PhD Openings

Ph.D. Openings (Fall 2027)

The WISP Lab is seeking highly motivated Ph.D. students to join us in Fall 2027. Students will work on one or more of the research areas listed below, spanning cyber-physical systems (including wireless), quantum resistance, spectrum intelligence, digital shadowing, and human factors. Applicants should be willing to work on interdisciplinary problems involving security.

These positions are within the PhD Program in either the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences or Kate Gleason College of Engineering, both currently ranked 76th in the U.S. News graduate schools ranking. Research will be conducted at the ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute @ RIT, located at Rochester, NY, a metropolitan area of over 1.1 million residents.

Prospective applicants must have strong programming skills (particularly C/C++) and a demonstrable technical foundation in at least one of the following areas: networking, cryptography, mathematics, game design, wireless communications, quantum, or cybersecurity. Relevant coursework, research experience, or technical projects should substantiate this background. To express your interest, please email hanif.rahbari@rit.edu with a brief description of your motivation and particular interests, along with your CV/resume, transcript(s), and any other material that highlight your relevant qualifications. Students currently studying in the US are given priority.

While you are welcome to pitch your own research project in areas closely aligned with our research interests, the following are some examples of research topics currently available in our lab:

  • Digital shadowing
  • Quantum-resistant systems
  • Human factors in cyber-physical systems security
  • Terrestrial-satellite spectrum intelligence and security
  • Adversarial machine learning in AI-enabled wireless ecosystems
  • Trust in connected vehicle communications (including 6G C-V2X)

For more about WISP lab's past and current research projects, see Research at RIT's ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute, our Projects at WISP lab, and for our current testbed and research facilities, see our Facilities.