Researcher with PhD in the area of Privacy Preserving Data Processing

Description

The University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI) has opened a full time (100%) position for a Researcher with PhD in the area of Privacy Preserving Data Processing at the Department of Innovative Technologies (DTI) located in Lugano, within the Institute of Information Systems and Networking (ISIN).

The purpose of this position is to support research and development (R&D) activities focused on designing novel solutions for privacy-preserving machine learning, with a particular focus on Large Language Models (LLMs). The selected candidate will contribute to the design and implementation of privacy-enhancing technologies tailored to transformer-based architectures. This role involves close collaboration with interdisciplinary teams, including academic researchers, software engineers, and industry partners, to help translate cutting-edge research into practical solutions for privacy-preserving inference and fine-tuning of LLMs.

Responsibilities

The selected candidate will:

• Join research groups focused on the development of privacy-preserving data-driven solutions, with specific focus on privacy-enhancing technologies and privacy-preserving machine learning technologies.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of privacy-preserving technologies, specifically tailored to transformer-based architectures and LLMs, with emphasis on secure training and inference.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including NLP experts, software engineers, and academic/industrial partners, to translate cutting-edge research into practical applications.
• Support research and development activities aimed at advancing privacy-preserving machine learning techniques, evaluating their effectiveness, scalability, and compliance.
• Develop and test software prototypes of privacy-preserving systems, contributing to the integration of the proposed solutions into real platforms or technological demonstrators.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will meet the following essential requirements:

• PhD in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or related fields.
• Proven experience with privacy-enhancing technologies and their application to privacy-preserving machine learning.
• Strong experience with deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and data science tools (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, Scikit-learn).
• Proficient in programming, especially in Python, with familiarity in version control systems (e.g., Git).
• Solid mathematical background, including linear algebra, probability theory, optimization, and cryptography.
• In-depth understanding of machine learning algorithms, with a focus on transformer-based models.
• Ability to work independently and manage project timelines and deliverables.
• Strong publication record in fields such as privacy, machine learning, and/or natural language processing.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively in interdisciplinary and international teams.

Benefits

• A fixed-term contract, with the possibility of renewal.
• Participation in cutting edge research with national industrial partners.
• Attractive salary, in line with Swiss standards and the candidate's experience.
• Mixed position between research and high-tech development.