Postdoctoral Researcher in AI for Digital Forensics

About this position

About us

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.

The Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust ( SnT ) at the University of Luxembourg is a leading international research and innovation centre in secure, reliable and trustworthy ICT systems and services.

We play an instrumental role in Europe by fueling innovation through research partnerships with industry, boosting R&D investments leading to economic growth, and attracting highly qualified talent. We look for researchers from diverse academic backgrounds to contribute to our projects in areas such as: Network Security, Information Assurance, Model-driven Security, Cloud Computing, Cryptography, Satellite Systems, Vehicular Networks, and ICT Services & Applications.

Your role

The SnT is looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to support research and development within the SEDAN group ( https://www.uni.lu/snt-en/research-groups/sedan ). The ideal candidate will have expertise or a strong interest in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital forensics.

The successful candidate will join a research initiative conducted in close collaboration with a partner, with the aim of strengthening digital investigation capabilities through artificial intelligence.

Digital forensics investigators face a growing volume and diversity of digital evidence, files, memory dumps, network captures, cloud services, social networks, IoT devices, which must be acquired, correlated and interpreted using multiple specialized tools. This complexity, combined with the increasing sophistication of cyber-criminal activities, creates a significant gap between the resources available to investigators and their workload.

The candidate will develop AI-based methods to aggregate and analyse digital forensics data across heterogeneous sources, building a unified representation of the extracted knowledge (e.g. relying on knowledge graphs) to ease navigation, correlation and evidence collection for investigators. The postdoc will also contribute to methods that turn technical findings into clear, non-technical content to support investigation reporting, leveraging generative AI while ensuring the accuracy and robustness of the produced content.

As the research involves designing, implementing and validating functional prototypes, strong software development skills are expected in addition to research expertise. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with our partner, who will provide feedback and requirements based on real investigative use cases.

In addition, the candidate will be involved in project management, reporting and dissemination activities, and will participate in and lead tasks requiring close cooperation with partners. This is an outstanding opportunity to develop a research agenda and a network of contacts.

Besides this work, the candidate will have the opportunity to participate in and propose other projects within the group and to develop one's own research agenda. We work on various topics related to applied ML and cybersecurity, including applications and security of LLMs.

Your profile

The candidate should hold a PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related field.

What we're looking for:

• A collaborative team player with a desire to make a personal impact within our interdisciplinary research group
• A motivated candidate who can work independently and efficiently and is proactive in solving problems
• Self-initiative, creativity, curiosity, flexibility and enthusiasm to work

Knowledge and Experience: The ideal candidate should have some knowledge and/or experience in one or several of the following areas:

• Good understanding of AI/machine learning algorithms and architectures
• Knowledge of and/or hands-on experience with digital forensics tools and methodologies (e.g. file, memory, network or log analysis)
• Strong programming and software development skills, with the ability to design and implement research prototypes
• Comfortable with Linux environments
• Comfortable working on collaborative projects, leading meetings, respecting deadlines for deliverables

The following qualifications of the applicant are a bonus:

• Experience with Large Language Models / Generative AI
• Experience with knowledge graphs, graph mining or Graph-based Retrieval-Augmented Generation (Graph RAG)
• Experience in digital forensics investigation or with forensic tool ecosystems
• Experience in leading a project or project tasks

Language Skills: Excellent command of English are required. Knowledge of either French, German or Luxembourgish will be appreciated but are not a requirement to apply.

We offer

• A modern, dynamic university with a personal and inclusive atmosphere. Multilingual and international character. Staff coming from more than 90 countries. Member of The Guild of European Research Intensive Universities
• An exceptional research environment, supported by skilled staff and high-quality equipment. Strong links to professional sectors and the Luxembourg labour market. A unique urban campus with excellent infrastructure
• A partner for society and industry. Cooperation with European institutions, innovative companies, the Financial Centre and a wide range of non-academic partners including ministries, local governments, associations, and NGOs

How to apply

Applications should include:

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cover letter detailing your motivation for applying to the advertised research topic and/or project, including how your background, interests, and career goals align with its objective
• PhD diploma or a letter/information indicating the expected defense date
• Transcript of all modules and results from university-level courses taken
• List of publications
• Names, contact information and current position of 2-3 referees who can, upon request, provide an assessment of the application. Please indicate their relationship to you

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply ONLINE formally through the HR system. Applications by Email will not be considered.

All qualified individuals are encouraged to apply. In line with our values, the University of Luxembourg promotes an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and are dedicated to upholding equality and respect for our employees and students.

General information:

• Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 12 Month
• Work Hours: Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week
• Location: Kirchberg Campus
• Internal Title: Postdoctoral researcher
• Job Reference: UOL08488

The yearly gross salary for every Postdoctoral Researcher at the UL is EUR 87306 (full time).