Post Doctoral Researcher (Level 1) in Privacy-Preserving AI and Blockchain Trading Architectures (Re-advertisement)

Applications are invited for the following position:

Title of Post: Post Doctoral Researcher (Level 1) in Privacy-Preserving AI and Blockchain Trading Architectures (Re-advertisement)

JOB SYNOPSIS

The Post Doctoral Researcher will carry out research in the area of privacy-preserving blockchain trading architectures, with a focus on zero-knowledge proof systems (including hardware acceleration of ZKP circuits), homomorphic encryption for smart contract computation, federated blockchain data architectures, and blockchain forensics via graph analysis. The research is conducted within the EthER3 programme, funded by Lero (the SFI Research Centre for Software) in collaboration with the industry partner Horizon Globex Ireland DAC. The researcher will also contribute to the day-to-day supervision of PhD students and to knowledge transfer activities with the industry partner. University of Limerick is a research-led, energetic and enterprising institution with a proud record of innovation and excellence in education and scholarships. We value creativity, curiosity and excellence in our inclusive community which is committed to social good. Our motto Eagna chun Gnímh translates as Wisdom for Action, reflecting our mission to contribute to the discovery of new knowledge for a better world.

Faculty of Science & Engineering

Department of Computer Science & Information Systems

Contract Type: Specific Purpose

Salary Scale: €47,273 - €53,925 p.a. pro rata (maximum starting salary €47,273 p.a. pro rata)

University of Limerick is a research-led, energetic and enterprising institution with a proud record of innovation and excellence in education and scholarships. We value creativity, curiosity and excellence in our inclusive community which is committed to social good. Our motto Eagna chun Gnímh translates as Wisdom for Action reflecting our mission to contribute to the discovery of new knowledge for a better world.

Informal enquiries regarding the post may be directed to:

Dr Andrew Le Gear

Department of Computer Science & Information Systems

University of Limerick

Email: [email protected]

The closing date for receipt of applications is Thursday, 5th November 2026

Applications must be completed online before 12 noon, Irish Standard Time on the closing date.

“This is a professional training and development role and the training and development relevant to this position will be completed within the period of the contract. Post Doctoral Researchers appointed will be expected to complete the Researcher Career Development Programme.”

Please note your application must include:

A letter of introduction and a current CV indicating how you meet the criteria outlined in the Job description.

A completed online application form.

Please email [email protected] if you experience any difficulties

Applications are welcome from suitably qualified candidates.

Further information for applicants and application material is available online from: University of Limerick Vacancies

Many thanks for your interest in this role.

TITLE OF POST: Post Doctoral Researcher (Level 1) in Privacy-Preserving AI and Blockchain Trading Architectures (Re-advertisement) LOCATION: University of Limerick REPORTS TO: Project Leader CONTRACT TYPE: Specific Purpose SALARY SCALE: €47,273 - €53,925 p.a. pro rata (maximum starting salary €47,273 p.a. pro rata)

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB SYNOPSIS:

The Post Doctoral Researcher will carry out research in the area of privacy- preserving blockchain trading architectures, with a focus on zero-knowledge proof systems (including hardware acceleration of ZKP circuits), homomorphic encryption for smart contract computation, federated blockchain data architectures, and blockchain forensics via graph analysis. The research is conducted within the EthER3 programme, funded by Lero (the SFI Research Centre for Software) in collaboration with the industry partner Horizon Globex Ireland DAC. The researcher will also contribute to the day- to-day supervision of PhD students and to knowledge transfer activities with the industry partner. University of Limerick is a research-led, energetic and enterprising institution with a proud record of innovation and excellence in education and scholarships. We value creativity, curiosity and excellence in our inclusive community which is committed to social good. Our motto Eagna chun Gnímh translates as Wisdom for Action, reflecting our mission to contribute to the discovery of new knowledge for a better world.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• A doctoral degree (level 10NFQ) or near completion, (please give date of viva in application) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline.

