Research and Development Software Engineer (Python) - Open Source Project (AI & Privacy) - Mont[...]

Research and Development Software Engineer (Python) - Open Source Project (AI & Privacy) - Montpellier

Level of qualifications required : Graduate degree or equivalent

Fonction : Temporary scientific engineer

About the research centre or Inria department

Inria is the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science, of which the Inria Côte d'Azur University Center is a part. With strong expertise in computer science and applied mathematics, the research projects of the Inria Côte d'Azur University Center cover all aspects of digital science and technology and generate innovation. Based mainly in Sophia Antipolis, but also in Nice and Montpellier, it brings together 47 research teams and nine support services. It is active in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, IT system security, robotics, network engineering, natural risk prevention, ecological transition, digital biology, computational neuroscience, health data, and more. The Inria Center at Université Côte d'Azur is a major player in terms of scientific excellence, thanks to the results it has achieved and its collaborations at both European and international level.

Context

Born from a strategic alliance between the ANSSI, the CNIL, PEReN, and Inria, the PANAME project aims to develop a library for evaluating whether AI models have memorized personal data. It is an essential technical building block for implementing AI regulation in France and at the European level.

Your mission?

Contribute to building the very first public tool for evaluating the privacy of AI models. This library is not intended merely as an internal tool: it is meant to become an open-source standard at the European scale, used by regulators, auditors, and tech companies to ensure their AI systems respect citizens' privacy.

• Meaning and Impact: Contribute directly to protecting citizens' privacy in the face of AI-related challenges.
• Stimulating Environment: Work at the intersection of regulation (CNIL) and cutting-edge research (Inria).
• Open Source: Your work will be public, visible, and used by the international community.

Assignment

Under the joint supervision of experts from the CNIL, PEReN, and researchers at Inria, you will be responsible for actively contributing to the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the Python privacy auditing library.

You will also help bring together and support the international academic community in using PANAME and implementing new extraction techniques.

Main activities

Core Software Development (Backend & Algorithms)

• Continue developing the core of the Python auditing library.
• Implement, optimize, and standardize data extraction techniques (Membership Inference Attacks, Attribute Inference Attacks, Reconstruction Attacks) in collaboration with the academic community.
• Ensure interoperability with the main machine learning frameworks on the market (PyTorch, Transformers, TensorFlow, Scikit-learn).

Industrialization and Open Source Release

• Set up continuous integration and deployment pipelines (CI/CD, GitHub Actions/GitLab CI).
• Write technical and user documentation (Sphinx, ReadTheDocs) to facilitate adoption of the tool.
• Prepare packaging and distribution of the library (PyPI, Conda).
• Help manage and engage the community (issue management, pull requests, public roadmap) when the code is open sourced.

Engage the International Academic Community

• Bring together the national and international academic community around the use of PANAME (presentations at scientific conferences and workshops).
• Support the academic community in implementing new state-of-the-art extraction techniques within PANAME.

Skills

You hold an engineering degree, a Master's degree (M2), or a PhD in computer science, and have significant initial experience in software development, ideally in a scientific or artificial intelligence context.

Required Technical Skills:

• Advanced proficiency in Python and its scientific ecosystem.
• Strong knowledge of machine learning frameworks (Scikit-learn, and at least one deep learning framework such as PyTorch or TensorFlow).
• Proficiency with version control tools (Git) and collaborative development best practices (code review, CI/CD).
• Experience creating Python packages.

Preferred Skills:

• Interest in data protection, cybersecurity, or AI regulation.
• Knowledge of secure development best practices (DevSecOps) and familiarity with major frameworks and standards (OWASP, OpenSSF, etc.).
• Previous experience contributing to an open-source project.

Personal Qualities:

• Rigor and autonomy.
• Ability to communicate with diverse stakeholders (lawyers, researchers).
• Motivation to contribute to a high-impact project.

Benefits package

• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
• Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities
• Access to vocational training
• Social security coverage

Remuneration

From 2692 € gross monthly (according to degree and experience)

Theme/Domain : Security and Confidentiality Software engineering (BAP E)

Defence Security

Position is likely to be situated in a restricted area (ZRR), as defined in Decree No. relating to the protection of national scientific and technical potential (PPST). Authorisation to enter an area is granted by the director of the unit, following a favourable Ministerial decision, as defined in the decree of 3 July 2012 relating to the PPST. An unfavourable Ministerial decision in respect of a position situated in a ZRR would result in the cancellation of the appointment.

Recruitment Policy

As part of its diversity policy, all Inria positions are accessible to people with disabilities.