Full-time PhD position (m,f,x) in the area of decentralized security

In order to fill a fixed-term position in full-time (39.83 hours/week = 100%) at the earliest possible date, we are looking for 1

Full-time PhD position (m,f,x) in the area of decentralized security

Join a World-Class Research Team in Information Security The Chair for Information Security at Ruhr University Bochum — led by Prof. Dr. Ghassan Karame and part of the Faculty of Computer Science since 2021 — brings together an international, multicultural team of researchers pushing the boundaries of decentralized and systems security. Our work spans a broad spectrum of security and privacy challenges, with a particular emphasis on decentralized security and distributed machine learning security. We are proud to be affiliated with: • Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security (HGI), one of Europe's most respected centers for fundamental research in computer security. Founded over two decades ago, HGI maintains deep collaborations with world-renowned academic institutions, industry leaders, and media partners — and has been a launchpad for numerous successful cybersecurity startups. CASA — Cluster of Excellence: Securing the Digital Society is a leading center for cybersecurity research at Ruhr University Bochum. Through an innovative and interdisciplinary research program, CASA strengthens the resilience of the digital society, bringing together internationally renowned researchers to develop next-generation security solutions that holistically protect large-scale socio-technical systems, spanning cryptography, hardware and software, and the intersection of technology with users and society. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) with €53 million for its second phase from 2026 to 2032, CASA is hosted at the Horst Görtz Institute (HGI) at RUB and partnered with the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy (MPI-SP).

The Chair for Information Security has an immediate full-time PhD position (m,f,x) in the area of (decentralized) systems security (currently 39.83 hours /week = 100%).

• Scope: full-time
• Duration: fixed-term, 3 Jahre
• Start: at the earliest possible date
• Apply by: 2026-11-02

Your tasks:

• •The main task in this position is to research, analyze, and improve the security and privacy of modern decentralized platforms while enhancing their performance and scalability.
• •Members of Prof. Karame's Chair conduct research and teaching in various areas of IT security. The Chair offers various courses in the Bachelor's and Master’s degree programs and participates in several third-party-funded projects.
• •This international and dynamic team also cooperates with several university and non-university institutions (e.g., the Max Planck Institute for Security and Privacy).

Your profile:

• •Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field
• •Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English
• •Background in the areas of IT security and privacy, system security, and distributed systems is a plus.
• •Experience in software development including experience with programming languages, such as Python, Golang, Java, or C/C++ is also a plus.

[https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/224aebd196457e1bf7ada2a929c0920a13a70ab60?ref=AfA](https://jobs.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/jobposting/224aebd196457e1bf7ada2a929c0920a13a70ab60?ref=AfA)