PhD Candidate: Secrecy, influence, state intelligence disclosure and non-state stakeholders (1,0 FTE)

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) at Leiden University is looking for a PhD candidate in the field of Intelligence and Security to join a project funded by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and administered by the FGGA.

Project Description

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) seeks to appoint a full-time PhD candidate to carry out research and teaching activities at the thematic intersection of Intelligence and Security Studies, cyber security, and media and communications. The successful candidate will join both the Intelligence and Security Research Group and the Cyber Security Governance Research Group at ISGA. They will conduct research for their PhD whilst also providing teaching assistance for our Minor programme in Intelligence Studies and our specialization track in Intelligence and National Security for the Crisis and Security Management Master’s degree programme. The research should lead you to obtain a PhD within a four-year timeframe. The position is split between research and teaching activities (80%/20%).

The PhD candidate’s research is part of the project Sharing secrets: how and why governments and third-party stakeholders disclose intelligence. Secrecy is vital to any national intelligence community, and intelligence is generally collected and assessed for internal government customers. Why, then, do governments choose to disclose intelligence to external audiences and what factors shape how they do so? And what roles and influence do non-state third-parties have in disclosure decision-making and practices? These are the questions that lie at the heart of this study of intelligence disclosure decision-making and relationships in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom (UK).

Authorised intelligence disclosures are inherently communicative and tied to the influencing of opinions, norms, policies, and actions. They include public attributions of cyber intrusions by hostile actors, intelligence-led public threat advisories, exposures of adversaries’ plans and justifications for the use of force against sovereign nations. These disclosures impact the work of state intelligence and cyber security institutions. They shape how senior elected representatives communicate knowledge and policy to the public and, behind closed doors, to allies and partners. And they affect how third-party stakeholders such as journalists engage with government secrets and communicate them publicly.

This project is structured around three key pillars:

• Mapping and delimiting conceptual and empirical boundaries: developing more advanced typologies of intelligence disclosure motives, risks, and methods; developing a dataset of cases and prominent actors.
• Decision-making: what conditions influence and explain government decisions to disclose or not to disclose intelligence, and what conditions influence how governments disclose intelligence?
• Third-party stakeholders: how and why do key non-state stakeholders and intermediaries (especially media, but also cyber threat intelligence companies and open-source intelligence investigators) engage with and frame state intelligence disclosures and what influence do they have on state disclosure practices?

The PhD candidate will support the team’s research on the first pillar and make either one or both of pillars two and three the central focus of their research. Prospective sub-themes to focus on more specifically within the wider boundaries of the project, should the candidate wish, include:

• The role of intelligence disclosure in state strategies to incriminate, coerce, deter, and undermine support for adversaries.
• The role of intelligence disclosure in state strategies to communicate threat warning and build resilience in target audiences, such as against terrorism and violent extremism, cyber intrusions, and hostile foreign state influence.
• The role of intelligence disclosure in state strategies to build support for and justify particular foreign and domestic policies and measures for achieving them.
• The relationships between media and journalism intermediaries as channels, framers, and investigators of intelligence disclosure and those state institutions engaging in such disclosure.

While the project’s principal investigators will be primarily focused on the Netherlands and UK as comparative case studies, we welcome and encourage applications that propose research on one or more of the above themes on one or two alternative national case studies from other liberal democracies that have engaged in intelligence disclosure in some way.

Prospective candidates need to demonstrate a clear affinity with research on intelligence and security (including cyber security) and, ideally, also media and political communication. Qualitative and/or quantitative approaches to collection and analytical methodologies from social sciences and/or the humanities are welcomed. The quality of the research statement received outlining the candidate’s contribution to the project will influence the selection committee’s decision of who to appoint. Please below for what to include in the research statement.

The PhD candidate will be supervised by Professor Dennis Broeders (Professor of Global Security and Technology) in cooperation with Dr Thomas Maguire (Assistant Professor in Intelligence and Security; Project Principal Investigator) and Dr Simon Willmetts (Assistant Professor in Intelligence and Security; Head of Intelligence & Security Research Group).

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct collaborative and novel research in the field of Intelligence and Security Studies and media and political communication;
• Obtain a PhD by completing either an unpublished monograph (thesis) or publishing several articles in peer-reviewed academic journals on a topic related to the security and global affairs topics outlined above within a four-year timeframe;
• Support the education activities of the Minor in Intelligence Studies and the specialization track in Intelligence and National Security on the Crisis and Security Management MSc programme, including administrative duties, curriculum design, grading, and providing feedback to students;
• Develop teaching-related skills by (co-) teaching courses, engaging in thesis supervision and obtaining the basic teaching qualification (BKO);
• Publish and present their work in international peer-reviewed journals and to academic and professional audiences, both independently and with team members;
• Support the team’s building of an international network that spans both academics and policymakers/practitioners working on topics related to intelligence disclosure, secrecy, and publicity, especially through a workshop designed to help support a subsequent larger funding application;
• Actively participate in discussions at institute and research group level on research and teaching innovation;
• Follow PhD courses based on an individual training and supervision plan, including through the Graduate School.

Selection Criteria

• Master’s degree completed by the time of the appointment in one of: Political Science, International Relations, Intelligence Studies, Security Studies, Cyber Security, Media & Political Communication, International Law, or Political Sociology – a research master degree is considered an asset;
• Demonstrable ability and enthusiasm for research at the intersection of conceptual and policy-oriented research in one or more of the above fields;
• Experience with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods;
• Availability to travel and conduct fieldwork outside the Netherlands if necessary;
• Demonstrable good time-management skills;
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team in an organized and results-oriented fashion;
• The PhD thesis and/or journal articles will be written in English and therefore excellent command of English is required. Command of Dutch is not a requirement, but is considered an advantage, as is command of another European language if it would support an additional national case study;
• Teaching experience is not a requirement, but is considered an advantage.

Our organisation Leiden University is one of Europe's foremost research universities. It is the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in February 1575, and currently ranks in the top 100 of most international rankings. The University has approximately 34,000 students and 7,500 staff members.

The Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs, located in The Hague – the International City of Peace and Justice – offers a range of other programs focused on international relations, security, international law and international organization. It also hosts the Leiden University College (LUC), an international honors college of Leiden University situated The Hague. Firmly rooted in the academic tradition, the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs provides an inspiring and challenging education and research environment, with a strong interdisciplinary character and international orientation; it is a meeting place for students, scholars and professionals, a platform for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Institute of Security and Global Affairs The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) is a leading research and education institute, focusing on the most pressing local, national, European and global security issues from an interdisciplinary perspective. It currently hosts more than 120 academic and support staff members and offers the BA in Security Studies, the MSc in Crisis and Security Management, the Advanced MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy, the executive MSc in Cyber Security as well as a variety of innovative teaching offerings in the professional and MOOC fields. In addition, ISGA runs popular Minor Programmes in Global Affairs, Security, Safety and Justice and Intelligence Studies as well as the Faculty’s Honour Programme in Security and Global Affairs.

ISGA operates from The Hague, the third major city of the Netherlands, center of national governance and International City of Peace and Justice and advances both theory-informed and policy-oriented research. For further information, visit https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/governance-and-global-affairs/institute-of-security-and-global-affairs

Research Group The PhD candidate will join the Intelligence and Security Research Group at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA). Our research group is comprised of a number of academic researchers and practitioners who share a research interest in Intelligence Studies. Our core teaching activities within ISGA focus upon the Minor in Intelligence Studies and a specialization track in Intelligence and National Security on the Crisis and Security Management (CSM) MSc programme. We also occasionally contribute to other teaching programmes within ISGA. You can find more information about the research group on the website.

Additionally, the PhD candidate will maintain a relationship with and be able to draw upon the advice of ISGA’s Cyber Security Governance Research Group, who are a partner on this project.

Terms and conditions The successful candidate will be part of an ambitious and dynamic team. He or she will be appointed for 1+3 years. The gross monthly salary is set on € 2.770,- in the first year, increasing to € 3.539,- gross per month in the final year, in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information: Job application procedure and employment conditions.

All our PhD students are embedded in the Graduate School of Governance and Global Affairs. Our graduate school offers several PhD training courses at three levels: professional courses, skills training and personal effectiveness.

Diversity Diversity and inclusion are core values of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information Enquiries can be made to Dr. Thomas Maguire, email t.j.maguire@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.

Applications Please submit online your application no later than October 29 2023 via the blue button in our application system. The position is envisaged to commence in February 2024, but a later start date is possible.

Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents in PDF format, quoting the vacancy number:

• Motivation letter, including your relevant interest and experience in the subject matter and in doing advanced research (max 1 page)
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of any publications
• A writing sample (postgraduate thesis or publication)
• A research statement, where you will pitch your specific ideas on how you would approach the project. This should include: clearly stating which of the project’s themes you would focus on; your research question(s); how you would approach answering these questions (i.e. a preliminary research design, including a potential case study or two beyond the Netherlands and UK and empirical collection and analysis methodologies); and what you consider to be the academic (empirical and/or conceptual) and non-academic contributions and relevance of the research (max 1000 words);
• The names and addresses of two potential referees (no actual recommendation letters required at this stage).

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in month November. Interviews may be held through an online platform.

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.

How do smart technologies influence us in online settings, and should we worry about this? In this project you will analyse persuasion and manipulation in digital contexts as part of an interdisciplinary research team.

Smart technologies influence and 'nudge' human behaviour in ways that users are unaware of, for example when they use ChatGPT without knowing what sources the information is based on, or when they are not aware of the algorithms that underlie recommender systems used by, for example, YouTube or Amazon. In most cases, smart technologies are developed to make users' life easier, by doing much of the information searching and filtering for the user. The potential downside of the ease of use of these technologies is, however, that citizens increasingly use information without reflecting on its accuracy or representativeness, because they are no longer required to think. This could represent a danger for information ecosystems and modern democracy, for example by making citizens vulnerable to filter bubbles, micro-targeting and fake news about societally relevant themes, and by making them lose sight of, and interest in, the distinction between what is real and what is not. They might assume, for example, that if nobody can discern the difference between verified and unverified information, this difference is trivial. In this project you will join forces with iHub, Radboud's interdisciplinary hub for research on digitalisation and society and the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) to explore these, and related, questions. You will be part of an interdisciplinary team that seeks to better understand current information ecosystems and conceive of interventions to counter pernicious persuasion and manipulation in digital contexts.

In your postdoctoral project, you will be offered the opportunity to further develop and test your own line of research on manipulation and algorithmic persuasion. You will present the research outcomes at national and international conferences, and you will write articles for international journals.

Profiel

• You have a PhD in Linguistics and/or Communication Science, Computational Communication Science, or Computer Science.
• You have proven expertise in a relevant research domain, such as algorithmic persuasion, misinformation, online influence, recommender systems or filter bubbles, as evidenced by publications and conference presentations.
• You have an excellent research track record, as evidenced by publications, conference presentations and academic service.
• You have good writing skills in English and preferably also in Dutch.
• You have affinity with interdisciplinary research and you are able to communicate with experts from different disciplines.

Wij zijn

You will be a member of an interdisciplinary working group on persuasion and manipulation in digital contexts, a collaboration between the Centre for Language Studies (CLS) and iHub, which includes junior and senior researchers from both institutes. You will have a workplace at both institutes, to foster collaboration from the bottom up.

iHub's mission is to better understand the effects of digitalisation on our society and to help steer digital transformations in ways where public values are central. We seek to do this by 1) bringing the Humanities, Computer Science and Social Sciences together to address challenges raised by digitalisation, 2) by focusing on the core values that are destabilised and need protection in digitalisation processes and 3) by adopting a critical and constructive approach. The Centre for Language Studies aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the cognitive and social processes underlying language systems, language processing, and language use. We aspire to optimise human communicative interaction. Our approach is to investigate language from single sounds to discourse, including modalities from speech and text to gestures, signs and images.

Both institutes aim to contribute to a sustainable and inclusive society. We therefore specifically seek candidates with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and skills, to bring added value to our study programmes and research profiles.

Radboud University

We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

Wij bieden

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €4,332 and a maximum of €5,929 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment for 2 years.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Aanvullende arbeidsvoorwaarden

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Meer weten?

For questions about the position, please contact Tamar Sharon, co-director iHub, at tamar.sharon@ru.nl. Alternatively, you can contact Enny Das, research director CLS, at enny.das@ru.nl.

Praktische informatie en solliciteren

You can apply until 4 October 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Tamar Sharon. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• Your CV, including the contact details of two academic references.
• A brief research proposal in which you describe your ideas for this PhD. The proposal should be structured as follows: theoretical background, proposed methods and references (max. 500 words excluding references). Please make sure that your proposal is relevant to both CLS and iHub. You do not need to contact potential supervisors at this stage.

