Researcher in AI Security and Privacy
Do you want to contribute to the development of knowledge, insight and solutions that are relevant to society and working life today and in the future?We are looking for a Researcher within the field of AI Security and Privacy.
About the positionAre you interested in AI security and privacy, and do you want to engage in research together with skilled colleagues who share your interests? Maybe you can become our new colleague at the Department of Science and Industry Systems at the Faculty of Technology, Natural Sciences and Maritime Sciences. The position is a fixed-term, externally funded full-time position for a period of two years, with preferred start as soon as possible or by agreement.
Your personnel manager will be the Head of Department. It is a prerequisite that you live close by so that you can be present at, and available to, the academic environment at your workplace during ordinary working hours. The place of work will be at campus Kongsberg.
The position is externally funded with funding from the Research Council of Norway.
About the research projectUTOPIA – Understanding Threats and Optimizing Mitigation and Enabling Privacy-by-Design in AI – is a project funded by the Research Council of Norway. The project investigates how privacy and security threats affect AI systems, how such threats can be systematically characterized and evaluated, and how privacy-enhancing technologies can be designed and assessed to support trustworthy AI.
The project consortium includes the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research (NSE), the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), and Rey Juan Carlos University (URJC), Spain. The overall project is coordinated by NSE.
This position at USN is connected to WP2, “Threat Modeling and Robustness Evaluation of AI Systems,” which is led at USN by Associate Professor Mohsen Toorani. The person appointed will contribute to research on the conditions under which privacy and security attacks succeed against AI systems across different training settings, model types, and data characteristics. This includes formalization of threat models and attack scenarios, critical assessment and development of metrics for evaluating AI robustness, and implementation of structured and reproducible pipelines for robustness evaluation. The work addresses representative attack classes such as membership inference, data extraction or reconstruction, and poisoning or backdoor attacks, and provides methodological foundations for later work packages in the project.
The person appointed will be affiliated with the cybersecurity and AI-related research activities at the Department of Science and Industry Systems at USN.
DutiesComplete the research tasks assigned to the position within the employment periodConduct high-quality research within the framework described aboveProduce academic publications and popular science disseminationCollaborate closely with project partners and other members of the project team Contribute actively to project meetings, reporting activities, and other joint project tasks Participate in relevant national and international academic activities, such as conferences and workshopsBe prepared for changes in your work tasks after appointment
QualificationsAll items are requirements, unless it is specified that they are preferred qualifications.
Doctoral degree (or equivalent qualifications) in computer science, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, machine learning, or a closely related fieldDocumented research track record relevant to the planned WP2 activities, including research in one or more of the following areas: threat modelling, AI security and privacy, and adversarial machine learningGood programming skills and experience with empirical evaluation and reproducible research practicesExcellent written and oral English language skillsThe position may involve access to and handling of unclassified yet sensitive information requiring protection. The successful candidate must demonstrate a high degree of integrity, loyalty, and security awareness, and comply with applicable regulations and internal security procedures
The following qualifications will be considered an advantage:
Experience with threat modelling methodologies, tools, or frameworks relevant to software or AI systems, such as STRIDE, attack trees, MITRE ATLAS, OWASP Threat Dragon, Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool, OWASP pytm, or related approachesExperience with privacy and security attacks against AI systems, such as membership inference, data extraction/reconstruction, poisoning or backdoor attacks, model inversion, or related topicsExperience with Python and common machine learning and data science tools such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, scikit-learn, experiment tracking tools, and version controlExperience with LLM security/privacy, trustworthy AI evaluation, privacy-enhancing technologies, or federated learning
Personal qualities that we are looking forTo be able to complete the project, it is important that you can
demonstrate motivation and potential for research in the fieldwork independently and reliably, while contributing to teamwork and collaboration demonstrate professional conduct and respect for constructive working relationships be analytical, innovative and structured in your workpresent and discuss your research with other academics and professionals, and show that you have the ability to share and learn from the other members of the academic environmentget involved and contribute constructively with feedbackwork constructively under pressure or in the face of adversityshow curiosity and strong motivation for the subject areaanalyse data, assess different perspectives, and draw well-founded conclusionsbe flexible and open to adjusting the project plan as necessary
When assessing applicants, emphasis will be placed onFormal qualificationsRelevant publications in journals, participation at conferences, etc.Submitted academic workThe scientific quality, research relevance and degree of innovation of the submitted work and statement of project fitThe relevance of the applicant’s profile to the research area and duties of the positionInternational experience and networksDocumented research track record and technical fit with the project, including experience in threat modelling, AI security and privacy, adversarial machine learning, and reproducible evaluation of AI systemsThe personal qualities mentioned above Personal suitability and the personal qualities mentioned above will be assessed through the application, interviews, and reference checks.
Requirements for proficiency in English This position requires good English language skills. International applicants must document this with a valid certificate from one of the following tests. Specific requirements regarding grades can be found on our webpage English requirement for programmes and subjects taught in English at USN.
TOEFL – Test of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based Test (IBT)IELTS – International English Language Testing Service Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) from the University of CambridgePTE Academic – Pearson Test of English AcademicThe following applicants are exempt from the requirements listed above
Applicants with one year of completed university studies in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK or USAApplicants who have completed a master’s degree with English as the language of instruction in an EU or EEA countryApplicants who are exempt based on the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir)’s GSU list (Higher Education Entrance Qualification for foreign applicants)Applicants from Norway can confirm their English language skills by submitting their upper secondary school diploma
What we offerCareers advice and guidance during the employment period. Together we will draw up a career plan that includes the skills and knowledge you will acquireAn inclusive working environment with ambitious colleaguesThe opportunity during the employment period to acquire teaching qualifications that meet the requirements for employment as an associate professor, if you do not already possess such qualificationsThe opportunity to take Norwegian language coursesSalary in accordance with the Norwegian State salary scale for Researcher (position code 1109), in the range 663 800 – 860 000. Any further increases in pay grade will be based on length of service in the positionDeductions will be made from your salary in order to make statutory contributions to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund on your behalfMembership in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund, ensuring favourable pension, insurance and loan schemes
DiversityWe believe diversity is a strength in our work and learning environment. Different experiences and backgrounds contribute to better solutions for the challenges we aim to solve.
We are committed to respecting individual differences and accommodating employees with disabilities. We consider your needs and situation during different stages of life.
If this position interests you, we encourage you to apply regardless of gender, disability, cultural background, or whether you have had a career break.
Qualified candidates with disabilities, employment gaps, or immigrant backgrounds will be invited to an interview. If you identify with one of these groups, you may indicate this in our job portal.
General informationThe Appointment Committee for Teaching and Research Positions (TUF) is the appointing authority for this position.
Relevant applicants will be invited to an interview. References will also be obtained for relevant candidates.
Employment at USN is carried out in accordance with the principles set out in the Norwegian Civil Service Act.
We are committed to adhering to the evaluation criteria for research quality laid down in The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment – DORA and t
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