Postdoctoral Fellow in Cryptography

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 42,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

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

We have a vacancy for a postdoctoral fellow in cryptography, mentored by Jiaxin Pan, at the Department of Mathematical Sciences at NTNU starting in May 2022. The concrete starting date is negotiable, and we encourage candidates who finish their PhD within 2022 to apply.

The postdoctoral fellowship position is a temporary position where the main goal is to qualify for work in senior academic positions.

The workplace will be in Trondheim. The position has travel money for conferences, workshops and winter/summer schools.

• The successful candidate is expected to conduct research in public-key cryptography and provable security, in particular, for digital signatures, zero-knowledge proofs and post-quantum cryptography.
• The candidate is expected to publish results at the top-tier conferences in cryptography and IT security (such as Crypto, Eurocrypt, ACM CCS, etc.)
• The candidate will collaborate with the mentor and other researchers on the related topics.
• The position will be involved in activities of the NTNU Applied Cryptology Lab (NaCl). NaCl is a platform across different departments for research activity in cryptology, and it includes researchers from IMF (Department of Mathematical Sciences) and IIK (Department of Information Security and Communication Technology).

• The candidate must have completed (or must be close to complete) a Norwegian doctoral degree or corresponding foreign doctoral  degree recognized as equivalent to a Norwegian PhD. PhD students in their last year are invited to apply. Then employment will be postponed until the PhD degree is finished.
• The candidate must have a professionally relevant background in cryptography. 
• A track record of publications at high-ranking conferences is expected, for instance, publications at Crypto, Eurocrypt, Asiacrypt, IEEE S&P, and ACM CCS.
• Good written and oral English skills.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant.

• Experience with working on digital signatures, zero-knowledge proofs, post-quantum cryptography (e.g. lattice-based or isogeny-based cryptography) and identity-based encryption is an advantage.

The successful candidate

• is structured, targeted and solution-oriented
• is self-driven with a strong ability to work independently when required
• has a proven ability to work with an interdisciplinary and international team
• has good dissemination skills
• has a positive and friendly attitude

As a Postdoctoral Fellow (code 1352) you are normally paid from gross NOK 553 500 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 position is funded for 3 years by the Research Council of Norway via the project “Realistic Cryptography for Large-Scale Applications”. The department might offer you 1 year in addition with teaching duties. 

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. 

The position is subject to external funding from the Norwegian Research Council.

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

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 applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above.  

If, for any reason, you have taken a career break or have had an atypical career and wish to disclose this in your application, the selection committee will take this into account, recognizing that the quantity of your research may be reduced as a result. 

The application must include: 

• CV, certificates and diplomas 
• transcripts and diplomas for bachelor's-, master's- and PhD degrees.  
• Academic works - published or unpublished - that you would like to be considered in the assessment (up to 3 items) 
• Research plan 
• Name and address of three referees 

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. Description of the documentation required can be found here . If you already have a statement from NOKUT, please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief 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. 

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background.  

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.  

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. 

Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants. 

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Jiaxin Pan, email: [email protected] .

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no  with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI) .  

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number 2021/54018 when applying.  

Application deadline: 07.11.2021.

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 Mathematical Sciences 

We are Norway’s largest university environment in mathematical sciences. The Department has a particular responsibility for all basis education in mathematical sciences for engineering and natural science students at NTNU. We focus on long-term basic research and applied research at a high international level. 

Our aim is to meet the society’s needs for mathematical and statistical expertise in business and public administration as well as in the research and education sector.  The Department of Mathematical Sciences  is one of seven departments in the Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering .