PhD Research Fellow in Neuro-symbolic AI for Cyber Security

About the position

Position as PhD Research Fellow in Neuro-symbolic Cyber Security is available at the Department of Informatics.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo. Starting date no later than October 1, 2025.

The fellowship period is three (3) years.

An extension of the appointment by up to twelve months may be considered, which will be devoted to career-enhancing compulsory work duties, e.g. teaching or supervision. This will be dependent on the qualifications of the applicant and the specific teaching needs of the department.

Job description

The PhD position focuses on investigating and enhancing neuro-symbolic artificial intelligence (NeSy) to support operations and decision-making in Security Operations Centres. Particular emphasis will be placed on augmenting threat situational awareness and decision support systems by combining modern deep learning with symbolic AI based on logic and reasoning to exploit the complementary properties of these different approaches. The candidate will also have to conduct research at the intersection of Large Language Models and Ontologies and Knowledge Graphs (including modeling, extracting, combining, and analyzing da-ta from distributed sources) where reliable and interpretable results are essential.

The fellowship position is at the Department of Informatics, specifically in the Digital Security research group. The group currently has nine full—and part-time faculty members, several postdoctoral researchers, and PhD researchers. The research group conducts research in various areas of information and cyber secu-rity, focusing on fundamental aspects and applications in multidisciplinary con-texts. We work in collaboration with leading national and international research partners from academia, government, and industry. Current research activities span the domains of cyber threat intelligence (representation and sharing), threat detection and response, security orchestration and automation, knowledge engi-neering and information models, AI/ML for cybersecurity, and cybersecurity standardization. For more information about the Digital Security Research Group, see here.

All candidates and projects will have to undergo a check versus national export, sanctions and security regulations. Candidates may be excluded based on these checks. Primary checkpoints are the Export Control regulation, the Sanctions regulation, and the national security regulation.

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

• Master’s degree or equivalence in cyber security, computer science (informatics) or artificial intelligence
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written English communication skills

Candidates without a master’s degree have until 30 June 2025 to complete the final exam.

Desired qualifications:

• Previous knowledge and experience in AI and ML, including LLMs and agentic workflows, and/or semantic technologies, will be beneficial
• Previous knowledge and experience in cyber security will be beneficial

Grade requirements:

• The average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• The Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system

Language requirements:

• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English

English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/EEA/EFTA countries and exemptions from the requirements

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree. For more information see here.

Personal skills

• Analytical skills and reasoning
• Critical thinking
• A passion for tackling interdisciplinary challenges
• Effective communication and collaboration abilities, with a commitment to team-based research

We offer

• Salary NOK 536 200 – 575 400 per year depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017). 
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Vibrant international academic environment
• Career development programmes.
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

Inclusive worklife and diversity at UiO

Inclusion and diversity are a strength. The University of Oslo has a personnel policy objective of achieving a balanced gender composition. Furthermore, we want employees with diverse professional expertise, life experience and perspectives.

If there are qualified applicants with disabilities, employment gaps or immigrant background, we will invite at least one applicant from each of these categories to an interview.

We hope that you will apply for the position. 

More information about gender equality initiatives at UiO can be found here.

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
• Short research proposal (3 pages max, excluding references), making it clear how the applicant interprets and plans to address the announced area of research
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma, transcripts of records
• Letters of recommendation
• Documentation of English proficiency
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

When applying for the position, we ask you to retrieve your education results from Vitnemålsportalen.no. If your education results are not available through Vitnemålsportalen, we ask you to upload copies of your original transcripts or grades. Please note that all documentation must be in English or a Scandinavian language. Foreign applicants should attach an official explanation of their University's grading system.

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system (please follow the link “Apply for this job”). 

General information

The best qualified candidates will invited for interviews. 

Applicant lists can be published in accordance with Norwegian Freedom of Information Act § 25. When you apply for a position with us, your name will appear on the public applicant list. It is possible to request to be excluded from this list. You must justify why you want an exemption from publication and we will then decide whether we can grant your request. If we can't, you will hear from us.

Please refer to Regulations for the Act on universities and colleges chapter 3 (Norwegian), Guidelines concerning appointment to post doctoral and research posts at UiO (Norwegian) and Regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at the University of Oslo.

The University of Oslo has a transfer agreement with all employees that is intended to secure the rights to all research results etc.

UiO/ Anders Lien

Contact persons

For further information please contact:

• Associate Professor Vasileios Mavroeidis, e-mail: vasileim@ifi.uio.no and 
• Associate Professor Gudmund Grov, e-mail: gudmungr@ifi.uio.no

For questions regarding the recruitment system Jobbnorge, please contact HR Adviser Therese Ringvold, e-mail: therese.ringvold@mn.uio.no

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