OVERALL PURPOSE OF JOB:

The Post Doctoral Researcher will conduct an independent programme of applied research within the EthER3 programme (Ethereum Enterprise Research 3), a 24-month project funded by Lero — The SFI Research Centre for Software in partnership with Horizon Globex Ireland DAC, a Limerick-based financial technology company specialising in decentralised securities trading. The programme is hosted in the Department of Computer Science & Information Systems (CSIS) at the University of Limerick. The research investigates privacy-preserving blockchain trading architectures at the intersection of cryptography, distributed systems, and artificial intelligence, across four themes: (1) zero-knowledge proof systems applied to confidential on-chain trading and settlement; (2) homomorphic encryption for privacy-preserving smart contract computation; (3) federated blockchain data architectures with privacy-preserving AI analytics; and (4) blockchain forensics via advanced graph analysis for anomaly detection and compliance. The researcher will progress from systematic literature review through prototype implementation to peer-reviewed publication and final reporting, working closely with the Principal Investigator (Dr Andrew Le Gear, CSIS) and with the Horizon Globex technical team. The role includes co- supervision of PhD students within related research areas, contribution to knowledge transfer activities with the industry partner, and dissemination of findings at national and international conferences.

RESEARCHER CAREER FRAMEWORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK:

Post Doctoral Research roles are considered advanced research training roles as part of the Researcher Career Framework. The purpose of this advanced research training role is to conduct a specified programme of research under the supervision of a Principal Investigator while continuing to develop skills and competencies with respect to the role and future career options. Researchers employed on a Researcher Career Framework Contract will have dual goals in terms of a particular research project and their own career development. The training and development relevant to this position will be completed within the period of the contract in which time the researcher will continue to develop skills and competencies with respect to the role and their future career options. All Postdoctoral Researchers (Level 1 or 2) will be expected to participate in the Researcher Development Programme (RDP).

DESCRIPTION:

Post Doctoral Researchers will be expected to carry out the below list of responsibilities together with any additional duties requested by the Principal Investigator/Head of Academic Unit:

Research

• Conduct individual and/or collaborative research producing excellent research outputs to the highest ethical standards in a variety of settings. • Carry out any administrative work associated with your programme of research. • Be involved in preparing grant proposals. • Engage in the dissemination of the results of the research in which you are engaged for the relevant research stakeholders in the appropriate form.

Contribution to Research Group and University

• Engage in the wider research and scholarly activities of your research group, centre or unit and contribute to its profile by participating in promotional activity. • Participate in internal networks for the exchange of information and to form relationships for future research collaboration.

Mentoring

• Provide day-to-day advice and assistance to research graduate students associated with your research group, centre, or unit.

Personal Development

• Engage in appropriate professional training and development opportunities to develop own transferable skills, career, and reputation. • May participate in limited teaching in furtherance of your own development and contribute to your unit’s teaching and tutoring approaches where appropriate. The extent of this must not adversely impact the primary research role and must be with the agreement of your manager and Head of Department/School.

Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrates knowledge of a research discipline and field, and the operational requirements of a successful research project. • Demonstrates the ability to generate new ideas and link and build upon existing ideas to generate unique concepts and solutions with integrity. • Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the policy, practices and procedures that are relevant to the role. This will include knowledge and understanding of Good Research Practice (including but not limited to ethics, research integrity, data management) & Integrity, and may also include broader University, sector, and external sponsor or funder policies.

Research Environment

• Demonstrates evidence of research activity and a commitment to ongoing research and publications. • Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the research environment both nationally and internationally and the ability to contribute to grant applications. • Demonstrates an understanding of research impact as appropriate to their discipline, including the commercialisation process where applicable.

Interpersonal Skills

• Demonstrates good communication and interpersonal skills with the capability of working within a project team to achieve results.

Personal Skills and Effectiveness

• Demonstrates an ability to manage self, time, and own resources to enable a high level of personal effectiveness.

