Senior Research Associate: SCULI: Security in Ultra-Large Scale Systems - 0163-25-RR-R

Location: Bailrigg, Lancaster, UK

Salary: £39,355 to £45,413 (Full time, indefinite with end date)

Closing Date: Saturday 18 July 2026

Interview Date: To be confirmed

Reference: 0163-25-RR-R

Lancaster University is part of a 5-year £6.8 million EPSRC Programme Grant on “Securing Convergent Ultra-large Scale Infrastructures (SCULI)” conducted jointly with Bristol and Oxford Universities, international collaborators CMU/Duke, RISE‑Sweden, and industry partners BT, HP, Airbus, BAE and Vodaphone.

We seek to appoint 1 full‑time post‑doctoral research associate (starting Summer 2026) to complete a team of 4 researchers who are exploring novel concepts for security controls and assurance in converged and ultra‑large scale infrastructures. The successful candidate for this role will develop new techniques for orchestrating security controls in dynamic and complex systems undergoing frequent changes to their function and security requirements. This work will involve researching how to introduce interactions between security controls to achieve security goals and exploring the trade‑offs of doing so.

We seek to appoint a researcher who has either experience in abstract modelling of distributed systems or practical experience deploying and experimenting with security controls. As a Programme Grant there is considerable flexibility in this research agenda, allowing the right candidate to have a significant ability to direct their research activities. This is a great opportunity for an individual to build their research career.

Key Duties Of This Post Include:

• Conducting original research to orchestrate security in future complex distributed systems.
• Developing high quality and impactful publications.
• Collaborating with academic, industry partners and other EPSRC projects.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in Computer Science or equivalent with experience in cyber security or distributed systems. The School of Computing and Communications at Lancaster University offers a highly inclusive and stimulating environment for career development, and you will be exposed to a range of further opportunities over the course of this post.

We are committed to family‑friendly and flexible working policies, as well as the Athena SWAN Charter, which recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address gender equality in higher education and research. You will join us on an indefinite contract; however, the role remains contingent on external funding, which for these roles initially ends after 24 months (with the possibility to extend further).

The candidates will be working under the direct supervision of Prof. Neeraj Suri (neeraj.suri@lancaster.ac.uk) and Dr. Matthew Bradbury (m.s.bradbury@lancaster.ac.uk). We welcome enquiries prior to the submission of an application!

Find out what it's like to work at Lancaster University, including information on our wide range of employee benefits, support networks and our policies and facilities for a family‑friendly workplace. The University recognises and celebrates good employment practice undertaken to address all inequality in higher education whilst promoting the importance and wellbeing for all our colleagues. We warmly welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of their age, religion, gender identity or expression, race, disability or sexual orientation, and are committed to promoting diversity, and equality of opportunity.