Fellowship opportunities

Opportunity details

Who can apply

Open to citizens of any nationality, including Ugandans, with no age restriction. Applicants need an excellent academic record and a doctoral-level research proposal in cyber-defence, security, privacy, AI or data science. At Stage 2, the applicant must be enrolled in a doctoral programme at a Swiss higher-education institution and have a Swiss professor willing to supervise the project.

Key information

Fellowship theme

Cyber-defence, security, privacy, digital trust, artificial intelligence and data science

Duration

Four years, with a possible one-year extension

Funding and support provided

Salary contribution based on the Swiss host institution scale, including social-security benefits; up to CHF 3,000 per year for eligible research costs; and up to CHF 5,000 per year for conference costs.

Ideal fellow profile

Excellent early-stage or prospective PhD researchers proposing work that can influence security or data-science research and contribute to Swiss cyber-defence. Preference is given to applicants who have not yet started their PhD or are near the beginning.

About this opportunity

URGENT: Stage 1 closes on 19 August 2026 at 17:00 CEST. The CYD Doctoral Fellowship supports a PhD thesis at the CYD Campus under the supervision of a professor at a Swiss higher-education institution. Research must connect CYD Campus researchers with at least one Swiss higher-education institution and address areas such as cyber-system protection, information sharing, AI and data analysis, security, privacy or digital trust. Stage 1 is a pre-proposal review; shortlisted applicants receive a prospective CYD mentor and proceed to a full Stage 2 proposal. Review the official guidelines before applying.