Job Description

Reykjavik University invites applications for a fully funded PhD position at the Department of Computer Science. The position is part of the AI Antenna project, which brings together Nordic and European partners to advance foundational research on artificial intelligence (AI) with strong societal relevance.

We are seeking a highly motivated PhD student interested in fundamental questions at the intersection of AI, privacy, and safety-critical systems.

About the position

The PhD project will investigate privacy-preserving autonomous and intelligent systems (AIS), with a particular focus on de-identification and confidentiality in safety-critical domains. While healthcare will serve as a primary application area, the research is not limited to healthcare and is intended to generalize across domains such as public administration, law, and finance.

Rather than focusing solely on existing privacy-preserving techniques, the project will take a capability- and paradigm-agnostic perspective on privacy. The core aim is to identify privacy requirements and invariants that hold regardless of:

• task (e.g. text processing, speech, vision, decision support),
• data modality
• AI method (e.g. machine learning, search, symbolic or hybrid systems).

The project is expected to make foundational contributions to how privacy is defined, reasoned about, and enforced in AIS, treating privacy as a system-level and information-flow property, not merely a training-time constraint.

The research will be conducted in a strong research environment within RU and CADIA, RU‘s inter-disciplinary AI research center, with opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and international engagement through the AI Antenna and CADIA networks.

The PhD is expected to be completed within three years, in accordance with Reykjavik University’s doctoral regulations. The position is fully funded for 36 months, including salary, and tuition fees are waived for the duration of the program.

Research themes may include (but are not limited to):

• Task- and modality-independent privacy principles for AIS
• Limits of de-identification and anonymization in AIS
• Privacy risks arising from representation, inference, and temporal aggregation
• Adversarial and capability-based threat models for modern AIS
• Privacy guarantees beyond differential privacy, particularly for language and multimodal systems
• Design principles for privacy in safety-critical AIS, independent of learning paradigm

The exact research direction will be shaped jointly by the PhD student and supervisors.

Main responsibilities:

• Conduct original, high-quality research leading to a doctoral dissertation
• Develop theoretical frameworks, models, or methods related to AI and privacy
• Publish results in leading international conferences and journals
• Participate actively in the research community at Reykjavik University
• Collaborate within interdisciplinary and international research settings

Required qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science or a closely related field
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Solid background in the fundamentals of AI, machine learning, or related areas
• Interest in privacy, security, or safety-critical systems
• Ability to work independently and as part of a research team
• Excellent command of English, written and spoken

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with natural language processing, speech, vision, or multimodal systems
• Background in formal methods, information theory, or system-level reasoning
• Prior research experience or scientific publications

Application process

Applications should include:

• A cover letter outlining motivation and research interests
• Curriculum vitae
• Copies of academic transcripts
• A short research statement (2–3 pages) describing the applicant’s perspective on AI and privacy, potential research questions, and how these align with the project’s scope

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to interviews and further evaluation. The final decision will be based on an overall assessment of qualifications and research potential.

The position will be open until filled. Applications will be reviewed starting March 15, 2026.

Further information:

For further information about the position contact Dr. Stefán Ólafsson (stefanola@ru.is).

About Reykjavik University (RU)

Reykjavík University has around 3.700 students and 300 faculty and employees in addition to numerous adjunct faculty in two schools: Technology and Social Sciences. We offer a welcoming and stimulating environment in which to work and live. The University is centrally located in Reykjavík, the capital city of Iceland. The role of Reykjavik University is to create and disseminate knowledge to enhance the competitiveness and quality of life for individuals and society, guided by good ethics, sustainability, and responsibility. Education and research at RU are based on strong ties with industry and society. We emphasize interdisciplinary collaboration, international relations, and entrepreneurship.

About Iceland

Iceland is well known for its breathtaking natural beauty, with volcanoes, hot springs, lava fields and glaciers offering a dramatic landscape. It consistently ranks as one of the best places in the world to live. It offers a high quality of life and is one of the safest places in the world, with high gender equality and strong healthcare and social support systems. Reykjavik is a vibrant and cosmopolitan city that provides an ideal environment for combining cultural and family activities with an active lifestyle.