PhD Position: Applications of ID wallets

1. Introduction

Are you passionate about online security and design? As a PhD candidate in the Building on Digital Identity project, you will develop and research real-world applications of ID wallet apps, used for tackling online fraud and for secure communication and digital signing. Join an interdisciplinary team, collaborate with societal partners, and make a real impact. Ready to drive change? Apply now!

2. Job description

A critical problem in digital communications is the lack of authentication: a malicious user can pretend to be someone else or change the content of a message. Electronic attributes and signatures are an effective way to solve these problems. They provide assurances about who you are dealing with online and about the origin and integrity of a message. Moreover, such electronic attributes make it possible to know for sure that a person has specific characteristics (such as a certain age). This is accomplished with so-called ID wallet apps. In these mobile apps, people can collect electronic attributes (verified information about themselves such as name, address or date of birth) and then use them to authenticate themselves online securely and to sign messages or documents with them.

In this NWO project, an interdisciplinary team is developing and researching applications of these ID wallet apps. The project is a collaboration between  Radboud University (iHub), HAN University of Applied Sciences and various social partners, including Procolix, Ver.iD, Ceasar Group, Anoigo Resources, Dirkzwager, the Electoral Council, Privacy by Design Foundation, and Chi Nederland. As a PhD candidate on this project, you will contribute to developing these applications in line with public values and with an eye for human factors. You will work on solutions to pressing social problems such as online fraud and uncertainty about the source of online news. 

You will independently conduct research on the design, usability and adoption of applications of ID wallet apps. The intended PhD research will focus on applications in the areas of contract signing, authenticated communication on social media, and online voting. The project will use the existing wallet app Yivi to enable these new applications and test them in practice with real users. You will conduct a combination of user research, human-centred design processes and scientific experiments. You will be supervised by a broad team, including Prof. Bart Jacobs (supervisor) and Dr Hanna Schraffenberger (daily supervisor) from Radboud University. You will work closely with a programmer at iHub, a postdoctoral researcher at the law faculty, and user experience design researchers and designers at HAN University of Applied Sciences.

You will also involve stakeholders (i.e. potential end users) and project partners in your research. You will publish your research in national and international scientific journals and present your results at national and international conferences (e.g. ICT Open, CHI conference, SOUPS symposium) and meetings with stakeholders and partners. Furthermore, your research results and design solutions will contribute to open-source software. There is room to participate in the public debate on digital identity. 

3. Profile

• You have a Master's degree in a technical field such as computer science, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction (HCI), or industrial design.
• You have front-end programming skills (web development).
• You are interested in the digitalisation of society and developments in Digital Identity.
• You can integrate a technical, human and societal perspective.
• You believe in open science and open-source software development.
• You have expertise or interest in user-centred/participatory design, value-driven design, and/or qualitative/user research.
• You have good oral and written communication skills in English.
• You are a team player and look forward to working in an interdisciplinary team (computer scientists, lawyers, ethicists, historians, social scientists) at Radboud University’s iHub.

The following will give you an edge:

• You are interested in social and/or philosophical issues surrounding digital identity and/or autonomy.
• You have demonstrable experience with interdisciplinary research.
• You already have publications at HCI conferences and/or in interdisciplinary journals to your name.
• You have demonstrable experience with ID wallets.

4. We are

Radboud's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society (iHub) conducts research on the impact of digitalisation on society. Its mission is to support digital transformations with a focus on public values. iHub brings together a diverse range of scholars from across the humanities, social sciences, engineering and natural sciences to tackle urgent questions raised by the increased digitalisation of society. The PhD research will take place at iHub, in close cooperation with the Digital Security Department of iCIS (Institute for Computing and Information Sciences).

5. We offer

• We will give you a temporary employment contract (1.0 FTE) of 1.5 years, after which your performance will be evaluated. If the evaluation is positive, your contract will be extended by 2.5 years (4-year contract).     
• You will receive a starting salary of €2,901 gross per month based on a 38-hour working week, which will increase to €3,707 in the fourth year (salary scale P).
• You will receive an 8% holiday allowance and an 8,3% end-of-year bonus.
• We offer Dual Career Coaching. The Dual Career Coaching assists your partner via support, tools, and resources to improve their chances of independently finding employment in the Netherlands.
• You will receive extra days off. With full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the statutory 20. 

6. Practical information and applying

You can apply only via the button below. Address your letter of application to Hanna Schraffenberg. In the application form, you will find which documents you need to include with your application.

The first interviews will take place on Thursday 3 April. Any second interview will take place on Thursday 17 April. You will preferably start your employment on 1 September 2025.

We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It describes what you can expect during the application procedure and how we handle your personal data and internal and external candidates.