PhD Position in Cybersecurity for Decentralised Energy Systems

We have the power of over 50,000 students and co-workers. Students who provide hope for the future. Co-workers who contribute to Linköping University meeting challenges of today. Our fundamental values rest on credibility, trust and security. By having the courage to think freely and innovate, our actions together, large and small, contribute to a better world. We look forward to receiving your application!

We are announcing a PhD student position in Computer Science at the Division of Cybersecurity (CYBER), Department of Computer and Information Science (IDA), Linköping University. Your research will make decentralised critical infrastructure such as the power grid more secure and resilient using trustworthy AI-supported methods.

Your work assignments

Power grids and other critical infrastructure are becoming decentralised and digitalised with thousands of remotely controlled distributed energy resources (DER) and assets such as solar panels, batteries and EV chargers. This adds a new entry point for attackers and attacks can spread across many systems at once. Your doctoral research will develop trustworthy AI-supported methods that help such critical infrastructure assess these risks and their consequences, detect potential attacks, reason about response, and keep operating safely.

Within this area, your thesis can build on the following research directions:

• threat modelling, attack-path analysis and risk reasoning for critical infrastructure
• AI-supported, robust, and privacy-preserving (for example federated) intrusion and anomaly detection for distributed and cyber-physical systems
• cyber resilience and decision support that turn security insight into indicators and actions operators can use

The work is carried out in national and European research projects together with academic and industrial partners. You will work closely with researchers and engineers in Sweden and Europe, publish in leading security and energy-systems venues, and make research visits to partner organisations. Over the four years you will shape your own research questions within the directions above.

As a PhD student, you devote most of your time to doctoral studies and the research projects of which you are part. Your work may also include teaching or other departmental duties, up to a maximum of 20 per cent of full-time.

Your qualifications

You hold a master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or a closely related field, or you have completed courses with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be advanced courses in computer science, computer engineering, or electrical engineering. Alternatively, you have gained corresponding knowledge in another way.

For this position you are required to have:

• good knowledge of cybersecurity
• knowledge or experience of machine learning, for example for anomaly detection
• programming skills, for example in Python
• excellent oral and written communication skills in English

It is a merit if you also have knowledge or experience of:

• research, for example through a Master’s thesis or scientific publications
• intrusion detection or network security monitoring
• basic electrical engineering, power systems or smart grids
• large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI
• threat modelling, attack graphs or frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK
• privacy-preserving, federated, explainable, and trustworthy machine learning

Scientific curiosity and the ability to think independently are essential personal qualities. You should enjoy working in a team and together with researchers and industry partners in several countries. Motivate in your personal letter why you are interested in this position and why you are especially qualified for it.

Your workplace

You will be working in the Division of Cybersecurity (CYBER) at the Department of Computer and Information Science. At CYBER, the research focuses on securing the most critical functions of digital society. Through numerous national and European projects, methods are developed for areas such as verification, trustworthy AI, and AI-based cybersecurity. More about cybersecurity research at LiU can be found at: https://liu.se/en/research/cybersecurity

The employment

When taking up the post, you will be admitted to the program for doctoral studies. More information about the doctoral studies at each faculty is available at Doctoral studies at Linköping University.

The employment has a duration of normally four years’ full-time equivalent. Extension of employment up to five years is based on the degree of teaching and institutional assignment. Further extensions may be granted in exceptional circumstances. You will initially be employed for one year, after which your employment will be renewed for a maximum of two years at a time, depending on your progress through the study plan.

Background screening may come to be carried out before any decision on employment is made.

Starting date by agreement, preferably not later than January 1, 2027.

Salary and employment benefits

The salary of PhD students is determined according to a locally negotiated salary progression.

More information about employment benefits at Linköping University is available here.

Union representatives

Information about union representatives, see Help for applicants.

Application procedure

Apply for the position by clicking the “Apply” button below. Your application must reach Linköping University no later than November 30, 2026.

Applications and documents received after the date above will not be considered.

We welcome applicants with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives – diversity enriches our work and helps us grow. Preserving everybody’s equal value, rights and opportunities is a natural part of who we are. Read more about our work with: Equal opportunities.

We look forward to receiving your application!

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