PhD position \"Secure multi-stakeholder 6G orchestration\"

Delft; Delft; Remote; EUR 36,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discounts on health insurance

Relocation assistance

Job summary

TU Delft invites applications for a PhD position focused on secure multi-stakeholder 6G orchestration within the Future Network Services flagship project. You will design and evaluate MANO systems across diverse infrastructures, collaborating with industrial partners and international researchers.

The position offers a 4-year employment with progression and a competitive Dutch university package, including holiday allowance and end-of-year bonus.

Qualifications

• Master of Science degree in a relevant computer science discipline.
• Proficiency in English is essential.
• Strong research mindset combining theory with practical execution.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and evaluate MANO systems for secure multi-stakeholder 6G orchestration.
• Collaborate with industrial partners and international researchers on Open‑Source orchestration platforms.
• Investigate hardware roots of trust, attested nodes, and auditable orchestration decisions.

Skills

Proficiency in English

Education

Master of Science degree in Computer Science

Job description

PhD position "Secure multi-stakeholder 6G orchestration"

Join the Dutch 6G flagship project to help sahpe the future of communications.

Join the frontier of innovation in 6G: the future of mobile networks technology! In the Netherlands, a unique alliance of 60 top-notch ICT companies, semiconductor firms, and research institutions has united to spearhead specific aspects of 6G: (1) software antennas, (2) AI-driven network software, and (3) groundbreaking 6G applications. Join us as a PhD student in this prestigious Future Network Services (FNS) flagship project, where research and entrepreneurial pursuits converge.

6G services will no longer run in a single place. They will be built from software functions that are placed, scaled, and moved across devices, base stations, edge sites, and central clouds, often owned and operated by different parties. This PhD project designs, builds, and evaluates the management and orchestration (MANO) systems that make this multi-stakeholder continuum secure and dependable. The research question is how orchestration can decide across infrastructure that cannot be fully trusted. The project addresses how hardware roots of trust are discovered, allocated, and carried across migration, how a node is attested continuously while it serves traffic, how split AI workloads are placed without exposing model or data across trust boundaries, and how orchestration decisions are made auditable. The work extends open-source orchestration platforms and is validated on FNS experimental infrastructure in collaboration with industrial partners.

You’ll be joining an internationally diverse and thriving team, providing ample opportunities for riveting sparring and knowledge sharing. Fostering a highly collaborative and friendly atmosphere, we will give you all the support you need to develop and grow. Moreover, as a valued member of the FNS consortium, you can collaborate with various partners in pursuit of integrating your AI/ML techniques into the various 6G PoCs and demos.

Become part of an expansive ecosystem shaping the development of 6G. You will benefit from training in 5G and beyond networks, AI, and software development. Plus, you will gain exclusive access to (1) a state-of-the-art testbed where theory meets real-world application, and (2) an ecosystem that cultivates entrepreneurial endeavours.

Are you ready to challenge yourself? We're seeking candidates who have, or are about to receive, a Master-of-Science degree in a relevant computer science discipline and who like to combine theory with practice. Proficiency in English is essential, as you'll collaborate within a diverse, international community. For more details on our admission requirements, please visit https://www.tudelft.nl/onderwijs/opleidingen/phd/admission. We’ll evaluate based on your academic record, interviews, and possibly assignments. While a strong background in the field is crucial, what matters as well is your creative flair, motivation, and above all, your passion for comprehensive research!

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values and we actively engage to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Conditions of employment
Doctoral candidates will be offered a 4-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of 2 employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 2,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from€3204 - €4051 gross per month, from the first year to the fourth year based on a fulltime contract (38 hours), plus 8% holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3%.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.
The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

Will you need to relocate to the Netherlands for this job? TU Delft is committed to make your move as smooth as possible! The HR unit, Coming to Delft Service , offers information on their website to help you prepare your relocation. In addition, Coming to Delft Service organises events to help you settle in the Netherlands, and expand your (social) network in Delft. A Dual Career Programme is available, to support your accompanying partner with their job search in the Netherlands.

Additional information
If you would like more information about this vacancy or the selection procedure, please contact dr. Nitinder Mohan, via [e-mail].

Faculty/Department: Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics & Computer Science

FTE: 1.0

Submission is possible until: 1 Nov 2026