The first round of interviews will take place on Thursday 19 October. The second round of interviews will take place on Thursday 26 October. You would preferably begin employment on 1 January 2024. We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

Solliciteer direct

Reageer uiterlijk op 04 oktober 2023

Are you a team-oriented PhD candidate with an interest in molecular biology and large datasets? And would you like to learn and work in a multidisciplinary team in an innovative laboratory environment? Then, come and join the lively and world-class RIMLS-Science Institute and work towards understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying innate immunity.

Hematopoietic stem cells give rise to all blood cell types, including myeloid granulocytes and phagocytes. These play roles in immunity as workhorses for inflammation and its resolution. We are looking for a PhD Candidate who is eager to participate in our team and to study how glucocorticoids regulate myeloid cell behaviour, focusing, on granulocytes. State-of-the-art induced pluripotent stem cells and techniques such as CRISPR gene editing, ATAC-, ChIP-, RNA-seq, quantitative mass spec and novel bioinformatics approaches will be used to gain a better insight into myeloid cell based anti-inflammatory signalling to identify new therapeutic targets for unwanted glucocorticoid side effects in the context of autoimmune/immune conditions and cancer. As a member of the Department of Molecular Biology, you will enter our four-year PhD programme at Radboud University. Your teaching load may be up to 10% of your working time.

Profile

• You have a Master's degree in molecular or cellular biology, biomedical sciences, molecular life sciences or a related field.
• You have experience in one or more of the following areas: molecular biology and cell biology techniques, cell purification, interpretation of mass-spectrometry data, next-generation sequencing data, single-cell approaches, and gene regulation.
• You have experience in computational analysis.
• You have strong analytical skills and a problem-solving and result-oriented attitude.
• You are a highly communicative and team science-minded professional.
• You have a good command of English and Dutch, or the willingness to learn.

We are

This project will be executed at the Department of Molecular Biology. Research conducted by Colin Logie currently focuses on the molecular mechanisms that underlie glucocorticoid action in myeloid lineage white blood cells.

The department of Molecular Biology is part of the Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS-Science), which is one of the six research institutes of the Faculty of Science at Radboud University. The overarching aim of RIMLS-Science is to decipher molecular mechanisms of disease. Research areas of RIMLS-Science include epigenetics, stem-cell and developmental biology, and computational biology. The central research theme is regulation of gene expression during development and in health and disease. Essential tools used at the institute include next-generation sequencing, mass spectrometry, single-cell (multi-omics) analysis and computational analysis and method development. To perform state-of-the-art research, RIMLS-Science operates its own wet-lab and computational facilities. This fundamental and applied research in medical biology and molecular life sciences has clear links to biochemical research performed at the Institute for Molecules and Materials and other institutes of the Faculty of Science as well as to more clinically oriented research programmes at departments within the Radboud university medical center. RIMLS-Science actively contributes to teaching activities in the Biology study programme at Radboud University. RIMLS-Science currently has about 50 researchers (including 30 PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers) and provides a vibrant and international working environment.

Radboud University

We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 (5 year contract) - 1.0 FTE (4 year contract).
• The gross starting salary amounts to €2,770 per month based on a 38-hour working week, and will increase to €3,539 from the fourth year onwards (salary scale P).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• You will be employed for an initial period of 18 months, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, the contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4 year contract) or 3.5 years (5 year contract).
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 29 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Colin Logie, Associate Professor, at +31 24 361 05 25 or c.logie@science.ru.nl.

Practical information and applying

You can apply until 10 September 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Colin Logie. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.

The first round of interviews will take place in the week of 18 September. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.

Apply now

Application deadline 10 September 2023

The Faculty of Science, Institute of Environmental Sciences is looking for:

2 PhD candidates, Ecotoxicity impact assessment for biodiversity and ecosystem services (1.0 fte) Vacancy number: 13996

Key responsibilities Tens of thousands of chemicals are released into Europe’s environment. Such anthropogenic chemicals can have various harmful effects on wildlife and can result in reductions in ecosystem functioning and ecosystem service flows. To address these challenges, we are looking for 2 PhD candidates to support the recently granted Horizon Europe project TerraChem (From soils to apex species: chemical pathways, effects and impacts on terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem services and applications for better chemicals management). This new project will be carried out in collaboration with several European partner institutions. The project will integrate environmental monitoring, modelling, data management, and analytical tools. These two positions will focus on developing impact assessment models for ecotoxicity impacts on terrestrial functional diversity and ecosystem services.

