PhD Candidate in Modelling and Executing Cascading Effects within a Cyber Range

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About the position

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate to investigate cascading cyber effects, cyber resilience, and advanced cyber range modelling. The research combines simulation, software development, and experimental validation in the Norwegian Cyber Range.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD research fellow with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a range of leading positions in business, administration, higher education and research.

Your immediate manager will be the Head of Discipline.

About the project

This PhD project focuses on advancing the modelling, simulation, and execution of complex cybersecurity scenarios within the Norwegian Cyber Range (NCR). The research aims to investigate how cascading cyber effects can be represented and executed across interconnected digital environments, including both IT and Operational Technology (OT) systems. Building on the Norwegian Cyber Range's existing capabilities, the project will explore new methods for representing system dependencies, designing realistic cyber scenarios, and evaluating cyber resilience through automated and scalable cyber range exercises. The project provides flexibility for the successful candidate to shape the research direction within the broader topic

Research Objectives and Contributions

RO1: Develop methods for modelling dependencies and cascading cyber effects in interconnected systems. The research will investigate approaches for representing how cyber incidents propagate across complex infrastructures and how these dependencies influence system resilience. RO2: Explore techniques for describing and executing realistic cascading cyber scenarios within a cyber range environment. This includes extending or adapting existing scenario modelling approaches to support increasingly complex cybersecurity exercises. RO3: Investigate simulation and predictive modelling approaches for analysing cascading cyber threats and evaluating the resilience of interconnected systems under different attack conditions. RO4: Validate the proposed modelling and execution framework through implementation and experimentation in the Norwegian Cyber Range, assessing its applicability for cybersecurity training, research, and resilience evaluation.

Expected Contributions The project is expected to contribute to the advancement of cyber range technologies and cyber resilience research through: • Novel methods for modelling cascading cyber effects in interconnected systems. • Enhanced capabilities for designing and executing complex cybersecurity scenarios in cyber ranges. • New approaches for analysing and evaluating cyber resilience through simulation and experimentation. • Open research outputs, including software components, models, datasets, or methodologies that support future cyber range research and education.

Relevant Resourses

Norwegian Cyber Range Modeling and executing cyber security exercise scenarios in cyber ranges Cyber ranges and security testbeds Evaluating ASCERT: generative AI for cyber-range scenario generation A Design Science Approach to Bridging Operational Cyber Detection and Strategic Crisis Management

Duties of the position

• Complete doctoral education and obtain a doctorate
• Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
• Academic publications and popular science dissemination
• Participate in the research group eHealth and System Security Group HS2G
• Participate in international activities such as conferences
• Teaching responsibilities, as well as other career-enhancing work

Required selection criteria

• You must meet the requirements for admission to the faculty's Doctoral Programme (link), see Section 6-1 of the PhD regulations for more information.
• You must have a relevant Master's degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, or an equivalent field. Your degree must include a major independent project (minimum 30 ECTS) equivalent to a master’s thesis
• You must have a strong and relevant academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker academic background, you may be considered if you can document that you are exceptionally suited for a PhD education, for example through relevant work experience and/or peer-reviewed academic works.
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills in English (C1-C2 level)

The appointment is to be made in accordance with NTNUs guidelines for recruitment positions for general criteria for the position.

Preferred selection criteria

• Strong motivation for pursuing doctoral research in cybersecurity
• Experience in cybersecurity, cyber ranges, Capture-the-Flag (CTF), or related practical security activities
• Experience with programming, system development, or data-driven approaches in cybersecurity is an advantage.
• Relevant cybersecurity certifications (e.g., OSCP, OSCE, or SANS) are considered a plus
• Norwegian/Scandinavian language (please state your level)

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to:

• work independently and take initiative in research
• collaborate effectively in an interdisciplinary research team
• motivated to communicate research findings through writing and presentations.

Emphasis will be placed on personal suitability.

We offer

• An exciting job with an important mission in society
• Developing tasks in a strong and international professional environment
• Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
• Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
• Working capital that can be used to implement the project
• Mentor programme as a new employee at NTNU
• Favorable terms as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)
• Free Norwegian language training at a basic level (A2)

As a PhD research fellow at NTNU, you will have access to employee benefits.

Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values ​​are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse, and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals.

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education.

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability, and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.

At NTNU we want to increase the proportion of women in scientific positions. We have a number of measures to promote equality.

Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD research fellow, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 580 000,- per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary.

The employment period is 3 years for the doctoral work in addition to 12 months of career promotion work, totally 4 years.

The successful candidate will be granted conditional admission to the relevant doctoral programme when employed in the PhD research fellow position. It is a prerequisite for continued employment that the requirements for full admission are met within three months, and that you continue to participate in the organized doctoral programme for the remainder of the employment period. For more information about the requirements for full admission, please see Section 6 of the PhD regulations.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary professional and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.

About the application

The application and all required attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no before the deadline. The documents must be in English or Norwegian/another Scandinavian language

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. If you are invited for an interview, you must present certified copies of certificates and diplomas upon request.

The application must include:

• A cover letter describing your motivation for the position, relevant experience, research interests, and how your background fits the PhD project.
• Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees, including diploma supplement
• CV filled out in Jobbnorge
• Copy of Master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
• Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages) (decide on what must be required of a project description/outline, including length and scope and include a link if the programme has its own template)
• Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
• Any publications or other relevant research work
• Any relevant certificates
• Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts of, your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution does not offer “diploma supplement”, you must attach information about the grading scale from the education institution.

We further recommend that you enclose a statement about your education abroad from the Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir). Follow the link to their web site for more information about how to obtain such a statement: Apply for recognition of foreign higher education. See also NTNU’s web site for documentation requirements for education obtained outside Norway.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions, and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.

NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Associate Professor Muhammad M. Yamin, email: muhammad.m.yamin@ntnu.no.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact HR Katrine Rennan, e-mail: katrine.rennan@ntnu.no.

Application deadline: 04.10.2026.

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage.

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