PhD in Information and Coding Theory for Federated Learning at KTH (with DTU, Denmark)

Job Description

KTH’s School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is hiring a doctoral student in information and coding theory for federated learning. The project develops information- and coding-theoretic methods to make federated machine learning more resilient and efficient when bandwidth is limited and nodes are unreliable. It is a joint project with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU): the student has two supervisors at each university and spends at least one year in total at DTU in Lyngby.

At a glance

• Position: Doctoral student (1 post), up to four years full time
• Subject: Electrical Engineering
• Supervisors: Prof. Ragnar Thobaben and Prof. Mikael Skoglund (KTH); Prof. Søren Forchhammer and Asst. Prof. Stanislav Kruglik (DTU)
• Mobility: At least one year at DTU, Lyngby, which need not be continuous
• Reference: PA-2026-2874
• Apply by: 24 September 2026
• Apply: 24 September 2026

About the federated learning PhD

• Develop information- and coding-theoretic methods for analysing federated learning
• Improve resilience to unreliable nodes and efficiency under limited communication bandwidth
• Plan and carry out research stays at DTU with the supervisors, adding up to at least a year
• Take doctoral courses and publish in peer-reviewed venues

What to include in your application

KTH asks for certified copies of diplomas, grades and English language certificates (with translations if needed), a CV, a letter of at most two pages on why you want to do research and how it links to your studies and goals, and representative publications or technical reports. Applications must arrive by midnight CET/CEST on the closing date.

How KTH doctoral employment works

Only applicants admitted to doctoral studies can be employed as doctoral students. The first contract is for up to one year and is then renewed for up to two years at a time, adding up to at most four years of full-time study. Up to 20% of working time may go to tasks such as teaching and administration. Applicants need English at the level of Swedish upper-secondary English B/6.

PhD applicants: browse our Find a supervisor directory to see who works in your area.

What KTH is looking for

• A master’s degree, or at least 240 credits including 60 at second-cycle level, or equivalent knowledge
• An excellent background in the theoretical analysis of stochastic phenomena, and general skills in mathematical analysis of engineered systems
• English equivalent to English B/6
• Ability to work independently and with others, and to analyse complex problems

Nice to have

• Prior experience in information theory

Pay and location

Doctoral students at KTH are salaried employees, paid monthly under KTH’s doctoral student salary agreement; the advert gives no figure. The post is full time in Stockholm, starting by agreement. The project is funded by KTH under an initiative to strengthen ties with selected partner universities.

How to apply

Apply through the official KTH page. The closing date is 24 September 2026.

See all our PhD positions, or browse more research jobs on ResearchJobs.in.