Selection Criteria

• A Master degree in a relevant field, e.g., ecotoxicology, environmental sciences, biology, industrial ecology, or similar
• A strong interest in academic research and environmental sustainability
• Well-developed analytical skills
• Programming skills (e.g. R or other languages) are an advantage
• For one of the two positions, experimental and laboratory skills would be an asset
• Proficiency in spoken and written English as well as good communication skills
• A team player and the ability to take initiative

Research at our faculty The Faculty of Science is a world-class faculty where staff and students work together in a dynamic international environment. It is a faculty where personal and academic development are top priorities. Our people are driven by curiosity to expand fundamental knowledge and to look beyond the borders of their own discipline; their aim is to benefit science, and to make a contribution to addressing the major societal challenges of the future.

The research carried out at the Faculty of Science is very diverse, ranging from mathematics, information science, astronomy, physics, chemistry and bio-pharmaceutical sciences to biology and environmental sciences. The research activities are organised in eight institutes. These institutes offer eight bachelor’s and twelve master’s programmes. The faculty has grown strongly in recent years and now has more than 2,800 staff and almost 6,000 students. We are located at the heart of Leiden’s Bio Science Park, one of Europe’s biggest science parks, where university and business life come together.

The Institute of Environmental Sciences (CML) is positioned in the Faculty of Sciences. The core focus of CML is to perform research and education in the interdisciplinary field of Environmental Sciences. CML has two Departments: Industrial Ecology (CML-IE) and Environmental Biology (CML-EB). Presently, about 150 fte (including postdocs and PhDs) are employed at CML. CML collaborates with the TU Delft and Erasmus University in the Leiden-Delft-Erasmus Centre for Sustainability (LDE-CfS), Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, and other partners.

For more information, see https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science and https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/working-at. Information about CML can be found at https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/science/environmental-sciences.

Terms and conditions We offer a 1-year position with the possibility of extension to 4 years based on performance. Salary ranges from € 2.770.- gross per month in the first year to € 3.589 gross per month in the fourth year based on a full-time position (pay scale P in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities).

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3 %), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break.

Diversity Leiden University is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from members of underrepresented groups.

Information Enquiries can be made to Dr. Laura Scherer (l.a.scherer@cml.leidenuniv.nl) and Henrik Barmentlo (s.h.barmentlo@cml.leidenuniv.nl).

Applications To apply for this vacancy, please use the button. Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents quoting the vacancy number:

• CV
• Motivation letter
• The names and phone numbers of two referees

We will consider applications submitted before or on 10 September 2023.

Interviews will take place on 20 September between 10 AM and 5 PM Central European Time. You are kindly requested to be available on this date.

PhD Candidate: Cyber incidents preparedness and response in humanitarian organizations (1,0 FTE)

The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs is looking for a PhD candidate to join our international research team on ‘Cyber Security Governance’ and ‘Governance of Crises’.

Project description Cyber incident preparation and response strategies have been developed primarily for the private sector. However, humanitarian organizations (HOs) have unique characteristics and challenges regarding collecting data, maintaining technological independence, and operating in cyber-insecure countries, among others. The consequences of a cyber incident for HOs can be catastrophic, severely limiting their ability to provide aid, damaging their reputation, and resulting in loss of support from donors. In this PhD trajectory, you will be exploring how cyber incident preparation and response strategies can be adapted to the unique characteristics of the HOs.

This PhD vacancy is part of the project funded by a FGGA starter grant ‘Securing Humanitarian Operations: Preparedness and Response to Cyber Crises in Aid Delivery.’ The project represents the consolidation of the alliance between the ‘Cyber Security Governance’ and the ‘Governance of Crises’ research groups at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs. Thus, the PhD candidate will conduct research both on cyber incident preparation, response and communication strategies, as well as the humanitarian sector. This research should lead you to obtain a PhD within a four-year timeframe. The position is split between research and teaching activities related to both groups (80%/20%).

