Postdoctoral Researcher in Computer Science on Usable Privacy and PETs

Sapere Aude – dare to know – is our motto. Our students and employees develop important knowledge that enrich both the individual and the community. Our academic environment is characterised by curiosity, courage and openness, with a close connection between people, professional roles, disciplines and research. Gender equality, diversity and a democratic approach form the foundation of our organisation. Located in Värmland, a scenic region with a rich cultural life, we are committed to promoting sustainable development in close collaboration with the wider community.
 
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Description  

Privacy and Security research group (PriSec) at the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Karlstad University is hiring a Postdoctoral (PostDoc) researcher to conduct research on usable privacy. Research within PriSec is specialized in privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) and privacy engineering, network security, and usable security and privacy.

The postdoctoral researcher should conduct technical and interdisciplinary research on usable privacy and transparency-enhancing technologies as part of a new Horizon Europe Research and Innovation project on Privacy-Enhancing Technologies, which is expected to start on 1st October 2026. In this EU project, Karlstad University will together with eight other European academic and industrial partners contribute to the research of usable PETs for counteracting cross-platform opaque online tracking and for privacy-preserving analytics.

As a postdoctoral researcher in this position, you will have the opportunity to develop your creative and innovative ideas in these contexts. You will be working closely with the PriSec research group, part of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, which provides a vibrant, inspiring, collaborative, and highly international environment for your work. 

Due to the postdoctoral appointment nature as a career-development position for junior researchers, we are looking for candidates who have completed their PhD no more than three years before the application deadline. The position is offered for a period of two years with the possibility of a one-year extension.

Duties 

In this project, your major task will be to contribute to the human-centred design and usability work for PET solutions developed in the EU project. This will include analysing users’ needs and requirements for usable PETs, followed by the human-centred and inclusive development and evaluation of usable and accessible user interface concepts and prototypes for transparency and PETs configuration. Moreover, you are expected to contribute to developing usability guidelines for PET developers and to evaluate PET solutions through suitable user studies based on the stage of the project development.

To achieve this, you will be closely collaborating with the project team at Karlstad University and with other European project partners. You are also expected to collaborate with the wider community for a mutual exchange, as well as work towards ensuring that the knowledge and expertise available at the university is of benefit to society. Participation in teaching, e.g., through contributions in courses or supervision of student theses and projects on topics relevant to the project, is a mandatory part of this position, with a maximum of 20% according to the current agreement for the position.

To contribute to a positive work environment and further the department’s activities, you are expected to be a present and active part of the day-to-day operations and workplace community.

Qualification requirements 

To be eligible for the postdoctoral appointment, applicants are required to hold a PhD in computer science or a related subject or have equivalent qualifications from abroad. The PhD must be completed before a decision to appoint an applicant is made. The candidate must have completed the degree no more than three years before the application deadline. Qualifications obtained earlier may be considered if there are special grounds, such as sick leave, parental leave, clinical service, service as a union representative, military service or similar, or service/assignment of relevance to the appointment.  

Very good knowledge of English, both spoken and written, is a requirement as it is the working language of the project.

Assessment criteria  

Special weight will be given to  

• Documented expertise in conducting research relevant to the project, particularly in usable privacy, privacy-enhancing technologies, transparency-enhancing technologies, usability, human-computer interaction (HCI). Experiences with interdisciplinary research on usable privacy will be especially valuable.
• Knowledge of and experience with HCI research methods, user studies, usability evaluations, including qualitative methods such as interviews and focus groups and quantitative methods such as surveys.
• Personal qualities such as initiative, cooperation skills, and the ability to communicate with international and national project partners and to work both independently and in a team, a constructive and professional attitude towards colleagues and students.
• Documented ability to publish research results in relevant, well-recognised, international venues.  

Considerable weight will be given to documented knowledge and expertise in technical and interdisciplinary cybersecurity, and particularly in network security, as well as in preparing and conducting academic teaching.  

Weight will be given to documented experience in collaborating with, and documenting research results to, the wider society, and experience in working abroad and/or working in national and international networks.  

Good knowledge of Swedish is a valuable qualification. Teaching experience in artificial intelligence, software engineering, data science and engineering, or privacy and security is also considered valuable qualifications. 

Terms  

Fixed-term full-time employment of 2 years, with the possibility of a one-year extension, starting on 1st October 2026 or as agreed. 

Application  

Submit the application via the University’s web-based recruitment tool, Varbi. Applicants are responsible for submitting a complete application in accordance with the advertisement, for providing translations of any documents written in a language other than Swedish, Norwegian, Danish or English, and for ensuring that the documentation allows for objective and qualitative assessments. A complete application should be submitted by the application deadline. An incomplete application may jeopardise a fair assessment of qualifications.

The application should include:  

• CV
• Cover letter describing the applicant’s qualifications and research interests in relation to the duties of the position 
• List of publications (in multi-authored publications, the role of the applicant must be specified)
• Copy of PhD degree or information on when it is expected to be completed 
• Copy of doctoral thesis and other relevant publications
• An account of language skills
• Two references, at least one of which is a current or former supervisor  

Attach all the documents and publications you wish to be considered to the electronic application (do not just provide links). Name each uploaded document to clearly indicate its content.   

Documents that cannot be submitted electronically, such as books or publications, should be sent to:  

Karlstad University 
HR-administratör   
651 88 Karlstad 
Sweden 

State the reference number: REK2026/142 

Application deadline: 2026-08-07 

We look forward to your application!  

Karlstad University has chosen advertising channels for this recruitment and firmly declines any contact with advertising or recruitment agencies.  

This translation carries no legal weight. 

HR Excellence in Research
Karlstad University received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research award September 2020. The award is issued to employers with a stimulating work environment and good conditions for researchers and its continuous improvement. The award also conveys the university’s commitment to fair and transparent recruitment as well as favorable professional development for researchers. Read more: kau.se/hrs4r

1. Stefan Alfredsson, [email protected]

1. Denita Gustavsson, OFR, [email protected]
2. Madeleine Wikerm OFR/S Sveriges lärare, [email protected]
3. Per Hurtig, Saco, [email protected]