Faculty of Technology, Department of Computing invites applications for a 2-year position as postdoctoral researcher. The successful candidate will play a leading role in a high-impact Horizon Europe project aimed at establishing the next generation of autonomous, trustworthy, and resilient cyber defense across federated infrastructures. The fixed-term position starts on mutual agreement during 2026, and the duration of the employment is 2 years (24 months).
Job description
Contemporary AI-driven cybersecurity frameworks rely on centralized architectures that lack transparency, explainability, and protection against emerging quantum threats. As cyber-physical threats evolve, current MLOps pipelines fail to provide the self-healing, traceable, and quantum-resilient defense required for regulated, cross-border sectors. We will address these critical "trust gaps" by introducing a quantum-secure, federated GenAI framework that unifies threat detection, remediation, and compliance within a verifiable ML pipeline. As a postdoctoral researcher on this project, you will help bridge the divide between GenAI and verifiable security to deliver:
- Quantum-Secure Intelligence: Safeguarding distributed model training through a post-quantum federated learning layer employing lattice-based cryptography (Kyber, Dilithium) and differential privacy.
- Verifiable SecureMLOps: Integrating self-healing detection, policy-bounded reinforcement learning, and "compliance-as-code" to ensure continuous adaptability across cloud, edge, and OT environments.
- Rigorous Adversarial Validation: Utilizing digital twin technology in our Adversarial Defence & Validation Lab to stress-test AI against sophisticated attack vectors, including evasion, poisoning, and data leakage.
Responsibilities
- Develop highly efficient and secure GenAI.
- Collaborate closely with top-tier European universities and industrial partners.
- Participate in project implementation and reporting activities.
- Contribute to academic life by supervising PhD, MSc and Bachelor students, and assisting in teaching activities.
- Engage in training opportunities including proposal writing, high-impact scientific publishing, and collaborative research with international teams.
Who we are looking for
Requirements
- PhD degree in Computer Science, or a related field.
- Strong knowledge of machine learning and cybersecurity.
- Strong publication record in a relevant field.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Interest in collaborative research with both academia and industry.
- Good communication skills in English (written and spoken).
Qualification requirements
The eligibility criteria for prospective applicants are defined in the University of Turku's Rules of Procedure: university-of-turku-rules-of-procedure.pdf
A person selected for the post of postdoctoral researcher is required to have a doctoral degree and the ability to conduct independent scientific work as well as having the necessary teaching skills.
We primarily seek to recruit a Postdoctoral Researcher. However, in exceptional cases, applicants who have completed almost all doctoral studies required for a PhD in a relevant field may also be considered. In such cases, the job title at the start of the employment will be Project Researcher and salary will be in the beginning on average 3100–3400 euros/month, depending on previous experience and skills. A person selected for the post of Project researcher is required to have a higher university degree. When assessing the merits of the applicants, special emphasis will be placed on competence and practical expertise in the field in question.
We value collegiality and promote equality, diversity, and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified applicants with different backgrounds to apply for our open positions.
Benefits
We Offer:
- A two-year fully funded position in an internationally recognized research environment.
- Opportunities to publish in top-tier cybersecurity journals and flag-ship conferences.
- Opportunities to collaborate with and visit outstanding European universities and industrial partners.
- Training courses for academic researchers, e.g., proposal writing, scientific writing, project development, teaching qualification.
- A vibrant, international, and supportive research community.
We offer you responsible and interesting tasks and the opportunity to develop your professional skills in a versatile operating environment. You get a professional and inspiring team to support your work. We take care of your well-being at work and the functionality of your everyday life, e.g. with the help of flexible working hours and our well-being services.
Please read more about University of Turku as an employer from our Come work with us! pages.
The European Commission has awarded the University of Turku the right to use the HR Excellence in Research quality label. The label is a token of the University's commitment to continuous development of the position and working conditions of researchers according to the guidelines set forth in the European Charter for Researchers.
The university offers good support and orientation for international hires. Please learn more about the Finnish culture and relocation to Finland:
The University of Turku is among the top of the world’s universities in most rankings and among the best universities in the world in certain fields. Our high-quality basic research, a multidisciplinary research profile and close cooperation in research infrastructures creates the basis for international top research. Read more about University of Turku in international university rankings.
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Salary and trial period
The salary is determined in accordance with the university salary system for teaching and research personnel and will depend on the degree and qualifications of the applicant.
For a postdoctoral researcher (OV5-OV6), the salary will be in the beginning of the employment on average 3700–4600 euros/month, depending on previous experience and skills.
The amount of the salary is defined when the employment contract is prepared.
A six (6) month trial period applies to the position.
How to apply
Please submit your application through our online recruitment system. The closing date for applications is 17 September 2026 at 16.00 (Europe/Helsinki).
Your application should include the following:
- A motivation letter (one page)
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- A list of publications
- Copies of degree certificates in English or Finnish
- Other documents that affect the decision-making (e.g., awards, certificates)
Further information
Home page of the research group: http://www.utu.fi/cyber
For further information about the position, please contact: Associate Professor Kaitai Liang, [email protected].
With questions about the application process, please contact: HR Specialist Nina Reini, [email protected].
The Postdoctoral researcher / Project researcher position will be filled if the project is implemented. University of Turku reserves the right for justified reasons to leave the position open, to extend the application period, reopen the application process, and to consider candidates who have not submitted applications during the application period.