More information about the project can be found at: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/research/research-projects/governance-and-global-affairs/sharing-secrets-how-and-why-governments-and-third-party-stakeholders-disclose-intelligence-kopie

Key responsibilities

• Conduct original, collaborative and novel research in the field of cyber crisis governance and humanitarian action;
• Publish and present scientific articles at international peer-review journals, and national and international conferences;
• Support education activities in cybersecurity and crisis governance in the bachelor and master programs offered at the Institute of Security and Global Affairs, including lecturing, marking, and providing feedback to students;
• Engage in collaborations between academia and the humanitarian sector;
• Follow PhD courses based on an individual training and supervision plan.

Selection Criteria The applicant is expected to have:

• MSc in cybersecurity governance, risk and compliance, security studies, humanitarian action, crisis management, political science, public administration or related field – a research master degree is considered an asset;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research methods;
• Experience with working in multi- or interdisciplinary teams;
• Availability to travel and conduct fieldwork (interviews and survey) outside the Netherlands;
• Demonstrable strong skills in writing, communication, and presentation;
• Excellent command of English, other languages are an advantage.

Our organization Science for and about society is the domain of the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA). FGGA provides high-quality interdisciplinary education and research on social and governance issues such as terrorism, organisation of public administration, climate change and economic crises.

Contemporary issues are approached from an administrative, political, economic, legal and sociological perspective. This interdisciplinary approach gives the faculty's education and research a cross-border character.

The Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) is one of the seven faculties of Leiden University and is based in The Hague.

The FGGA is a young, enterprising and innovative organisation that is growing rapidly. The faculty has three scientific institutes, two centres, 3500 students and 330 staff members. For more information about the faculty click here.

Our institute The Institute of Security and Global Affairs (ISGA) is a scientific institute that focuses on multidisciplinary research and education within the international scientific field of security studies. ISGA analyses and studies issues in a coherent way from their local transnational and global impact.

Researchers at our institute are engaged in interdisciplinary research and teaching within the international scientific field of security studies. The approach to issues of security is glocal, that is to say that the local, national, transnational and global impact are studied and analysed in conjunction with each other.

ISGA operates from The Hague, the third major city of the Netherlands, center of national governance and International City of Peace, Justice and Security. See: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/governance-and-global-affairs/institute-of-security-and-global-affairs

Terms and conditions The successful candidate will be part of an ambitious and dynamic team. He or she will be appointed for 1+3 years. The gross monthly salary is set on € 2.541,- in the first year, increasing to € 3.247,- gross per month in the final year, in accordance with the Collective Labor Agreement for Dutch Universities.

Leiden University offers an attractive benefits package with additional holiday (8%) and end-of-year bonuses (8.3%), training and career development and sabbatical leave. Our individual choices model gives you some freedom to assemble your own set of terms and conditions. For international spouses we have set up a dual career programme. Candidates from outside the Netherlands may be eligible for a substantial tax break. For more information: Job application procedure and employment conditions.

Diversity Diversity and inclusion are core values of Leiden University. Leiden University is committed to becoming an inclusive community which enables all students and staff to feel valued and respected and to develop their full potential. Diversity in experiences and perspectives enriches our teaching and strengthens our research. High quality teaching and research is inclusive.

Information Enquiries can be made to Dr. Cristina Del Real (c.del.real@fgga.leidenuniv.nl). Applications Please submit online your application no later than September 15, 2023 via the blue button in our application system. The position is envisaged to commence in January 2024.

Please ensure that you upload the following additional documents in PDF format, quoting the vacancy number:

• Motivation letter (max 1 page);
• Curriculum vitae;
• Research statement where you share your first ideas on how you will approach the project, including suggestions for relevant research questions (max 500 words);
• The names and addresses of two potential referees (no actual recommendation letters required at this stage).

Enquiries from agencies are not appreciated.

The Formal Methods and Tools (FMT) group at the University of Twente is looking for a highly motivated and talented PhD candidate to join the team working on diagnostic methods for malfunctions of cyber-physical systems. Designing systems such as MRI printers and scanners, for instance, is by no means easy and failures are often expensive and dangerous. To lower these costs, and increase system availability and reliability, more knowledge about these failures is needed: how do they arise and how to prevent and repair them?

