Doctoral student in Computer Science with specialisation in secure communication systems

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Karlstad University has a total of approximately 1400 employees and 18700 students spread across two inspiring campus environments in Karlstad and Arvika. More information at:

The Faculty ofHealth Science andTechnologyinvites applications for a doctoral studentship inComputer Scienceat the Department ofMathematics and Computer Science.

The position is part of the project DRIVE (Data-driven latency-sensitive mobile services for a digitalised society) a research profile funded by the Swedish Knowledge Foundation: Within DRIVE we investigate high-performance low-latency secure communication systems in close collaboration with industry partner Mullvad VPN.

The doctoral student will research how to optimize performance and reduce latency for novel secure communication systems extending WireGuard-based VPNs and the Tor anonymity network where end-users connect via next-generation mobile and non-terrestrial networks. Research should be empirically grounded in real-world measurements leveraging the rich environment provided by DRIVE including testbeds industry products and services and associated larger national and international research projects and collaborations. The work at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science will be carried out in close collaboration with researchers from both the Privacy and Security (PriSec) and Distributed Intelligent Systems and Communications (DISCO) research groups.

As a doctoral student you will primarily dedicate time to your own studies. The doctoral programme comprises 240 credits for a Degree of Doctor and 120 credits for a Degree of Licentiate. The doctoral appointment is a paid position that offers a combination of studies and work and a great opportunity for a potential career in academia. Doctoral students are expected to work independently and be prepared to contribute to the activities and development of the discipline and the department. You are given the opportunity to deepen your interests in collaboration with others. Teaching and administrative duties may also be included upon agreement but will not constitute more than 20% of full-time. Work as a doctoral student allows for great freedom and flexibility in terms of how you organise your tasks. This requires commitment drive and the ability to structure your work to successfully complete the doctoral thesis.

To contribute to a positive work environment and further both the departments activities and your own development as a researcher we expect you to be a present at Karlstad University and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

To be eligible for a doctoral studentship applicants must meet the general and specific entry requirements (Higher Education Ordinance Chap. 7 Sect. 35).

To meet the general entry requirements applicants must have been awarded a second-cycle qualification satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second-cycle or acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad (Higher Education Ordinance Chap. 7 Sect. 39).

To meet the specific entry requirements for third-cycle studies inComputer Science the applicant musthavecompletedaMastersdegree(60credits) in Computer ScienceaMastersdegree(120credits) in Computer Science or a MasterofSciencedegreein ComputerEngineering. A personwho insomeotherway inthe countryorabroad hasacquiredequivalentqualificationsalsomeets thespecificentryrequirements.

To be eligible for doctoral studies the applicant must be considered to have the ability required to benefit from the programme (Higher Education Ordinance Chap. 7 Sect. 35). Admission is based on individual assessment.

The assessment of eligible applicants is based on the criteria listed below.

Special weight will be given to:

• Research and development experience related to widely-used secure communication systems such as Tor and Wireguard.
• Experience with communication protocols network measurements and related technological aspects e..g congestion control mobile networks non-terrestrial networks and associated data analysis using statistics and AI/ML.
• Software development knowledge particularly with programming languages used in open-source secure communication systems (e.g. C Rust and Go) on Linux.
• Performance in previous studies and the quality of independent projects completed during these studies.

Considerable weight will be given to language proficiency in English and personal qualities such as the ability to cooperate sound judgement taking responsibility commitment and a positive attitude towards colleagues and students and the intention to be a present at Karlstad University and active part of the research environment.

Upon admission to doctoral studies the person will be offered the appointment of doctoral student (Higher Education Ordinance Chap. 5 Sect. 3). The positioncomprisesfour years of full-time studies consisting of research only. If teaching or other departmental duties become relevant the appointment will be extended by acorresponding period up to a maximum of five years full-time. The position isfixed-term one year initially followed bypossible extensionsof a maximum of two years at a time (Higher Education Ordinance Chap. 5). Start date as agreed by both parties.

The salary for the doctoral studentship corresponds to the standard level of salary for doctoral students and progressesin accordance witha local collective agreement.

Submit the application via the universitys web-based recruitment tool Varbi. Applicantsare responsible forsubmittinga complete applicationin accordance withthe advertisement for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish NorwegianDanishor English and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should besubmittedby the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications. The application should include:

• a cover letter where the applicant details the reasons behind their interest in the position
• a list of qualifications (CV)
• degree certificate with a complete transcript of the courses included or a certified list of completed courses with grades and dates
• copy of Masters thesis or equivalent
• where applicable copies of publications or certificates for other qualifications
• any letters of recommendation
• two references such as a teacher supervisor or previous or current superior.

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearlyindicateits content.

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically should be sent to the following address:

Karlstads universitet
HR-avdelningen
HR-administratör
651 88 Karlstad
SWEDEN

Application deadline:

State the reference number: REK 2026/147

Applicants with qualifications from abroad

If you have qualifications from a university outside Sweden or if they have not been recognised by a Swedish authority before it is important that you attach degree certificates and official transcripts tofacilitatethe recognition of foreign qualifications.
Provide a contact for the degree-awarding institution (phone number or email) who can verify your qualifications.

We look forward to your application!

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.

This translation carries no legal weight.

HR Excellence in Research
Karlstad University received the European Commissions HR Excellence in Research award September 2020. The award is issued to employers with a stimulating work environment and good conditions for researchers and its continuous improvement. The award also conveys the universitys commitment to fair and transparent recruitment as well as favorable professional development for researchers. Read more: