Hardware Engineer Internship, PQShield
Placement Year 2026
3 days a week in office
Quantum-resistant cryptography
Be an early applicant
Quantum-resistant cryptography
21-100 employees
Be an early applicant
3 days a week in office
21-100 employees
Company mission
To create the global standards and core technologies that power the security layer for 500 of the world's leading organisations.
Role
Who you are
- Student of Electronic Engineering or equivalent course
- Completed at least 2 years of the above studies
- Evidence of completing relevant units or projects as part of their program of study. E.g. digital design, FPGA, VLSI
- This role requires you to be based in Oxford within commutable distance to our office in Summertown. You will be required to be in the office for a minimum of 3 days per week
- Good understanding of digital design techniques
- Experience with any of the RTL languages (SystemVerilog, VHDL)
- Comfortable with Linux command line interfaces
- Experience with scripting languages (Python, Bash)
- Professional attitude and strong work ethic
- Flexible and able to work well in a team
- Strong written and spoken English
- Right to work in the UK
What the job involves
- This is a year long internship beginning in July 2026
- We are looking for aspiring hardware developers with a passion for cybersecurity and cryptography. You will take a year out of university acquiring leading edge experience of post-quantum technology in the context of Hardware IP development for ASIC and FPGA
- You will be fully mentored by expert professionals and will interact with hardware, firmware, software and marketing engineers
- After initial induction and familiarisation with our toolchains and flows you will join one of the existing hardware development teams, working on live projects and actively contributing to the creation of the IP and towards the success of the company
- During your internship, you will be exposed to post-quantum cryptographic algorithms, IP design from concept to delivery (including verification techniques), and the use of industry-standard tools and methodologies. The specific work will depend on the products under development at the time you join
Application process
- Applications will close on 8th February 2026 with interviews taking place week commencing 16th February 2026
Our take
Demand for quantum-ready solutions has been on the rise as companies seek to defend against the quantum security threat. PQShield is the only algorithm-agnostic cybersecurity company that demonstrates and delivers quantum-safe cryptography on chips, in applications, and in the cloud.
Setting the global standards for post-quantum cryptography, the company’s researchers and advisory board led the US National Institute of Standards and Technology’s post-quantum standardisation project. This demonstrates the levels of experience and expertise that have built the organization, which allows it to operate at the front of the industry.
Supported by strong funding, PQShield has continued R&D, furthered partnerships and widened its customer base. The latest influx of capital will allow the company to deliver real-world, post-quantum hardware and software upgrades to help businesses keep up with the standards of today and tomorrow.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 5 rounds)
Jun 2024
$37m
SERIES B
Jan 2023
$0.5m
GRANT
Total funding: $65m
Company benefits
- Remote first (work wherever is best)
- A WFH allowance for our remote-working colleagues
- High-end IT equipment (multiple platforms)
- Generous pension contribution
- Private health cover for you and your immediate family
- 50% reimbursed from your gym membership
- Many more perks, depending on where you’re based
Company HQ
Summertown, Oxford, UK
Leadership
Dr. Ali El Kaafarani
(Founder & CEO)Former Postdoctoral Researcher and current Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. Former Research engineer at HP. Received their Ph.D in Cryptography from the University of Bath.
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