Three PhD positions in language-based security and one in location privacy

The Department has about 70 faculty members and enrolls a number of PhD students from more than 30 countries. The research spans the whole spectrum, from theoretical foundations to applied systems development. There is extensive national and international collaboration with academia and industry all around the world. For more information, see http://www.chalmers.se/cse/EN/ .

Major responsibilities
The PhD students will join a high-profile group of researchers on software security. 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.

Application software relies on access to a range of sensitive data, but standard security mechanisms such as access controls can't distinguish between an app which uses data in a reasonable way from one which abuses the resources to which it has access. More research is needed to enable the specification and enforcement of fine grained security and privacy policies.

Securing real systems involves many challenges. Real systems are not single monolithic entities, but combine functionalities from many providers. For example, web applications combine services from different providers via script inclusion mechanisms, which routinely turns barebone web pages into fully fledged services built up from third-party code; server applications combine multiple components, application software, operating systems, and databases in security-critical ways. These projects will bridge theory and practice to put principled security and privacy to work, focusing on four application areas: Android apps, Web apps, Secure systems, and Location privacy. We are seeking a PhD student to work in each of them. Please read about the four positions at this link: http://www.chalmers.se/en/about-chalmers/vacancies/?rmpage=job&rmjob=2913

Position summary
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 the starting salary is 27,835 SEK a month before tax. The positions are intended to start in Fall 2015.

Qualifications
Applicants should have a Master's Degree or corresponding degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or in a related discipline. As for all PhD studies, a genuine interest and curiosity in the subject matter and excellent analytical and communication skills, both oral and written, are needed. You may apply even if you have not completed your degree, but expect to do so before the position starts. Knowledge of Swedish is not a prerequisite for applying since English is our working language for research, and we publish internationally. Both Swedish and English are used in undergraduate courses. Half of our researchers and PhD students at the department come from more than 30 different countries.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application deadline: April 14, 2015

For questions, please contact:
Andrei Sabelfeld, 
andrei@chalmers.se
+46 31-772 1018

David Sands
dave@chalmers.se
+46 31-772 1059

Niklas Broberg
niklas.broberg@chalmers.se
+46 31-772 1058

Alejandro Russo
russo@chalmers.se
+46 31-772 1098