PhD Student in Security and Privacy of Multi-Agent AI Systems

Are you interested in doing research focused on ensuring the trustworthiness of emerging AI systems comprising multiple agents? Does it sound exciting to develop novel techniques for robust and privacy-preserving multi-agent collaboration? If so, you are welcome to apply for this position as a doctoral candidate.

The project

As AI agents start acting in groups, delegating, negotiating, and relying on each other's inputs and outputs, the security assumptions behind single-model systems stop holding. This project develops principled and scalable foundations for trustworthy collaboration between AI agents, sitting at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity. It is funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF) under a programme building research ties between Sweden and Taiwan, including opportunities for research visits among the participants.

About us

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB is Sweden's research institute and innovation partner. In international collaboration with companies, academia, and the public sector, we contribute to a competitive business sector and a sustainable society. You will be part of the Cybersecurity unit at the department of Computer Science which is one of the largest technical cybersecurity groups in Sweden, conducting cutting-edge research on both fundamental and applied cybersecurity topics arising in AI, 6G, Internet of Things, etc.

About the role

We are looking for a dedicated PhD student to strengthen our research in trustworthy multi-agent AI systems. Example research topics include evaluating the robustness of multi-agent systems under adversarial manipulation, designing secure and privacy-preserving multi-agent collaborative mechanisms, and verifiable decision-making under uncertainty and adversarial influence. You will be based in the RISE office at Kista, Stockholm for 4 years, and you will be enrolled as a doctoral student at a Swedish University. PhD education also involves participation in relevant university courses.

Who are you?

Requirements:

• Completed master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, information security, mathematics, or an equivalent field (at the time of employment)

• Strong programming skills

• Good command of spoken and written English

• Passion for agentic AI and cybersecurity

• Interest in technical challenges and commitment to delivering high-quality results

Meriting:

• Experience with research projects

• Demonstrated collaboration skills

• Demonstrated drive and independence

Personal qualities:

• Driven by curiosity

• Takes initiative naturally

• Strong problem-solving abilities

• Passionate and self-motivated

Employment

Start date: As soon as possible or according to agreement.

Salary: According to Swedish norm.

Assessment Criteria: Selection for doctoral education is based on the assessed ability to benefit from doctoral education.

Welcome with your application!

If this sounds exciting and you want to know more, you are welcome to contact Dr. Apostolos Pyrgelis (apostolos.pyrgelis@ri.se). For further information, you can contact Prof. Shahid Raza (shahid.raza@ri.se) or the director of the RISE cybersecurity unit Andreas Aurelius (andreas.aurelius@ri.se). The deadline for applications is October 15, 2026. Interviews will be carried out continuously during the application period. Apply as soon as possible with personal letter, cv, academic transcripts, a copy of degree diploma(s), and a copy of your passport/National ID card. Our union representatives Ingemar Petermann, SACO, +46 10 228 41 22, and Linda Ikatti, Unionen, 010-516 51 61.