Computer and Network Engineer F/H

The position is hosted at LIX, the computer science laboratory of École polytechnique (joint research unit CNRS / École polytechnique, UMR 7161), in the team of Kevin Vermeulen (CNRS researcher), whose research focuses on Internet measurements, Internet topology and routing security. It is funded by the HIJ-IX project (“Attacks in IXPs: opportunities, impacts and countermeasures with the nxthdr.dev platform”), a 36-month project (October 2026 – September 2029) selected in wave 6 of the call for projects of the CIEDS, the Interdisciplinary Centre for Defence and Security of IP Paris, in partnership with the French Defence Innovation Agency (AID). HIJ-IX brings together LIX, UCLouvain, the Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal University of Rio Grande (Brazil), with the support of the IXP operators France-IX and IX.br.

The nxthdr platform

nxthdr is an open, non-profit Internet research and teaching platform, led by Kevin Vermeulen and operated by the nxthdr association (French non-profit association since October 2025). It operates its own research network, AS215011 (IPv6), with servers connected to large IXPs in Europe – France-IX (Paris), NL-ix (Amsterdam), LOCIX and FogIXP (Frankfurt) – as well as IX.br in Brazil. nxthdr offers two services, both currently in alpha version:

• Peering platform (PeerLab): researchers rent IPv6 prefixes and advertise them on the Internet from several IXPs, with feedback on the propagation of these announcements (BMP data, visibility with public road collectors, RPKI ROA management).
• Probing platform (Saimiris): Ping and traceroute campaigns from distributed measurement points, using anycast and unicast source prefixes.

Reporting to the Scientific Manager of the project, your role will be to ensure the operation and evolution of the nxthdr platform, the experimental infrastructure of the HIJ-IX project.

The position is offered on a part-time basis (50%).

You will have to guarantee the availability, reliability and safety of use of the platform, extend its coverage (new IXPs, new peers, federation with PEERING) and provide HIJ-IX researchers (PhD student, postdoc, academic partners) with the engineering support they need to conduct BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) experiments and measurements in real IXPs.

As such, you will carry out the following main missions:

Platform operation and availability:

• Operate and maintain in production the nxthdr platform (AS215011);
• Configure routers, servers, and virtual machines in IXPs, processing chains, and databases;
• Supervise and alert on possible breakdowns;
• Ensure security updates, backups, incident management;
• Maintain documentation

Extension of platform coverage:

• Select, with the research team, and deploy new points of presence in other IXPs, in Europe and on other continents, taking care of the technical and administrative procedures.

Federation with PEERING:

• Design and implement nxthdr federation with the peering platform, so that experiments can combine the measurement points and connectivity of both platforms.

Peering:

• Establish and maintain peering sessions with more ASs (Autonomous System), via IXP route servers and bilateral sessions, especially with large content and cloud networks like Cloudflare and Fastly, to improve the diversity and realism of platform connectivity.

New features:

• Propose, design and develop new functionalities for the platform (e.g. new types of experiments, API and CLI enhancements, new open datasets, self-service access for external researchers), based on the needs of the research team and the user community;
• Contribute to the opening of the platform to the entire scientific community.

User support:

• Assist researchers and students in using the platform, and review and integrate contributions into open source code.

Complementary activities:

Contribute to research artifacts (open datasets, code) and publications related to the platform, responsible disclosure of results to IXP operators, as well as technical presentations (e.g. at network operator forums like RIPE or FRnOG).

• Special constraints : Occasional travel (IXP sites and data centers, project meetings, conferences) and occasional interventions outside working hours in the event of a critical incident on the platform.

This position is to be filled in Palaiseau (Essonne) by contract (category A).

We are made for you because :
 
Joining École Polytechnique means discovering a wide variety of professions and joining a unique innovation ecosystem.

The School is actively committed to a sustainable development and social responsibility approach. The defense of equal opportunities, the promotion of diversity in its various forms and the reduction of environmental impact are placed at the center of the School's strategic ambitions.

You will benefit from the following benefits :

• 25 days of leave + 18 RTT
• Ticket refund: 75%
• Services: catering, library, museum, postal service, hairdresser
• Health : physiotherapist, osteopath free of charge
• Facilities: swimming pool, tennis courts, gym...
• Mutual insurance  covered at 50%

Remuneration: contractual : according to professional experience in positions at an equivalent level.

École Polytechnique is committed to recruitment that promotes equality, diversity and inclusion. All applications are studied without distinction.