Career Development

• Demonstrates a commitment to develop own transferable skills, profile, and reputation to advance own career beyond the end of the contract period. • The researcher will be responsible for engaging in and availing of appropriate professional training and development opportunities via the Researcher Career Development Programme to develop their own transferable skills, career, and reputation.

Essential Criteria:

• A doctoral degree (level 10NFQ) or near completion, please give date of viva in application) in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Mathematics, or a closely related discipline

• Demonstrated research experience in at least one of the following domains: distributed systems, blockchain/DLT, cryptography, machine learning or AI systems, or smart contract development, as evidenced by thesis topic, publications, or documented research project output.

• Proficiency evidenced by experience in at least one relevant programming language: Python, C/C++, Solidity, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go, Rust, or equivalent, (as evidenced by code repositories, project descriptions in CV, or thesis appendices).

• At least one peer-reviewed publication (journal, conference, or workshop paper) as author or co-author, or equivalent output such as a technical report or preprint under review.

• Demonstrated ability to produce clear technical writing, as evidenced by submitted thesis, publications, or research reports.

• Demonstrates good communication and interpersonal skills with the capability of working within a project team to achieve results.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience with ZKP systems (ZK-SNARKs, ZK-STARKs, Bulletproofs, PLONK, or similar), homomorphic encryption (FHE, PHE, SWHE), secure multi-party computation, FPGA/hardware-level design and acceleration of cryptographic circuits, or automated synthesis of arithmetic or logic circuits via machine learning or evolutionary computation techniques. (High importance)

• Hands-on Ethereum/EVM blockchain development experience: smart contract authoring in Solidity, Web3.py/ethers.js, or Layer-2 integration (Arbitrum, Optimism, zkSync, or similar). (High importance)

• Research or engineering experience with federated learning, differential privacy, privacy-preserving ML frameworks (TensorFlow Federated, PySyft, OpenDP, or similar), or machine learning applied to automated algorithm or hardware design. (Medium importance)

• Experience with graph databases, graph neural networks, or network analysis libraries (NetworkX, Neo4j, PyG, DGL) applied to transactional or financial data; or experience designing and implementing data pipelines, statistical modelling, or analytics tools for large-scale structured datasets. (Medium importance)

• Experience conducting research in an industry-funded or collaborative context, including engagement with non-academic stakeholders or technology transfer activities. (Medium importance)

• Multiple publications, first-author papers, or publication in high- impact venues (IEEE, ACM, Springer LNCS). (Medium importance)

• Familiarity with patent drafting, prior art searching, or technology licensing relevant to software or algorithms. (Low importance)

Please include the following information in your application:

• Full title of PhD thesis (where applicable)

• Full list of publications including weblinks to publications (where applicable)

• A letter of introduction (maximum 2 pages) addressing how you meet the essential and desirable criteria, including current PhD status and expected award or viva date if the degree has not yet been conferred

• Names and contact details of two academic referees (references will not be contacted without prior notification to the applicant)

• Up to three sample publications or preprints (if available)

Further Information for Candidates:

RESEARCHER CAREER FRAMEWORK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK Post Doctoral Research roles are considered advanced research training roles as part of the Researcher Career Framework. The purpose of this advanced research training role is to conduct a specified programme of research under the supervision of a Principal Investigator while continuing to develop skills and competencies with respect to the role and future career options.

Researchers employed on a Researcher Career Framework Contract will have dual goals in terms of a particular research project and their own career development. The training and development relevant to this position will be completed within the period of the contract in which time the researcher will continue to develop skills and competencies with respect to the role and their future career options. All Postdoctoral Researchers (Level 1 or 2) will be expected to participate in the Researcher Development Programme (RDP).

Recruitment Procedures used at the University of Limerick (UL) The University of Limerick is committed to the Open, Transparent and Merit- Based Recruitment (OTM-R) of Researchers. The University of Limerick Policy for the Recruitment of Staff which reflects the principals of OTM-R is available on the UL Policy Hub. Full information on OTM-R at the University of Limerick is available here.

