
5) Deliver positive outcomes
6) Develop and grow skills and expertise
7) Work in a planned and managed way
Employees are also required to comply with all IGS policies and regulations, paying special attention to:
They must also undertake specific training and assume responsibility for safety relevant to specific roles, as set out on the College Website Health and Safety Structure and Responsibilities page.
IGS observes the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that in hiring and promotion decisions, we evaluate applicants on the quality of their work, not the journal impact factor where it is published.
IGS believes that the use of animals in research is vital to improve human and animal health and welfare. Animals may only be used in research programmes where their use is shown to be necessary for developing new treatments and making medical advances. IGS is committed to ensuring that, in cases where this research is deemed essential, animals in are treated with full respect, and that any and all staff involved with this work show due consideration at every level. For further details, applicants are directed to:
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/research-and-innovation/about-imperial-research/research-integrity/animal-research/
