Doctoral student in Web and Emerging Applications Security

Join a world-leading research environment at the and help shape the future of web, software, and AI security. As a doctoral student, you will contribute to cutting-edge cybersecurity research while working closely with internationally recognized researchers. This position offers an excellent opportunity to develop as an independent researcher and make an impact on secure and trustworthy digital systems.

Software is often the root cause of vulnerabilities in modern computing systems. We develop principled concepts and mechanisms to ensure robust security and privacy for software. You will be supervised by Prof. Andrei Sabelfeld (Wallenberg Scholar and recipient of awards from ERC, SSF, VR, WASP, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and OpenAI, as well as the Chalmers Doctoral Supervisor of the Year award).

About us

The , a joint department of Chalmers and the University of Gothenburg, spans the breadth of computing disciplines. Our internationally visible research, strong industry links and diverse environment create a collaborative setting where ideas grow into real impact.

At the , we advance secure and trustworthy software and systems, spanning foundations, programming languages, tools and practical methods that help shape dependable digital infrastructures.

About the research project

You will contribute to one of our research projects on Web and Emerging Applications Security. Our research tracks include:
Web application crawling and security scanning (, , and )
Security and privacy of browser extensions ( and )
JavaScript server-side sandboxing ()
Data minimization in Trigger-Action Platforms ( and )
Security and privacy of agentic and AI-integrated systems (ongoing research area)

Who we are looking for

The following requirements are mandatory:

• To qualify as a Doctoral student, you must have a Master's degree (masterexamen) of 120 credits or a Master’s degree (magisterexamen) of 60 credits* in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or a closely related field
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English
• Documented research interest and/or achievements in cybersecurity and/or privacy
• Ability to work independently and analytically to solve complex research problems

*for students with an education earned outside of Sweden, a 4-year Bachelor’s degree is accepted.

The following experience will strengthen your application:

• A Master's thesis or research-oriented project in language-based security, web security, or systems security
• Experience with program analysis, formal methods, or AI/LLM-based systems
• Publications, open-source security tools, or participation in security competitions (CTFs) and bug bounty programs

What you will do

• Take courses at an advanced level within the
• Develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research verbally and in writing
• The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 20 percent of working hours
• Conduct research within one of the tracks above
• Design, implement, and evaluate security analysis tools and prototypes, such as crawlers, scanners, sandboxes, data minimizers, and extension analyzers
• Publish and present results at cybersecurity venues

Contract terms

• The Doctoral student positions are fully funded from start.
• The position is a fixed-term appointment of four years, with the possibility to teach up to 20%, which extends the position up to five years.
• A starting salary of 35,725 SEK per month (valid from May 1, 2026).
• Doctoral studies require physical presence throughout the entire study period. A valid residence permit must be presented by the study start date; otherwise the admission may be withdrawn.

What we offer

• As a Doctoral student at Chalmers, you are an employee and enjoy all employee benefits.