PhD student position in Principled Application Security

The PhD student will join a high-profile group of researchers on cybersecurty and privacy, the Chalmers Security Lab. Software is often the root cause of vulnerabilities in modern computing systems. By focusing on securing the software, we target principled security mechanisms that provide robust protection against large classes of attacks.

Information about the the department
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is a joint department at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, with activities on two campuses in the city of Gothenburg. The department has around 270 employees from over 30 countries.

Our research has a wide span, from theoretical foundations to applied systems development. We provide high quality education at Bachelor's, Master's and graduate levels, offering over 120 courses each year. We also have extensive national and international collaborations with academia, industry and society.

Major responsibilities
The PhD students will join one of our ambitious projects:

-WebSec: Securing Web-driven Systems conducted jointly with Uppsala University, and funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF).
Promotional video of Chalmers research on securing web applications

-WASP NEST CyberSecIT a framework project conducted jointly with KTH and Umeå University to explore the security and privacy of IoT applications, with the emphasis on software. NESTs are flagship projects of the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP): The PhD student will thus enjoy the benefits of the WASP graduate school.

-VR project on applications of programming language-based, SMT solving, and symbolic execution techniques to discover vulnerabilities and secure software systems by construction.

PhD students will be supervised by Prof. Andrei Sabelfeld (recipient of a number of awards by ERC, SSF, Google, Amazon, and Facebook as well as the Chalmers PhD Supervisor of the Year award).

PhD student positions are limited to five years and normally include 20 per cent departmental work, mostly teaching duties. Salary for the position is as specified in Chalmers' general agreement for PhD student positions, currently starting from 32,150SEK per month before taxes.

Qualifications
By the starting date, you have a Master's degree and a well-documented track record of research interests and achievements on cybersecurity and/or privacy. You are highly motivated, self-propelled, energetic, independent and with a well-developed analytical problem-solving ability. As a person, you are empathetic, loyal and have high ethical standards. Your communication skills in English (literal as well as oral) are of a high quality.

The application should be written in English and include the following items:
1. An application of a maximum of one A4 page summarizing your track record and providing your research statement
2. Attested copies of education certificates, including grade reports and other documents
3. Curriculum Vitae
4. Letters of recommendation and name of reference persons
5. Evidence of written work: (links to) research papers and theses
6. Links to software repositories with relevant projects

It is important to include parts of your own work such as theses and articles that you have authored or co-authored. Please notice also that it is highly recommended that you include letters of recommendation; we typically get a large number of applications, and it is not feasible for us to request individual letters.  

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20230506 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates, e.g. TOEFL test results.

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form. 

Application deadline: 2023-10-15



For questions, please contact:
Andrei Sabelfeld,
andrei@chalmers.se, 031 772 1000

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. *** 
   



Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!