Research Grant

Research Opportunities

Informatics

Work description

This work aims to develop and validate cybersecurity mechanisms for industrial production architectures that communicate over 5G infrastructure, covering continuous anomaly monitoring and automated vulnerability management. The approach combines applied research and experimental development, ranging from requirements gathering to the validation of prototypes in laboratory and shop-floor environments, including penetration testing and fault injection to assess the robustness of the security mechanisms.

The results include integrated cybersecurity components capable of detecting intrusions and anomalous traffic, as well as technical reports with performance, latency, and incident detection metrics." Task list:

• Gather cybersecurity requirements for industrial 5G communications, considering relevant attack scenarios.
• Develop mechanisms for continuous monitoring and real-time anomaly detection (including a vulnerability component supported by OSINT and public databases), and select and adapt reference security technologies (industrial firewalls, IDS/IPS, VPNs, Zero Trust).
• Implement automated processes to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities in software platforms, including updates, patches, and secure configurations.
• Experimentally validate the prototypes in a laboratory environment (penetration testing and fault injection), producing technical reports with performance, latency, and incident detection metrics.

Academic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.

Minimum profile required

• Achievement of a grade equal to or higher than 15 (out of 20) in a course unit in network or systems security, or with a demonstrable component in these topics.
• Knowledge of communication network protocols and architectures, including 5G fundamentals.
• Knowledge of vulnerability detection and security monitoring mechanisms.
• Programming knowledge (Python and/or C/C++) applied to cybersecurity tools.
• Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Preference factors

• Practical experience with intrusion detection systems (IDS/IPS) and firewalls.
• Knowledge of OSINT mechanisms and public vulnerability databases (e.g., CVE, NVD).
• Familiarity with the Robot Operating System (ROS).
• Familiarity with penetration testing.
• Knowledge of 5G networks and their respective communication security mechanisms.
• Familiarity with industrial communication protocols.

Application Period

Since 13 Aug 2026 to 26 Aug 2026

Centre

High-Assurance Software

Scientific Advisor

João Marco

What we offer

• Multicultural and collaborative environment
• A multicultural, international and collaborative environment that makes it easier to exchange ideas, work in networks and create synergies.
• International projects
• The possibility of working in international projects with some of the most important companies in the field.
• Mentoring
• Mentoring with the best researchers in the fields of electrical and industrial engineering, bioengineering, information technology and physics.
• Self Improvement
• The possibility of participating in international conferences, workshops, seminars and vocational training.
• Other Benefits and Perks
• Flexible working time, health insurance, discounts in hotels, transportation, etc.

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