ENCYRCLE Research Assistant

About The University

Swansea University is a research‑led university that has been making a difference since 1920. The University community thrives on exploration and discovery and offers the right balance of excellent teaching and research, matched by an enviable quality of life.

Our stunning waterfront campuses and multicultural community make us a desirable workplace for colleagues from around the world. Our reward and benefits, and ways of working enable those who join us to have enriching careers, matched by an excellent work‑life balance.

The ENCYRCLE project is looking for an enthusiastic research assistant to join the Swansea University project team. You will be part of a £2 million research initiative with the Wales‑based National Data Exploitation Centre (NDEC), part of global technology leader Thales, to strengthen the cyber resilience of interconnected systems, including those in transport.

Cyber resilience concerns a system’s ability to continuously deliver intended outcomes despite adverse cyber events. In ENCYRCLE, modelling and verification will inform the engineering of system updates designed to recover affected services without endangering the delivery of other (unaffected) services. One trigger of such updates is the need to replace cryptosystems by quantum‑safe ones, a change that, e.g., NCSC encourages to carry out from 2028 onwards.

You will be developing a SysML‑based specification language for cyber resilience design and analysis. It is a strength of SysML that it is not fixed to a specific tool for verification and validation. The idea is to “connect” SysML to tools. This allows to utilise the “best” tools for the desired analyses. Besides developing a suitable SysML profile and tool support for it, you will also design model transformations into the input language of analysis tools such as simulators, model‑checkers, and theorem provers.

The resulting tool chain shall be demonstrated in a case study from the automotive sector.

• Develop a SysML‑based specification language for cyber resilience design and analysis.
• Design model transformations into the input language of analysis tools such as simulators, model‑checkers, and theorem provers.
• Demonstrate the resulting tool chain in a case study from the automotive sector.
• Collaborate with Professor Markus Roggenbach and the Cyber Security Group at Swansea to align the work package with national strategy and industry best practice.

The University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity in all its practices and activities. We aim to establish an inclusive environment and welcome diverse applications from the following protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, ethnic and national origin), religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

As an inclusive and welcoming workplace, we value people for their skills regardless of their background. Applications are welcome in Welsh and will not be treated less favourably than those submitted in English.

The Welsh language level required for this role is Level 1 – “A little”. The role holder will be able to pronounce Welsh words, answer the phone in Welsh (good morning/afternoon) and use very basic everyday words and phrases (thank you, please etc.). Level 1 can be reached by completing a 1‑hour course.

Applications for this role will take the format of a CV submission and cover letter.

Seniority level: Entry level
Employment type: Full‑time
Job function: Science
Industry: Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories