Implementation security
Power side-channel analysis
I study PQC implementations through power side-channel analysis, examining the relationship between cryptographic computation and its physical implementation.
Research scientist · Systems engineer
Systems expertise.
Security research.
I’m Edgard Lima. I research the security of post-quantum implementations and develop secure communications for unmanned aerial vehicles at CESAR.
My work builds on a career in wireless protocols, embedded Linux, C++, and open-source multimedia.
Research. Engineering. Open source.
01 / Current focus
Security at the
implementation level.
Since 2025, my research at CESAR has focused on post-quantum cryptography (PQC): how it behaves in real implementations and how to use it in connected systems.
Communication security
PQC for UAV communications
I’m developing communication security for unmanned aerial vehicles using post-quantum cryptography, bringing together security research and systems engineering.
02 / Selected work
From protocol layers
to working systems.
A selection of the work behind my research: understanding complex stacks, building portable software, and bringing hardware to life.
CESAR · 2018–2025
Making wireless protocols understandable.
As a Senior Staff Engineer, I dissected protocol stacks and developed parsers and analyzers for Bluetooth and selected parts of IEEE 802.11.
My Bluetooth work spanned the physical layer, HCI, L2CAP, SDP, RFCOMM, ATT, and GATT, connecting low-level protocol behavior with tools for analysis.
Bluetooth / Areas of work
GATTATT
SDPRFCOMM
L2CAP
HCI
Physical layer
Also: selected IEEE 802.11 protocols
Open source / Multimedia
Contributing to GStreamer.
Credited co-author of v4l2src, the video-capture
element for Video4Linux2 devices. My Nokia work also included
GStreamer development and consulting at the Nokia Research
Center in Helsinki.
More open-source contributions
GStreamer’s documentation also credits my work on its RTP PCMA audio payloader and neon HTTP source.
Embedded / Protocol engineering
A portable J1939 library.
Designed and implemented J1939-21/81 in C for CMSIS-based systems, with portability built into the architecture. The library was also ported to Linux and deployed in thousands of ATMs and related equipment.
Engineering emphasis
Protocol implementation · Portability · Embedded integration
Embedded Linux / Product delivery
Bringing custom hardware to life.
Brought up Linux on an AT91SAM9G45-based multifunction terminal, working across U-Boot, the kernel, device drivers, and application software.
Engineering emphasis
Board bring-up · Peripheral integration · Full-stack embedded development
03 / Background
A systems perspective
on security.
I’ve worked in software engineering since 1999, across embedded products, multimedia, cross-platform applications, and wireless protocol analysis. Today, I bring that experience to cybersecurity research.
Along the way, I’ve led engineering teams, taught operating systems and theory of computation, and studied distributed data structures in my master’s research.
That mix of implementation, research, and teaching shapes how I approach technical problems: understand the foundations, follow the details, and build something that works.
Read my full CV2025–present CESAR
Research Scientist, Cybersecurity
Power side-channel analysis of PQC implementations and PQC-secured UAV communications.
2018–2025 CESAR
Senior Staff Engineer
Bluetooth protocol parsers and analyzers, plus selected IEEE 802.11 work. Earlier CESAR work from 2017 included macOS and Bluetooth development.
2008–2016 FITec
Engineering, architecture & leadership
Embedded Linux, protocol libraries, cross-platform software, and product development.
2005–2008 Nokia Institute of Technology
Software Developer
GStreamer, multimedia software, and consulting at Nokia Research Center in Helsinki.
04 / Foundations & learning
Research foundations.
Continued curiosity.
Formal study in computing, with recent coursework in cryptography, signal processing, and machine learning.
Education
2015–2017 · UFRPE
M.Sc. in Applied Informatics
Research on distributed van Emde Boas trees.
Read my master’s thesis1997–2002 · UFPE
B.Sc. in Computer Science
Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil.
Selected course certificates
- Digital Signal Processing 1: Basic Concepts and AlgorithmsEPFL · March 2026 — verify certificate
- Advanced Learning AlgorithmsDeepLearning.AI · February 2026 — verify certificate
- Neural Networks and Deep LearningDeepLearning.AI · February 2026 — verify certificate
- Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and ClassificationDeepLearning.AI · January 2026 — verify certificate
- Cryptography IStanford University · December 2025 — verify certificate
05 / Get in touch
Let’s work on
something that matters.
For conversations about cybersecurity research, protocol engineering, or systems development, send me a message.
edgard.lima@gmail.com