PhD Candidate SNSF (PhD) – Human-centred Cybersecurity 100 %

About the job

PhD Candidate SNSF (PhD) – Human-centred Cybersecurity 100 %

PhD position for the development of models and tools for effective response to cyberattacks on organisations

Department: School of Management and Law

Start date: 1.12.2026 or by arrangement

Cyberattacks threaten organisations of all sizes. However, what happens in the event of an attack and how organisations respond is often unclear. A better understanding of attacks and countermeasures is essential to develop more effective training, tools and structures for organisations.

The project “Understanding the Decision-Making of Experienced Incident Responders during Critical Cyberattacks on Swiss Organizations" investigates how experienced incident response teams react to attacks. Incident responders often have to make important decisions under high stress and great uncertainty. To gain a better understanding of the decision-making processes, the project collects case studies of real attacks.

The focus of the dissertation is on developing new models that explain how cyberattacks on organisations can be better detected and repelled.

Your tasks include in particular:

• Collection of case studies in Switzerland and across Europe
• Data analysis using qualitative methods (e.g. Gioia) and model development
• Acquisition of case study partners
• Development and evaluation of prototypes for new training and tools
• Publication of research results at international top conferences and in leading journals
• Collaboration with security analysts, incident responders, information security officers and other practice partners
• Co-supervision of bachelor’s and master’s theses in the research area

The position is funded for four years by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), meaning the employment can be largely dedicated to the dissertation. The PhD project is conducted jointly by the Institute of Information Systems at ZHAW (Prof. Dr Nico Ebert, Head of the Human-centred Cybersecurity Team) and the Professorship for Security, Privacy & Society at ETH Zurich (Prof. Dr Verena Zimmer). Upon successful completion of the PhD programme, the doctoral degree will be awarded by ETH Zurich.

• Master’s degree in psychology, cognitive science, information systems, computer science or related fields
• Knowledge of qualitative research methods as well as psychological theories and models of cognition and behaviour (e.g. Naturalistic Decision Making)
• Enjoy conducting interviews and interdisciplinary collaboration between psychology, computer science and management
• Programming skills and experience with large language models are advantageous
• Very good German and English skills; French is a plus

ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest multi-disciplinary universities of applied sciences in Switzerland, with over 14,000 students, more than 11,000 continuing education participants and around 3,700 employees.

The ZHAW School of Management and Law (SML) is one of the largest business schools in Switzerland with around 9,500 students. It is the only university of applied sciences in the country represented in renowned rankings of the business newspaper «Financial Times» and accredited by AACSB, EQUIS and AMBA – labels for high quality standards in teaching, research and continuing education. The internationally recognised bachelor’s and master’s programmes, cooperative PhD programmes and numerous continuing education offerings are scientifically based, interdisciplinary and practice-oriented. The SML maintains numerous collaborations with over 190 selected partner universities worldwide.

The Institute of Information Systems (IWI) at ZHAW combines business administration and computer science to actively shape the digital future of business and society. Our work focuses on embedding technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) in organisations – responsibly and with clear added value.

ZHAW is committed to gender-mixed and diverse teams to promote equality, diversity and innovation.

We offer university-appropriate working and employment conditions and actively promote the personnel development of our employees and managers. A detailed description of the benefits can be found on the website «Working at ZHAW». Here are the key points:

Prof. Dr Nico Ebert

Professor of Information Systems & Head of the Human-Centred Cybersecurity Research Group

Jocelyn Schaad

Recruiting Manager