PhD Candidate in Censorship-Resistant Technologies job with NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY – NTNU | 300283 – Times Higher Education
About the position
For a position as a PhD Candidate, the goal is a completed doctoral education up to an obtained doctoral degree.
The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology has a vacancy for a position as a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering (IE), in the cross-disciplinary field of cyber security. This is a researcher training position aimed at providing promising researcher recruits the opportunity of academic development in the form of a doctoral degree. The position is a part of a national effort to develop the Norwegian knowledge base in cyber security according to the directions given in the newly announced Norwegian strategy for digital security.
The workplace will be located close to NORCICS Center of Excellence in research-based innovation - The Norwegian Center for Cybersecurity for Critical Sector - hosted by NTNU and opportunities exist for close collaboration with the NORCICS consortium.
The positions working place is in on NTNUs campus in Gjvik.
Your immediate leader is Head of Department.
Duties of the position
Censorship is a huge challenge in many countries. For dictatorships we have the obvious of holding back all critical thinking from being published and suppress any opposition activities. And many countries are aiming for more and more control of the information sources available to the public both inside the country and outside of the country. There still exists several channels for uncensored information flow, but the attacks and efforts put into censoring increases by the day and there must be an evolution in improvements and new systems for censorship-resistant technologies.
This is good for privacy, but when there is a security incident and/or a police investigation there will be a need for performing digital forensics and investigation on compromised or confiscated equipment. So when laws are broken and there must be performed digital investigations there will be high demand for how to investigate such systems with the most effective methods. And this should happen without compromising the censorship-resistant technologies in general as we do not want to stop these anti-censor technologies from being used to fight for democracy in strongly censored countries. The digital investigators will also require deeper and deeper technical knowledge inside these areas and this knowledge should be used for improving investigation processes and methods, in addition to strengthening censorship-resistant technologies. We also see that machine learning is making a significant impact in all areas of research, therefore knowledge of the complex digital investigation area together with machine learning techniques will be an advantage.
The position will be addressing research challenges with the goal to improve the research area of censorship-resistant technologies. In addition, it is preferable to have strong interest in the areas of network anonymity principles, overlay networks, digital investigations, computational forensics, machine learning, and network forensics.
The research will be carried out under guidance of Associate Professor Lasse verlier.
This PhD is expected to collaborate closely with the researchers in the NTNU Digital Investigation Group and the new NORCICS center, and will be an integral part of the relevant research groups.
While this position has a defined roadmap and duties, both the roadmap and duties can be subject to significant changes depending on background, expertise and interest of the candidates, on research outcomes both in our group and in the field, and on needs arising in the research group.
Required selection criteria
You must have a professionally relevant background in at least two or more of the following fields: network anonymity, censorship-resistant technologies, dark nets, overlay networks, network security and network forensics.
Good written and oral English and Norwegian language skills. Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language 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:
The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations concerning the degrees ofPhilosophiaeDoctor (PhD)andPhilosodophiaeDoctor (PhD) in artistic researchnational guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant
Preferred selection criteria
Personal characteristics
Emphasis will be placed on personal and interpersonal qualities.
We offer
Salary and conditions
As a PhD candidate (code 1017) you are normally paid from gross NOK 491 200 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 4 years with 25 % teaching duties.
Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in inInformation Securitywithin three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.
The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerningState 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.
The position is subject to external funding.
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 follow 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:
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 befoundhere. If you already have a statement fromNOKUT,pleaseattachthisas 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,experienceand personal and interpersonalqualities.Motivation,ambitions,and potential will also countin the assessment ofthe candidates.
NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according toThe 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 topromote equality.
The city of Gjvikhas 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 employeeatNTNU, 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 withcurrent legislation. You will be notified if the reservation is not accepted.
If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Lasse verlier, email lasse.overlier@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR,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: 29.08.22
NTNU - knowledge for a better world
The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.
Department of Information Security and Communication Technology
Research is vital to the security of our society. We teach and conduct research in cyber security, information security, communications networks and networked services. Our areas of expertise include biometrics, cyber defence, cryptography, digital forensics, security in e-health and welfare technology, intelligent transportation systems and malware. The Department of Information Security and Communication Technology is one of seven departments in theFaculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.
Deadline29th August 2022EmployerNTNU - Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyMunicipalityGjvikScopeFulltimeDuration TemporaryPlace of service Campus Gjvik
- Turkey expands online censorship by blocking corruption-related reporting on independent news site - BLiTZ - Fears None But God - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Censorship doesnt silence it amplifies | Pearls and Irritations - Pearls and Irritations - January 18th, 2026 [January 18th, 2026]
- Adelaide Festival removing Palestinian author is an act of censorship - Al Jazeera - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Governments advance universal digital identification, mass surveillance and censorship - World Socialist Web Site - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Expanding the Web of Control - PEN America - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Irans Protests and the Internet Blackout That Followed - Council on Foreign Relations - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- A tale of two cities in the deplatforming of Jewish and Palestinian speakers - Index on Censorship - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- PEN America Warns of Expanding Web of Control as Politicians Escalate Campaign to Censor U.S. Colleges and Universities - PEN America - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Wikipedias 25th birthday proves the power of free speech - Freedom of the Press Foundation - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- 'Anyone could find themselves on that side of history. Even us' - Haaretz - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Censorship, public safety and the limits of free speech in the age of AI - Full Fact - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Online speech is powerful. Thats why Iran is silencing it. - FIRE | Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression - January 16th, 2026 [January 16th, 2026]
- Censorship Arrives on Campus - Inside Higher Ed - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Opinion | Trumps censorship machine is cracking down on the Smithsonian - MS NOW - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Red lines and increasing self-censorship reshape Hong Kongs once freewheeling press scene - mariettatimes.com - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Texas A&M censoring Plato is a cowardly act that condescends to students - San Antonio Express-News - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- 7 Ways Yu-Gi-Ohs Censorship Made the Anime Better Than the Original - ComicBook.com - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Bitcoin-Linked Bitchat Goes Open Source To Battle Censorship In Iran - Open Source For You - January 14th, 2026 [January 14th, 2026]
- Sandeep Reddy Vangas censor remarks goes viral as Thalapahy Vijay's 'Jana Nayagan' faces certification d - Times of India - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Elon Musk claims outcry over Grok deepfakes used as an excuse for censorship - the-independent.com - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Ethereum Eyes Censorship Resistance With Distributed Block Building Vision - Bitcoin.com News - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Tech Billionaire Says Its Time for the Government to Suspend Freedom of Speech - Futurism - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- Musk claims criticism of X AI chatbot is being used to justify censorship - Anadolu Ajans - January 11th, 2026 [January 11th, 2026]
- A&M professor ordered to adjust curriculum speaks with KBTX about academic censorship concerns - KBTX News 3 - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- 60+ Small Tasks to Defend the Right to Read: Book Censorship News, January 9, 2026 - Book Riot - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Tanzanias Samia Suluhu Hassan named Tyrant of the Year - Index on Censorship - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Letter: Keep library free of censorship - The Columbian - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- CDT 2025 Year-End Roundup: Most Notable Censored Articles and Essays (Part 2) - China Digital Times - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Snapshots of Censorship: Viewpoint diversity? No, this is censorship - PEN America - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion | Where hate speech censorship is even worse than on U.S. campuses - The Washington Post - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Philosopher Steve Fuller on Science, Censorship, and the Church of Darwin - Science and Culture Today - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Sivakarthikeyan opens up on Parasakthi censorship; wishes Jana Nayagan success - The Hindu - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- "The effects of these developments are not yet clear" how the VPN industry responded to 2025's biggest threats - TechRadar - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Amid Jana Nayagans controversy, Ram Gopal Varma says censor board is outdated: It insults viewers - The Indian Express - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Looks like another year of intolerance, ignorance and censorship - Canberra CityNews - January 9th, 2026 [January 9th, 2026]
