Tenured Assistant Professor in Software Security

The Computer Science department of the University of Twente is expanding and seeks a new colleague to strengthen its cybersecurity research.

The position:
Our society increasingly depends on the digital world, making cybersecurity critical for ensuring the safety and resilience of IT systems and services.

In this area, the Semantics, Cybersecurity and Services (SCS) group of the University of Twente is looking for an Assistant Professor to join the cybersecurity team. The SCS group conducts internationally recognized research in three main areas: Systems Security, Data Security, and AI Security (including both the security of AI systems and AI-driven security techniques).

We are looking for a dynamic and ambitious researcher to develop an independent research line in Software Security, with topics including (but not limited to) fuzzing, symbolic execution, binary analysis, and reverse engineering. The successful candidate is passionate about cutting-edge cybersecurity research, has a strong publication record —including publications at leading security venues such as USENIX Security, NDSS, IEEE S&P, and ACM CCS— and is eager to contribute to a vibrant academic environment that values collaboration, creativity, and excellence.

Your responsibilities:

• Conduct high-impact research and lead innovative research initiatives;
• Secure external research funding and contribute to grant proposals;
• Supervise PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers;
• Contribute to the development and coordination of our educational programs by teaching 2–3 courses aligned with your expertise;
• Supervise Bachelor’s and Master’s thesis projects.

Digitalisation brings many new opportunities for businesses and governments by fostering the development of innovative online services. However, this development also brings new challenges, notably in terms of intelligence, interoperability, security and privacy. The mission of the SCS group is to realise the vision of meaningful computing within trusted digital environments by advancing the forefront of semantic modelling, enhancing cybersecurity, and innovating service design.

SCS is part of the Twente University Centre for Cybersecurity Research (TUCCR), a public-private partnership where experts, professionals, entrepreneurs, researchers, and students from industry and knowledge partners collaborate to deliver talents, innovations, and know-how in the domain of cybersecurity. The mission of TUCCR is to strengthen the security and digital sovereignty of our society by performing top-level research on real-world data, systems, and network security challenges. To achieve significant societal impact, TUCCR combines technical, socio-economic, and ethical know-how and is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, ranging from security labs, testbeds, and data lakes.

SCS researchers play a leading role in the international cybersecurity community, regularly publishing at top security conferences such as USENIX Security, IEEE S&P, ACM CCS, and NDSS. In addition, the group is actively involved in major national and international research projects, and its work regularly finds its way into policy documents and real-world applications.

Are you interested in this position? Please send your application via the 'Apply now' button below before March 21, 2026, and include:

• A curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
• Research and teaching statements;
• A cover letter describing your motivation and qualifications for the position.
• Two or three publications that you consider most relevant to this vacancy.

First round of online interviews will be scheduled in April. The second round of in-person interviews in May-June.

For more information regarding this position, you are welcome to contact Andrea Continella via the following email address: a.continella@utwente.nl.

Screening is part of the selection process.