The University of Limerick uses a three-stage recruitment procedure: screening, shortlisting and interview.

Screening: Initially applications for an advertised position are screened to determine if applicants have met the ‘Essential Criteria’ as outlined in the advertised job description. Only candidates who meet the ‘Essential Criteria’ will progress beyond this stage.

Shortlisting: Depending on the number of applications remaining, it may not be possible to interview every candidate who has passed the screening process. Therefore, at this stage the Selection Board for this position may review the applications which have passed screening and will select a final shortlist of candidates who in their view were most closely aligned to the post as advertised.

Interview: Once a shortlist has been finalised, all applicants will be notified of the status of their application. The final shortlist of candidates will then be invited to interview. We aim to provide at least one week’s notice to all candidates. The interview process may take the format of a standard interview and will include a presentation –you will be provided with details of this in your invitation to interview letter. Candidates may interview in person or also via video link – Microsoft Teams.

General Recruitment Timelines Please note that applications for all vacancies must be submitted online at www.ul.ie/hrvacancies in advance of 12 noon Irish Standard Time on the advertised closing date. We aim to complete the screening process within one week of the closing date, and the shortlisting process within a further week. Therefore we aim to be in touch with all candidates within one month of the closing date.

Please note these timelines may vary based on various factors including the number of applications received.

Benefits at the University of Limerick Employees of the University of Limerick receive a variety of benefits including: • Supported professional development under the Researcher Development Programme and Staff Training Programmes.

• Membership of the Public Sector Single Public Service Pension Scheme.

• Membership of the Income Continuance Plan

• The opportunity to join the University’s Additional Life Cover plan.

• Coverage in the UL Sick Leave Scheme (available under “S” on the HR A- Z)

• Flexible working practices such as the Shorter Working Year Scheme.

• Preferential rates for health insurance.

• Employee wellness is a priority and a number of initiatives take place each year for the benefit of UL employees, see more at Be Well at UL.

• Preferential rates for access to the UL Arena swimming pool and fitness centre.

Equal opportunities at the University of Limerick

The University of Limerick is an equal opportunities employer, is committed to selection on merit and to the developing and maintaining of a positive working environment, in which all employees are treated with dignity & respect. In pursuit of this, it is the policy of the University to provide all employees with an environment, which is free from bullying, harassment or victimisation of any form. You can read more about UL’s commitment to equality diversity and inclusion here.

Researcher Development The University of Limerick Researcher Development Programme gives researchers an opportunity to develop and enhance the skills, knowledge and attributes necessary to complete their research and longer term career ambitions.

Additional Links: Link to Human Resources Research Staff Webpage: Research Staff | UL - University of Limerick Link to the University of Limerick’s Strategic Plan UL@50 - UL Strategic Plan 2019-2024 Link to website for new staff New To UL - Staff Roadmap

Pension Abatement

If an appointee has previously been employed in the Civil or Public Service and that appointee is entitled to or in receipt of a pension from the Civil or Public Service or where a Civil/Public Service pension comes into payment during the appointee’s re-employment that pension will be subject to abatement in accordance with Section 52 of the Public Service Pensions (Single Scheme and other Provisions) Act 2012. Please note: In applying for this position you are acknowledging that you understand that the abatement provisions, where relevant, will apply. It is not envisaged that the employing Department/Office/Body will support an application for an abatement waiver in respect of appointments to this position.

Culture Charter: The values and behavior’s outlined in the Culture Charter should guide how we act, interact and connect with one another in the challenges and successes of university life.

Qualifications: Please take note of the essential qualifications for this position as listed in the job description, if you are successful in being offered this position, the offer will be made pending the Chair of the selection committee, verifying your qualifications. Therefore, after the interview you will be required to forward your transcripts to the Chair by email. No contract of employment will be issued until all required documentation is received.