Industrial PhD Student (FR) -
Security for Space Hypervisors and RTOS
About us
FENTISS is a leader in software products and solutions for space. With headquarters in Valencia, Spain, we deliver cutting-edge software solutions for the space industry across Europe, from mission-critical onboard systems.
We’ve recently launched our affiliate in Toulouse, France, the heart of European aerospace. This new team will play a key role in expanding our capabilities in flight software, providing support to both French and international customers. Our long-term vision includes becoming a key software partner for new space missions and ECSS-qualified flight software development in France and beyond.
Research Topic & PhD Program
We’re seeking a highly motivated candidate to pursue an Industrial PhD (thèse CIFRE or equivalent) on enhancing the cybersecurity of hypervisor architectures used in space-borne systems. Your research will:
- Analyze existing hypervisor designs for satellite on-board computers.
- Define and prototype novel security extensions (isolation, attestation, intrusion detection).
- Validate your approaches on FENTISS flight-software and CNES’s KOSMOS platform.
The position can be formally structured through France’s CIFRE program (Conventions Industrielles de Formation par la Recherche), which provides a three-year, co-funded PhD with a doctoral school in Toulouse.
We’ll guide you through the application and host you both in our Toulouse co-working space (Ramonville) and at our Valencia R&D center. Possible collaborations with Polytechnic University of Valencia.
Responsibilities
- Co-design and implement hypervisor security modules in C.
- Develop threat-modeling, formal verification and test suites
- Collaborate with academic supervisors (doctoral school) and our internal R&D/security teams.
- Publish at conferences (DAC, ISSRE, CSF) and contribute to industry standards (ECSS-E-ST-40C).
- After the thesis defense, transition into a full-time Security Engineer role within our Flight Software department.
Skills
- Strong foundations in OS/kernel/hypervisor internals and secure coding (C/C++, Rust)
- Good English (written & oral) and professional French (for thesis defense & reporting)
- Prior research or internship in virtualization or safety-critical systems (valuable).
- Familiarity with space-sector standards (ECSS, DO-178C) (valuable).
- Publications in security or aerospace venues (valuable).
- Familiarity with ECSS software qualification processes (valuable).
- Experience with partitioned systems (e.g., XtratuM, ARINC 653, RTEMS) (valuable).
- Spanish language skills (valuable).
About you
We’re looking for candidates with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in one of the following (or related) fields:
- Computer Engineering (or similar).
- Cybersecurity (or similar).
- Embedded systems (or similar).
Program & Funding
- CIFRE PhD: 3-year industrial thesis, funded jointly by ANRT (France) and us
- Monthly stipend (~€1 700–€2 200 net) plus social benefits.
- Dedicated thesis advisor at a Toulouse doctoral school and an internal R&D mentor.
What we offer
- Full-time PhD (three years), based in Toulouse metro area
- Co-working space in Ramonville, with periodic visits to our Valencia HQ
- Flexible hybrid schedule (remote academia vs. on-site prototyping)
If you are a motivated and talented Industrial PhD Student who is interested in Security topics for Space Hypervisors and RTOS, please send us your CV with the following form: