PhD Position in Computer Science Radboud University

Employment0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary€ 2,541 - € 3,247

Required backgroundResearch University Degree

Organizational unitFaculty of Science

Application deadline20 August 2023

 

This PhD project is about developing new methodologies for risk assessment of privacy and security aspects in the context of the new national lab on education and AI (NOLAI). This lab is going to use PEP, a solution for privacy-friendly collection of research data pioneered at our university, to store data about school children. PEP allows data to be encrypted end-to-end while still supporting pseudonymisation. The PhD project will examine how guarantees about privacy, security and auditability can be improved, and will also investigate the methodology for assessing these aspects.

The goal of the PhD project is to better understand the guarantees and assess threats to privacy, security and reproducibility in systems that handle privacy-sensitive research data. This includes the question of how to carry out architectural risk assessment in a systematic way. Although PEP has been designed to minimise risks, there are always remaining risks. Factors here include context and application area, types of data processed (as some allow re-identification), and also how roles are assigned to different people. How can we analyse this in a rigorous way, on an architectural level, and make any hidden trust assumptions explicit?

Another research question is how to improve privacy guarantees. Are there new choices in how PEP can be used in new situations, e.g. where and which type of pseudonymisation or data minimisation is applied, resulting in improved privacy? In the NOLAI setting, in addition to the existing scientific validation data stream used for publishing, new data streams in PEP are present. The new ones are directly related to operating AI algorithms in classrooms, and concern the data used in training AI algorithms before they are uploaded to an operating environment. These new data streams force us to reconsider the privacy guarantees offered by PEP.

The final research question is how to make the system verifiable. Not only is it important to provide strong guarantees for security and privacy, but also to allow these guarantees to be verified and audited. To this end, the configuration of roles and corresponding access rights of administrators and their implications is vital. How can we make systems that use PEP in an auditable manner?

This project will contribute to a sustainable way of using existing pseudonymisation techniques in new contexts, uncovering the conditions under which the PEP system can be reused and repurposed, thereby enabling a more generic use of the PEP system. Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Profile

• You hold a Master's degree in Computing Science or Information Science (or a closely related degree) and have knowledge of and an interest in security and privacy.
• You are eager to work in a multidisciplinary setting with AI experts, social scientists, schools and commercial partners.
• You are interested in research in an applied setting, leading to contributions that are both practical and sustainable.
• You have a good command of English and good writing skills.

We are

This position is available at the Institute for Computing and Information Sciences (iCIS) of Radboud University and is part of the NOLAI project.

NOLAI, the National AI Education Lab, funded by the Dutch National Growth Fund, represents the largest public investment worldwide in the field of AI and education. It is a 10-year project involving multiple universities, schools and non-academic partners. By combining scientific, educational and commercial perspectives, the goal is to have a long-lasting positive impact.

iCIS is an internationally recognised institute, consistently ranked among the top Computer Science departments in the Netherlands. iCIS comprises an enthusiastic and devoted team of excellent researchers who closely collaborate in a flat organisational structure. The Institute focuses its research on three themes: data science, digital security and software science. Each of these themes spans the full breadth from basic fundamental research to application-oriented research. Our long-term drive is to contribute to both science and society. iCIS staff members are also responsible for the Computer Science Bachelor's and Master's programmes, the Information Science Master's programme, and for about 30% of the Bachelor's and Master's programmes in AI at Radboud University. iCIS staff have a high level of freedom in how they structure their work. Over the past few years, the Institute has made a strong effort to increase the diversity of its staff. More than half of our scientific staff have an international background.

Radboud University

We want to get the best out of science, others and ourselves. Why? Because this is what the world around us desperately needs. Leading research and education make an indispensable contribution to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This is what unites the more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University. And this requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 (5 year contract) - 1.0 FTE (4 year contract).
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,541 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,247 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Bernard van Gastel, Assistant Professor at +31 24 365 31 75 or Bernard.vanGastel [at] ru.nl. Alternatively, you can contact Erik Poll, Associate Professor at e.poll [at] cs.ru.nl.

Practical information and applying

You can apply until 20 August2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Bernard van Gastel. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.
• A sample of your writing, e.g. your Master thesis.

The first round of interviews will take place on Tuesday, 29 August. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.