PhD student in Computer Science with focus on cybersecurity and privacy

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 looking for a PhD student to conduct research on cybersecurity and privacy in next-generation immersive and networked systems. The position is part of SENSE-VR, an international research collaboration involving Linköping University and partners in the United States, aimed at developing efficient, secure, and privacy-preserving multi-user virtual reality (VR) systems.

Modern VR systems continuously collect and exchange sensitive information, including head movements, eye gaze, hand gestures, and other user interactions. Such information can reveal user identities and sensitive personal attributes, even when communications are encrypted. Furthermore, observable communication patterns may reveal information about user behavior. Protecting against these privacy risks while preserving responsiveness, functionality, and user experience presents important research challenges.

The research will focus on developing and evaluating novel privacy-enhancing mechanisms for networked and immersive systems, combining techniques from cybersecurity, machine learning, networking, and performance-aware system design.

Your work assignments

As a PhD student, you will develop and evaluate novel privacy-enhancing methods for immersive and networked systems. Depending on your background and interests, potential research directions include:

• Privacy leakage and client-side defenses: Investigating privacy risks associated with motion, gaze, and other user data, and developing defenses that preserve application functionality and user experience.
• Traffic analysis and privacy-preserving communication: Investigating information leakage through observable communication patterns and developing practical defenses that balance privacy, overhead, and performance.
• Secure and encrypted processing: Exploring techniques such as homomorphic encryption for processing sensitive data on edge and cloud servers without exposing its contents.
• Privacy-aware resource optimization: Optimizing privacy, latency, and resource usage across devices, edge servers, and cloud infrastructure.

Your research will combine the design and analysis of novel methods with practical implementation and experimental evaluation. You will collaborate with researchers in Sweden and internationally, including partners in the United States, and publish your findings at leading international conferences and journals.

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 have graduated at Master’s level in computer science, computer engineering, information technology, software engineering, electrical engineering, or a closely related field, or completed courses with a minimum of 240 credits, at least 60 of which must be in advanced courses in a relevant field. Alternatively, you have gained essentially corresponding knowledge in another way.

We also welcome applications from students who are currently completing their Master’s studies, including their Master’s thesis. The eligibility requirements above must be fulfilled no later than the time when Linköping University makes its decision to employ you.

You should have a solid technical background, good analytical and programming skills, and an interest in cybersecurity and privacy research. We value candidates who enjoy exploring new ideas, solving challenging problems, and combining analytical thinking with practical implementation and experimentation. Good proficiency in written and spoken English is required.

Experience or knowledge in one or more of the following areas is considered an advantage:

• Cybersecurity, privacy, or network security.
• Machine learning, data analysis, statistical modeling, or algorithm design.
• Computer networks, distributed systems, or performance evaluation.
• Practical system development, experimental measurements, or research-oriented programming.
• Privacy-enhancing technologies, such as traffic analysis defenses, homomorphic encryption, or privacy-preserving machine learning.

We are looking for a curious and motivated person with a genuine interest in learning and conducting research. You should enjoy working both independently and collaboratively, and have an ambition to develop your research skills and contribute to high-quality scientific research.

Your application should include a brief statement of motivation (approximately one page) describing your interest in the position, relevant technical experience, and which aspects of the proposed research you find most interesting. We encourage you to highlight your main strengths and interests, including relevant experience from coursework, projects, or your Master’s thesis.

Your workplace

The Department of Computer and Information Science was founded in 1983 but its roots go back to the early 1970s. It is one of the largest computer science departments in northern Europe. Our research covers a broad spectrum of fields, from core to applied computer sciences. Its vast scope also benefits our undergraduate and graduate programmes, and we now teach courses in several engineering programmes at bachelor’s and master’s levels, as well as the programmes in statistics, cognitive science and innovative programming. Read more at  https://liu.se/en/organisation/liu/ida

You will join the Cybersecurity Division (CYBER) at Linköping University, working under the supervision of Professor Niklas Carlsson and alongside a team of PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and senior researchers. Our research spans cybersecurity, privacy, computer networking, performance evaluation, multimedia systems, and applied data analytics. We combine theoretical and experimental approaches to address challenging research problems and regularly publish our findings at leading international conferences and journals.

You will be part of a positive, supportive, and internationally recognized research environment, with opportunities to develop into an independent researcher, publish at leading international conferences and journals, and collaborate with academic and industrial partners in Sweden and internationally.

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.

Starting date by agreement, preferably during early 2027.

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

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 January 6, 2027.

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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