Two PhD Positions on AI-Automated Cyber Attack and Defences with the EU Joint Research Centre a[...]

Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science

Organisation/Company University of Trento Department Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science Research Field Engineering » Computer engineering Researcher Profile First Stage Researcher (R1) Positions PhD Positions Application Deadline 25 Jun 2026 - 16:00 (Europe/Rome) Country Italy Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Full-time Offer Starting Date 1 Nov 2026 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Other EU programme Reference Number CDP 25-01 Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? Yes

Offer Description

As part of a collaborative doctoral partnership between the University of Trento, Italy and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) , two PhD positions aim to develop a comprehensive understanding of the use of artificial intelligence for both attack and defenses on cloud computing in the scope of the JRC portfolio on “horizontal cybersecurity” (Directorate T Digital Transformation and Data).

PhD Positions

The two PhD candidates will be enrolled in the PhD Program of the University of Trento in Information Engineering and Computer Science and will spend designated periods at the University campus in Trento and the JRC site in Ispra.

PhD Project 25-01 (AI-aided automated cyber defense) will include 12 months at the University of Trento, 24 months at the JRC and a possible extension for up to 12 months at the University of Trento for the finalization of the thesis and the formal defense.

PhD Project 25-32 (AI-aided automated cyber offence) will include 24 months at the JRC,12 months at the University of Trento and a possible extension for up to 12 months at the University of Trento for the finalization of the thesis and the formal defense.

Both PhD projects will include a strong empirical evaluation of the proposed research solutions using the JRC facilities. For further details see the full call for application.

Candidates without a 3+2 Master Degree (or a 4years Bachelor Degree) by the application deadline will be conditionally admitted to the selection procedure but must achieve it before October 31st 2026.

During their stay at the JRC (24 months), the PhD candidate will be employed as a JRC Grantholder Category 20 in accordance with the Grantholder Rules of or any future rules replacing them. The employment contract will be governed by Italian law, as the position is based at the JRC site in Ispra, Italy. The position includes the salary and benefits applicable to Grantholders Category 20; the annual gross salary is approximately Euro 45.000 and is subject to national income tax. Further information is available at the following link: