Student Researcher - S3D - School of Computer Science

Carnegie Mellon University is a private, global research university that stands among the world’s most renowned education institutions. With ground-breaking brain science, path-breaking performances, creative start-ups, big data, big ambitions, hands-on learning, and a whole lot of robots, CMU doesn’t imagine the future, we invent it. If you’re passionate about joining a community that challenges the curious to deliver work that matters, your journey starts here!

The Software and Society Systems Department (S3D) within the School of Computer Science is looking for part-time short-term non-CMU Undergraduate Student Researcher to join the team. This role involves contributing to research in the project fields of Implementation of a Privacy Infrastructure for Internet of Things and Evaluating and Benchmarking Crates with BorrowSanitizer.

The Rust programming language is increasingly popular because it can provide safety guarantees without run-time overhead. Critical open source projects such as Chromium, Android, and the Linux Kernel have started to integrate Rust in interoperation with C and C++. However, these languages do not have similar safety features, and they can be used in ways that break Rust's assumptions about aliasing and mutability. Rust relies on these assumptions to optimize programs correctly, so breaking them can introduce the kinds of security vulnerabilities that Rust was designed to prevent. Developers have no reliable method for finding these Rust-specific bugs in multi-language applications. We will fill this gap in tooling with BorrowSanitizer: a production-ready dynamic instrumentation tool for finding aliasing bugs in applications where Rust is used alongside other languages.

The student researchers will join our team and will contribute to the design, implementation, and evaluation of BorrowSanitizer.

Core responsibilities:

• Finding Aliasing Bugs at Scale with BorrowSanitizer and the other will advise the IoT Privacy Infrastructure project.
• Follows research plans in order to collect, record, and manipulate research data. Maintains accurate and detailed research records and files.
• Performs library research and field explorations.
• Performs basic data analysis in order to product reports.
• Documents results and processes.
• May test software prototypes. May interact with research subjects in order to perform job functions.

Flexibility and cultural sensitivity are valued competencies at CMU. Therefore, we are in search of a team member who can effectively interact with a varied population of diverse audiences. We are looking for someone who shares our values and who will support the mission of the university through their work.

This is a great opportunity for someone to work in a creative, dedicated, driven team, in a collaborative environment committed to technical innovation, inclusion, and work-life balance.

Qualifications:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Prior research experience in these projects or a closely related area.
• A combination of education and relevant experience from which comparable knowledge is demonstrated may be considered.
• Must have participated in the CMU/S3D REU-SE Program in the summer of 2025.

Requirements:

• Successful background check

Joining the CMU team opens the door to an array of exceptional benefits.

Benefits eligible employees enjoy a wide array of benefits including comprehensive medical, prescription, dental, and vision insurance as well as a generous retirement savings program with employer contributions. Unlock your potential with tuition benefits, take well-deserved breaks with ample paid time off and observed holidays, and rest easy with life and accidental death and disability insurance. 

Additional perks include a free Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus pass, access to our