Join

 As a PhD Student / Postdoc

There may (or may not) be PhD / Postdoc opportunities available any time of the year. If you are (a) really good, and (b) interested in a PhD / Postdoc in system security, send us an email (please include [VUSeek] in the subject and attach your CV).

 As a Bachelor Student

Apply for a Bachelor’s in Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. VUSec is involved in a number of Bachelor courses (course material on Canvas and more information in the study guide):

  • Operating Systems (OS)
  • Compiler Construction (CoCo)
  • Secure Programming (SP)

See also our page on student projects.

As a Teaching Assistant (TA)

If you are a year-2+ Bachelor student or Master student at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, we have a number of teaching assistantships available throughout the year for all our Bachelor courses above (OS, SP, CoCo).

TA Positions for Operating Systems (CS BSc, Y2, P2)

There are 4 TA positions available for the Operating Systems (OS) course (CS BSc, Year 2, Period 2, Nov-Dec). Each position is for 10 hours/week (0.25 FTE) and involves helping with organizing/grading practical assignments and handling related questions from students. We also offer other out-of-band TA positions throughout the year (to help with the implementation of new assignments, questions, etc.), please contact us for more details. Some requirements:

  • Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
  • Knowledge of how modern Operating Systems work.
  • Having successfully completed the OS course at VU or equivalent elsewhere.
  • Good communication skills.

If you are interested in these positions, please email us at . You may also express preferences for multiple TA positions in VUSec courses (OS, SP, CoCo). Do include [VUSeek] in the subject, attach a grade list, and specify your full name, year of study, private email address, nationality, birth date, VUnetID, and whether you already have a TA contract at VU.

TA Positions for Secure Programming (CS BSc, Y3, P2)

There are 5 TA positions available for the Secure Programming (SP) course (CS BSc, Year 3, Period 2, Nov-Dec). Each position is for 10 hours/week (0.25 FTE) and involves helping with organizing/grading practical assignments and handling related questions from students. Some requirements:

  • Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
  • Knowledge of software vulnerabilities.
  • Knowledge of secure programming practices (or willingness to learn).
  • Having successfully completed the SP course at VU or equivalent elsewhere is a plus but not required.
  • Good communication skills.

If you are interested in these positions, please email us at . You may also express preferences for multiple TA positions in VUSec courses (OS, SP, CoCo). Do include [VUSeek] in the subject, attach a grade list, and specify your full name, year of study, private email address, nationality, birth date, VUnetID, and whether you already have a TA contract at VU.

TA Positions for Compiler Construction (CS BSc, Y3, P3)

There are 4 TA positions available for the Compiler Construction (CoCo) course (CS BSc, Year 3, Period 3). Each position is for 20 hours/week (0.5 FTE) for the shorter period 3 and involves helping with organizing/grading practical assignments and handling related questions from students. Some requirements:

  • Familiarity with C/C++ programming.
  • Knowledge of how modern compilers (e.g., clang/LLVM) work (or willingness to learn).
  • Having successfully completed the CoCo course at VU or equivalent elsewhere is a plus but not required.
  • Good communication skills.

If you are interested in these positions, please email us at . You may also express preferences for multiple TA positions in VUSec courses (OS, SP, CoCo). Do include [VUSeek] in the subject, attach a grade list, and specify your full name, year of study, private email address, nationality, birth date, VUnetID, and whether you already have a TA contract at VU.

 As a Master Student

Apply for a Master in Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. For VUSec, the most obvious program is our Computer Security Master (which VUSec is actively co-organizing). Another option is the regular Computer Science Master.

Our Computer Security Master is unique in the  Netherlands in focusing on system security issues in operating systems, hardware, applications, and networks and less on theory such as the math behind cryptography. For us, it’s systems all the way down.
Our philosophy is that you learn by doing and, moreover, the way to learn most about security solutions is to break them. So, you will learn how to write exploits and how to bypass some of the strongest defenses  commonly deployed.  The courses are extremely challenging and most of them have a very hands-on  character.
Students graduating in our Master will have knowledge of:
  • Security issues in system-level software including weaknesses and defenses (and how to bypass them);
  • Static and dynamic analysis techniques for software (benign and malicious, binary and source) ;
  • Research in attacks and defenses;
  • Reverse engineering and forensics

VUSec is actively involved in many Master courses (course material on Canvas and more information in the study guide), such as:

  • Binary and Malware Analysis (BAMA)
  • Software Security (SwSec, formerly known as CNS)
  • Advanced Operating Systems (AOS)
  • Hardware Security (HS)
  • Network Security (NS)
  • Verification for Security (VS)

Students frequently play a leading role in our research projects.  See our page on student projects. Also check out some published papers from thesis projects carried out by our Master students below.

Published Master Thesis Results

Life after university

In this field, there is pretty much 100% employment rate. On this page, you will find some links to organizations that may help you find the right job for you.

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