You will be working on the ZORRO project: Engineering for Zero Downtime in Cyber-Physical Systems via Intelligent Diagnostics, led by Prof. Dr. Mariëlle Stoelinga. System-level diagnosis currently heavily depends on knowledge that is hidden in the brains of the experts or written documentation, often vaguely specified. Therefore, you will be working on (i) finding ways to formally model knowledge about organisations, agents and domains for the specific task of diagnostics, (ii) developing knowledge extraction methods in large industrial systems, (iii) extracting knowledge from various information sources (such as tables, spoken conversation, meta-data, etc.)  and (iv) integrating the various extracted knowledge and data into the actual diagnostic process. Responsibilities:

• You will perform daily PhD-level research. You will both work on your own topics, and collaborate with an excellent and internationally renowned team of researchers and experts in the field to contribute to the development of new techniques and approaches.
• Work on industrial cases, in collaboration with our consortium partners: Philips and Canon.
• Present (both preliminary and mature) results at appropriate meetings and conferences.
• Publish results in scientific workshops, conference proceedings, and journals.
• Contribute to teaching on topics related to your work.
• Supervise and mentor involved BSc and MSc students as needed.

Your profile

• You have, or will shortly acquire, a MSc degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field.
• You have a creative mindset and strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• You are comfortable with working on practical tasks, on industrial case studies.
• You have a thorough theoretical background, e.g., in formal methods.
• You have experience with at least one of the fields of safety, failure analysis, statistical and/or knowledge modelling, information extraction, and are willing to delve deeper into these topics.
• You are fluent in English and have excellent communication skills.
• You have good team spirit and like to work in an interdisciplinary and internationally oriented environment, collaborating within the industry and academia alike.

Our offer

• As a PhD student at UT, you will be appointed to a full-time position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year, within a very stimulating and exciting scientific environment;
• The University offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues;
• Your salary and associated conditions are in accordance with the collective labour agreement for Dutch universities (CAO-NU);
• You will receive a gross monthly salary ranging from € 2.770,- (first year) to € 3.539,- (fourth year);
• There are excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%, and a solid pension scheme;
• The flexibility to work (partially) from home;
• A minimum of 232 leave hours in case of full-time employment based on a formal workweek of 38 hours. A full-time employment in practice means 40 hours a week, therefore resulting in 96 extra leave hours on an annual basis.
• Free access to sports facilities on campus
• A family-friendly institution that offers parental leave (both paid and unpaid);
• You will have a training programme as part of the Twente Graduate School where you and your supervisors will determine a plan for a suitable education and supervision;
• We encourage a high degree of responsibility and independence, while collaborating with close colleagues, researchers and other staff. Starting date of the position: as soon as possible.

Information and application

If you are passionate about computer science and interested in working on cutting-edge research, we encourage you to apply for this exciting opportunity. Are you interested to be part of our team? Please submit your application via the ‘Apply now’ button below until 24 September and include:

• A motivation letter, emphasizing your specific interest and motivation to apply for this PhD position in our group.
• A full Curriculum Vitae including your education, publications, awards, working experience. Your CV should demonstrate the scope of your work and education and indicate a good fit with the stated requirements for the position.
• An academic transcript of BSc and MSc education, including grades.
• A short description of your last large deliverable (MSc thesis, final project report, EngD thesis).
• References (contact information) of two scientific staff members (such as the supervisor of your MSc thesis/final project) who are willing to provide a recommendation letter at our request.

The applications are screened continuously, the first deadline for applications is 24 September 2023, but later applications may be considered. For further information about this position, please contact Dr. Georgiana Caltais, g.g.c.caltais@utwente.nl or Prof. Dr. Mariëlle Stoelinga, m.i.a.stoelinga@utwente.nl. Interviews will take place in two phases. If selected, there will be an online interview, on 29 September, 3 or 4 October.  A subset of the candidates will be invited for an in-person interview as well, on 9 or 12 October.

About the department

The FMT group is part of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente. Our central goal is to develop formal techniques and tools to support the development of complex systems, and increase the reliability of the high-tech systems that we all rely on, both as individuals and as society.

About the organisation

The faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) uses mathematics, electronics and computer technology to contribute to the development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). With ICT present in almost every device and product we use nowadays, we embrace our role as contributors to a broad range of societal activities and as pioneers of tomorrow's digital society. As part of a people-first tech university that aims to shape society, individuals and connections, our faculty works together intensively with industrial partners and researchers in the Netherlands and abroad, and conducts extensive research for external commissioning parties and funders. Our research has a high profile both in the Netherlands and internationally. It has been accommodated in three multidisciplinary UT research institutes: Mesa+ Institute, TechMed Centre and Digital Society Institute.