- Opinion: I counted Trumps censorship attempts. Heres what I found. - The Salt Lake Tribune - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- DACC Board to Consider Public Censor of Member - Vermilion County First - January 4th, 2026 [January 4th, 2026]
- 15 Clever Ways Classic Movies Got Past the Censors - Cracked.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- The Year in Art: Censorship, Satire, and Introspection - Ocula - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- DACC board to consider public censor of member - The News-Gazette - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - thetimes.com - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Yahoo - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Performing Censorship: Theatre and expression in Russia today - The Boar - January 2nd, 2026 [January 2nd, 2026]
- Opinion | I Counted Trumps Censorship Attempts. Heres What I Found. - The New York Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A year of censorship and repression. And victory against the Russian state - The Barents Observer - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Proposed Alabama bill sparks debate over library governance and censorship concerns - WBMA - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- States Tried to Censor Kids Online. Courts, and EFF, Mostly Stopped Them: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump Bars 5 Europeans From the U.S. Over Their Censorship Efforts - Reason Magazine - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- A Banner Year for Domestic and Global Censorship by the US - theunpopulist.net - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- The science of how (and when) we decide to speak outor self-censor - Ars Technica - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Imran Ahmed on Trump's threat to deport him over 'censorship' for countering online hate - PBS - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Shots fired in the US-EU war over digital censorship - The Week - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Americas free speech tsar: We reject Brits who censor the US - The Times - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Congress's Crusade to Age Gate the Internet: 2025 in Review - Electronic Frontier Foundation - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- CBS Political Censorship of "60 Minutes": Another Victim of Media Merger Madness - btlonline.org - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- Trump admin pushes back on European censorship - Fox News - December 31st, 2025 [December 31st, 2025]
- They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship. - The New York Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Los Angeles Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- CBS 60 Minutes Censorship Rings Another Alarm, Warning of Corporate Medias Threat to Democracy - Democracy Now! - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars 5 Europeans from entry to the U.S. over alleged censorship - NPR - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US targets former EU commissioner, activists with visa bans over alleged censorship - Reuters - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of action after U.S. bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - Global News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- US bars five Europeans it says pressured tech firms to censor American viewpoints online - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - AP News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU rejects US claims of censorship over tech rules after visa bans - EUobserver - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bans top EU figures, citing 'censorship' of American views online - The National Desk - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Turkey intensifies censorship of LGBT-related content across media and culture in 2025 - Stockholm Center for Freedom - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Trump administration bars Europeans from U.S. for pressuring tech firms to censor American speech - Fortune - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- 'The myth of 'European censorship' is wielded by the Trump administration to avoid regulating Big Tech' - Le Monde.fr - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- How The Pogues Responded to Censorship of Their Hit Song Fairytale of New York: Times Change - VICE - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- RUBIO GOES ON OFFENSE AGAINST EU CENSORSHIP-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX The Trump administration is escalating its fight over free speech, not just at home,... - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Opportunity fleeing the coasts, from censorship to forced speech and other commentary - New York Post - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after US bars five Europeans accused of censorship - Sky News - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Daily Review - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- EU warns of possible action after the US bars 5 Europeans accused of censorship - The Journal Gazette - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- France condemns travel restrictions on EU officials over online censorship - Washington Times - December 27th, 2025 [December 27th, 2025]
- Tonight in Your Rights: Beating the censors - All Rise News | Substack - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- CBS Shelves 60 Minutes Story On Trump Deportees At The Last Minute: People Are Threatening To Quit, Staffers Say - The Seattle Medium - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Exiled journalisms biggest threat is something more mundane than censorship - Nieman Lab - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]
- Epstein victims angry over gaps and censorship in long-awaited file release - South China Morning Post - December 22nd, 2025 [December 22nd, 2025]