Research Topics

Securing the compute stack is a core building block for guaranteeing resiliency and preventing malicious changes and updates to critical systems. Draper is interested in secure boot technology, secure operating system designs across multiple architectures, tooling and resources for the virtualization of various architectures, cryptography implementations for securing data and communications, and circumvention and recovery methodologies.

Draper is looking for Design Tool R&D that focuses on incorporating security and resiliency from the earliest stages of development through product or program execution. This includes tools for assessing the safety, security, and reliability of existing software and hardware, a layout and assembly toolkit that includes a library of components to standardize the design process, hardened, secure and explainable AI and ML technologies, secure toolchains and languages, and mitigations for supply chain risk.

Integrated Circuits and MEMS devices require packages to provide environmental isolation and to connect the tightly spaced electrical contacts on the integrated circuit or MEMS device with the larger feature sizes found on most printed circuit boards.  Draper is interested in R&D for Advanced packaging that enables higher density connectivity, allows for the heterogeneous integration of multiple die including 3rd party die, as well as the capability to form complex standalone microelectronics (ME) systems.

Integrated Circuit design, board design, and software design need investment for product testing and characterization. After the design is completed, the key to effective and continuous innovation is validation of the ideas that created the state-of-the-art design.

Draper is interested in R&D for cyber-based V&V capabilities that include embedded device reverse engineering, software reverse engineering, hardware and software vulnerability analysis, forward development of vulnerability exploitation, binary analysis, and general-purpose cyber tool development.  Cyber analysis that covers the full compute stack, from developing low-level, boutique solutions for unique, one-off devices to building binary analysis tools using compiler theory-driven methods.