1-2 PhD students in Computer Science

Umeå university is one of Sweden's largest higher education institutions with over 41,500 students and approximately 4,600 employees. The university offers a variety of high-quality education and world-leading research within several scientific fields, and it was here that the groundbreaking discovery of the gene scissors CRISPR-Cas9, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made. At Umeå university, everything is close. Our cohesive campus makes it easy to meet, collaborate, and exchange knowledge, something that benefits a dynamic and open culture.

Are you interested in knowing more? Read more about Umeå university as a workplace.

To our department, which conducts research at the highest international level and provides several high-quality educational programs within Computer Science, we are now seeking 1–2 PhD students focusing on cryptography and cybersecurity.

The Department of Computer Science at Umeå university is internationally renowned for excellent research and teaching. We are linked to WASP – Sweden's largest single research program of all time, coordinate its sister program WASP-HS focusing on the consequences of new technology, and are a strong partner in the national strategic research program eSSENCE. Read more at the Department of Computer Science.

Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program, WASP, is Sweden's largest single research program in modern times. The program creates a platform for academic research and education in close cooperation with leading Swedish technology-intensive industry. Read more: https://wasp-sweden.org

The WASP Graduate School aims to provide future researchers with the necessary knowledge to be able to analyze, develop, and actively contribute to the interdisciplinary development of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and software. Through an ambitious program with research visits, partner universities, and guest lecturers, the graduate school actively supports the formation of a strong multidisciplinary and international professional network between PhD students, researchers, and industry. More information: https://wasp-sweden.org/graduate-school/

Project description

The project focuses on the design and analysis of primitives for symmetric-key cryptography, including, but not limited to, message authentication codes, pseudorandom functions, encryption schemes, deck functions, hash functions, and hash-based signatures, for applications such as quantum-secure and post-quantum cryptography, as well as leakage- and manipulation-resistant cryptography. It is supervised by Assistant Professor Mustafa Khairallah. The research is expected to include a mix of theory and practice. The selected students will be part of the Department of Computer Science at Umeå university, as well as the WASP Graduate School.

Possible research directions may be:

design and analysis of leakage-resistant encryption schemes with variable length, focusing on stream ciphers and wide-block ciphers (accordion modes). a theoretical analysis of emerging primitives and emerging threat models. studies of security concepts, attacks, and proofs for hash-based signatures, focusing on physical attacks.

Qualifications

To be admitted to doctoral studies, the applicant must have basic eligibility through a completed advanced degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits are at the advanced level, or equivalent foreign education, or equivalent qualifications.

To be admitted to doctoral studies in the subject of Computer Science, the applicant must have approved courses of at least 90 higher education credits in the subject of Computer Science or that are directly relevant to the current specialization. Specifically for this position, it is a requirement that you

have documented knowledge of cryptographic concepts. have documented knowledge of probability theory, programming, and linear algebra. can read and write mathematical proofs and cryptographic analyses. have good knowledge of academic English.

For research directions 1 and 3, it is meritorious if you

have experience in hardware implementation, hardware description languages and/or FPGA implementation. have experience with side-channel attacks against cryptosystems. have experience in cryptographic implementation, e.g., software and/or hardware implementation of cryptographic algorithms (not limited to symmetric key algorithms).

For research direction 2, it is meritorious if you

have experience in algorithms, complexity theory, quantum computing, and discrete mathematics. have experience in the design or analysis of primitives (including implementation work). We are looking for someone who enjoys a team environment and is open to collaboration with other team members. Knowledge of cryptography can be demonstrated using official transcripts from bachelor's and master's studies or equivalent, a thesis, or published research articles.

About the employment

The employment is intended for a doctoral degree, and the PhD student's main task is to engage in their own research training, which includes both participation in research projects and research training courses. Teaching and other departmental work (up to a maximum of 20%) may be included in the duties. The employment is time-limited to four years full-time or up to five years with teaching part-time.

Salary placement is according to the established salary scale for PhD positions. According to the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 12, Section 2), the decision on employment cannot be appealed.

A complete application shall include:

A personal letter describing your research interests and why you are applying for the advertised position. The letter should also include your contact information. Copies of degree certificates or equivalent • Curriculum Vitae (CV) Contact information for at least two references who know the candidate through previous work or mentorship Copies of bachelor's and/or master's theses, as well as other relevant publications if any exist Documentation and description of other relevant experiences and competencies

The application must be written in Swedish or English. If attached documents are in another original language, a translation must be included. Attached documents must be in PDF. The application must be received no later than 2026-09-15.