Position as PhD Research Fellow in Privacy-Enhancing Technologies available at Department of Informatics.
No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo. Starting date as soon as possible.
The research fellowship is a full-time position with a fixed-term period of three years. Candidates who can and want to contribute to teaching and supervision at the department may be offered an additional year of teaching-related compulso-ry duties in the early stages of the contract period. In this case, the appointment period will be extended to a total of four years, where compulsory duties will be spread out over the full contract period, averaging 25% per year.
Job description
Machine learning and especially Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has changed the way of data processing in many areas of the modern information society. This includes also automatic decision systems like in autonomous driving or au-tomatic loan application processing. Errors in these systems can have severe consequences on individuals’ privacy or welfare. Even worse, these algorithms can be actively misused in attacks on individuals, e.g., using deep-fake.
The successful candidate for this PhD fellowship position will contribute to re-search in the field of Machine Learning for Privacy and Security. Example areas of specialization are privacy in machine learning (e.g., “explainable AI”), adversarial AI or deep-fake detection.
The fellowship position is located at the Department of Informatics, and specifically in the Digital Security research group. The Digital Security research group currently has 7 full- and part-time faculty members and several postdoctoral re-searchers and PhD students. The research group conducts research in various areas of information and cyber security, focusing on fundamental aspects as well as on applications in multi-disciplinary contexts. We work in collaboration with leading national and international research partners from both academia and in-dustry. Current research topics include privacy and data protection, cyber threat intelligence, AI applied to cyber security, post-quantum cryptography, and ethical hacking. For more information about the Digital Security Research Group, see https://www.mn.uio.no/ifi/english/research/groups/sec/
The research group collaborates with external partners with heightened security requirements. Therefore, applicants to this position must be able to receive Nor-wegian security clearance.
Qualification requirements
The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.
Qualification requirements:
- Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent in Informatics or Mathematics
- Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
- Previous knowledge and experience in machine learning
Desirable qualifications:
- Previous knowledge and experience in information security or privacy/data protection
Personal motivation and suitability for the position and the project will be given great weight in the assessment of the applicants.
Grade requirements: The norm is as follows:
- the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
- the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
- the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
- Fluent oral and written communication skills in English
- English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries and exemptions from the requirements: https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/regulations.html#toc8
The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.
The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:
Personal skills
The candidate must also be able to work independently, be flexible and self-motivated, and demonstrate good collaborative abilities.
We offer
- Salary NOK 501 200– 544 400 per year depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
- Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
- Vibrant international academic environment
- Career development programmes, professional courses and workshops
- Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
How to apply
The application must include:
- Cover letter – statement of motivation and research interests
- CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work – scientific publications)
- Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records
- Copy of master’s thesis
- Documentation of English proficiency
- List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
- Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)
The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University’s grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).
Applicants will be called in for an interview.
Formal regulations
Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.
No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.
According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.
The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.
The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.
Contact information
For further information please contact:
Associate Professor Nils Gruschka, e-mail: nilsgrus@ifi.uio.no
For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no
About the University of Oslo
The University of Oslo is Norway’s oldest and highest rated institution of research and education with 28 000 students and 7500 employees. Its broad range of academic disciplines and internationally esteemed research communities make UiO an important contributor to society.
The Department of Informatics (IFI) is one of nine departments belonging to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. IFI is Norway’s largest university department for general education and research in Computer Science and related topics.
The Department has more than 1800 students on bachelor level, 600 master students, and over 240 PhDs and postdocs. The overall staff of the Department is close to 370 employees, about 280 of these in full time positions. The full time tenured academic staff is 75, mostly Full/Associate Professors..