"Doctoral Researcher in Trustworthy Machine Learning"

We are now looking for a Doctoral Researcher in Trustworthy Machine Learning.

Your role and goals

Trustworthy & Adversarial Computing Lab (https://taclab.aalto.fi) led by Sebastian Szyller is looking for a doctoral researcher (PhD student) to pursue a degree in trustworthy machine learning (TML). TML is a cross-disciplinary field that combines machine learning, security/privacy and transparency.

As a doctoral researcher your goal is to conduct research in the fast-paced field of TML. You are expected to:

• Carry out state-of-the-art research.
• Prepare and publish manuscripts at leading conferences and journals.
• Present your work at academic and industry events.
• Collaborate with other researchers (locally and internationally).

You will pursue one or many of the following research directions:

• Verifiable, provable and auditable machine learning (e.g. adversarial robustness, privacy, fairness).
• Provenance and integrity of machine learning pipelines.
• Generative content authenticity.
• Cyber-physical machine learning systems.
• Scalability of properties from small to large models.

In addition to research work, persons hired are expected to participate in teaching following the standard practices at the department.

Your experience and ambitions

The position requires excellent programming skills in Python with demonstrable familiarity with PyTorch, experience in working on shared codebases, excellent applied math skills (especially probability theory, matrix algebra, calculus). Beyond technical experience, candidates are expected to have strong teamwork and collaboration skills, as well as competency in critical and independent thinking.

You’re a good fit if:

• you have experience in machine learning and would like to explore the security/privacy angle, or
• you have a security/privacy background and would like to apply it to machine learning, or
• you have experience in explainable/interpretable/fair machine learning.

Outstanding applicants have prior experience in trustworthy machine learning and/or publication record in machine learning or security/privacy.

What we offer

We offer a fully funded position (2 + 2 model) under the supervision of Sebastian Szyller. Trustworthy & Adversarial Computing Lab is a newly established group. The lab has an extensive network consisting of companies and academic institutions in Europe and across the world. The expected start date is January 2026. The position belongs to the Aalto career system and the selected person will be appointed for a two-year fixed term appointment with an option for two-year renewal. The starting salary for the position is 2 815,75 EUR per month. In addition to the salary, the contract includes occupational health benefits, and Finland has a comprehensive social security system. The annual total workload of research and teaching staff at Aalto University is 1 612 hours. The position is located at the Aalto University Otaniemi campus.

Ready to apply?

If you want to join our community, please submit your application through our recruitment system Workday. The deadline for applications is 14.11.2025. The position will be filled as soon as suitable candidate has been identified. Please note: Aalto University’s employees and visitors should apply for the position via our internal system Workday -> find jobs (not external aalto.fi webpage on open positions) by using their existing Workday user account. To apply, please share the following application materials in one pdf file with us: CV, Short bio, Draft research plan, Transcript of records and a pdf or link to your MSc thesis, Recommendation letter(s) or contact details for such, At later stage, you will need to provide your Bachelor’s and Master’s diplomas (if not from Aalto). The candidates must have completed their Master’s degree before the start of the contract period. Aalto University 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.

Further information

Professor Sebastian Szyller, e-mail "seb.szyller@aalto.fi" (research related information), HR Advisor Susanna Holma, e-mail "hr-cs@aalto.fi" (recruitment process).