PhD Candidate in Privacy Preserving Machine Learning

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NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

About the job

For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree. The position is for 3 years.

The candidate will work in a collaboration between the university, the internationally accredited registrar and classification society DNV, and Cancer Registry of Norway. The candidate will be analyzing and developing algorithms for privacy preserving health registry data access. The goals of such access include supporting registry operations as well as health care research. Of particular interest in this context are differentially private algorithms for federated statistical model parameter estimation.

The position is funded by the Norwegian Research Center for AI Innovation and will be based in the Cryptology division of the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology.

Your immediate leader is the head of the cryptology division in the Department of Information Security and Communication Technology.

Duties of the position

The candidate will be analyzing and developing algorithms for privacy preserving health registry data access.

Required selection criteria

General

• Your education must correspond to a five-year Norwegian degree program, where 120 credits are obtained at master's level.
• You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and an average grade from the master's degree program, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared with NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic basis. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be assessed if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education.
• You must meet the requirements for admission to the PhD program in Information Security and Communication Technology.
• Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language or are not native English speakers must provide evidence of good English language skills, written and spoken. The following tests can be used as such documentation: TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:
  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test).
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted). CAE/CPE: grade B or A.

Position specific

• A master’s degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, or a related area with very good results is required - average grade B or better.
• Advanced classes in / experience with relevant topics as the research topic rests heavily on quantitative analysis, design of algorithms, and proofs of algorithm properties. Importantly, the successful candidate has a strong interest in exploring both theoretical and practical aspects of differentially private computations.
• Advanced programming skills, preferably experience with programming in Python.
• Ability to perform research in a cross-disciplinary environment.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations on terms of employment for positions such as postdoctoral fellow, Phd candidate, research assistant and specialist candidate and Regulations concerning the degrees of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) and Philosodophiae Doctor (PhD) in artistic research national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant

Preferred selection criteria

• Good organization and communication skills.
• Relevant publication activities will be considered an advantage.

Personal characteristics

We are seeking applicants who are:

• Highly motivated by fundamental scientific research of practical relevance.
• Able to work independently.
• Well organized and have interests beyond their own research.
• Eager to disseminate research results through publications and presentations at international conferences.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability, as well as motivation, in terms of the qualifications specified in the advertisement.

We offer

• exciting and stimulating tasks in a strong international academic environment
• an open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues
• favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• employee benefits

Salary and conditions

As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 532 200 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is for 3 years.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Information Security and Communication Technology within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

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The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution daily.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must be attached to the application. Please note that your application will be considered based solely on information submitted by the application deadline. You must therefore ensure that your application clearly demonstrates how your skills and experience fulfil the criteria specified above.

The application must include the following items:

• Statement of interest (less than 500 words).
• Curriculum vitae including a list of publications.
• Documentation of education as described here. This includes transcripts of bachelor’s and master’s grades and diplomas.
• A copy of the master's thesis. If you recently have submitted your master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed master's degree must be presented before taking up the position. If the thesis is not written in English, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, you are asked to additionally submit an English summary of the thesis (1-2 pages).
• A one-page essay on what you imagine your work in this project will be, and how the project relates to previous education, research and competence.
• English proficiency results if applicable.
• Publications and other work that the applicant wishes to be taken into account must be enclosed (including a brief description of the contribution if not obvious).
• Names and contact information of at least three references.

Incomplete applications risk rejection without further review.

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both bachelor's and master's education, in addition to other higher education. Description of the documentation required can be found here. If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well.

We will take joint work into account. If it is difficult to identify your efforts in the joint work, you must enclose a short description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal and interpersonal qualities. Motivation, ambitions, and potential will also count in the assessment of the candidates.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

NTNU believes that inclusion and diversity is our strength. We want to recruit people with different competencies, educational backgrounds, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to solving our social responsibilities within education and research. We will facilitate for our employees’ needs.

NTNU is working actively to increase the number of women employed in scientific positions and has a number of resources to promote equality.

The city of Gjøvik has a population of 30 000 and is a town known for its rich music and cultural life. The beautiful nature surrounding the city is ideal for an active outdoor life! The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you want to reserve yourself from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Staal Vinterbo at email Staal.Vinterbo@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Julie Lindland, e-mail: julie.lindland@ntnu.no or Katrine Rennan, e-mail: katrine.rennan@ntnu.no.

If you think this looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates attached. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Upon request, you must be able to obtain certified copies of your documentation.

Application deadline: 01.10.2024.