PhD Research Fellow in IT-security in context of resilient and reliable systems

About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Computer Science is available at Department of Informatics, University of Oslo.

The fellowship period is three years.

Depending on the candidate and the teaching needs of the department, the fellowship period can be extended either for compulsory work consisting of e.g., teaching and supervision duties and research assistance up top four years.

Starting date no later than October 1, 2026.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

Place of work is Department of Informatics at Blindern, Oslo.

Job description

IT-security is a central topic of all areas of modern software and system design and will only become more important in the future. Central to secure systems is to proactively limit risks by design of resilient and reliable software and systems. This has the potential to mitigate attacks by easily adapting to potential vulnerabilities, encapsulate important data (e.g. GDPR), and/or mitigate threats based on system or information formalisations (data privacy and sovereignty).

This PhD project is part of an increased emphasis in IT-security at UiO and it will be a collaborative effort between the Software Engineering (SE), Programming Technology (PT), and Reliable Systems (PSY) research groups of the Programming (PROG) section..

The central topic of the project must be IT-security, but should in addition relate to two or more research topics of the involved research groups. The research groups are currently involved in research for software design to improve reliability, formal definitions for data privacy (GDPR), and reliable systems, in general, and the maritime sec-tor, specifically. New technologies, such as Quantum computing, can become a game changer for how security is managed in the software industry, and a project can contribute to study and improve the preparedness of the software sector. Largescale systems for international sectors (e.g. the maritime sector) must be designed with resilience against vulnerabilities in mind, and a project contribute to design and implementation of these. We have ongoing collaboration with both Norwegian and inter-national companies and organisations, for example Visma and P3KI, which can be the basis for application areas and the project direction.

Potential candidates must include in the application a separate project description that states their qualification related to the research groups and how their knowledge can add to potential projects. Candidates should also suggest a potential direction for the project ideas and how this aligns with the candidate’s qualifications/interests and the research of the groups.

The final PhD project will be designed based on the candidate’s knowledge, ideas, qualifications and ability to master research in one or more of the respective research areas. The PhD project will be defined in collaboration between the supervisors and the candidate at the start project.

For more information see:
http://mn.uio.no/ifi/english/about/organisation/prog/ 

What skills are important in this role?

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.

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

Desired qualifications:

• Documented prior knowledge of topics within IT-security in a broad sense; this in-cludes (but are not limited to) software security, system security, language-based security, information security, etc.
• Documented prior knowledge of two of more of the following is desired:
  • software engineering and systems design,
  • formal methods, verification, and/or modelling,
  • design and techniques for resilient and reliable systems (e.g. decentralised systems, differential privacy, secure multi-party computations), and
  • language-based security programming languages and models (e.g. choreo-graphic programming, Web Ontology Language, Web Ontology Language)

Candidates without a master’s degree have until June 30, 2026 to complete the final exam.

Language requirement:

• Good 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

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

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. For more information see:
http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

What are we looking for in you?

Personal skills:

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to work precise in a structured manner and swiftly adapts to new tasks
• Good communication and collaboration skills
• Positive attitude and the ability to handle hectic periods
• You are a person who prefers being present at work and actively contributes to the professional and social environment you are a part of

Employment in the position is based on a comprehensive assessment of all qualification requirements applicable to the position, including personal qualifications.

We can offer you

• A pleasant and stimulating work environment
• Good welfare schemes
• Opportunity of up to 1.5 hours a week of exercise during working hours
• A workplace with good development and career opportunities
• Career development programmes
• Membership in the Statens Pensjonskasse, which is one of Norway's best pension schemes with beneficial mortgages and good insurance schemes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities
• Salary in position as PhD Research Fellow, position code 1017 in salary range NOK from 550 800 - 595 000, depending on competence and experience. From the salary, 2 percent is deducted in statutory contributions to the State Pension Fund 

We need different perspectives in our work

UiO is an open and internationally oriented comprehensive university that strives to be an inclusive and diverse workplace and academic environment. You can read more about UiO’s work on equality, inclusion, and diversity at uio.no.

We fulfill our mission most effectively when we draw upon our variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives. We are looking for great colleagues, could you be the next one?

We will do our best to accommodate your needs. Relevant adjustments may include modifications to working hours, task adaptations, digital, technical, or physical adjustments, or other practical measures.

If you have an immigrant background, a disability, or CV gaps (Norwegian), we encourage you to indicate this in the job application portal. We always invite at least one qualified candidate from each group for an interview. In this context, disability is defined as an applicant who identifies as having a disability that requires workplace or employment-related accommodations. For more details about the requirements, please refer to the Employer portal (Norwegian).

The selections made in the job application portal are used for anonymized statistics that all state employers include in their annual reports. More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here. 

We hope you will apply for the position with us.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
• Project description stating candidate’s qualification related to the research groups and potential direction for a research project within the research section
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Transcripts of records, copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma (see below)
• Letters of recommendation
• Documentation of English proficiency if applicable
• 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)

Application with attachments must be submitted via our recruitment system Jobbnorge, click "Apply for this job". Foreign applicants should attach an official explanation of their University's grading system.

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language.

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews.

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian), Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO (Norwegian) and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.  

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.