The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character.
The Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) at the University of Luxembourg is a leading international research and innovation centre in secure, reliable and trustworthy ICT systems and services.
We play an instrumental role in Europe by fueling innovation through research partnerships with industry, boosting R&D investments leading to economic growth, and attracting highly qualified talent. We look for researchers from diverse academic backgrounds to contribute to our projects in areas such as: Network Security, Information Assurance, Model-driven Security, Cloud Computing, Cryptography, Satellite Systems, Vehicular Networks, and ICT Services & Applications.

Successful candidates will join the vibrant and interdisciplinary FINATRAX Research Group, which builds bridges between business research and information systems engineering. The group conducts research on the application and the impact of digital technologies on organisations in the private and public sectors. Our team consists of international researchers with backgrounds in computer science, engineering, information systems, economics, management, law, and other fields, united in pursuit of sustainable technologies that positively impact society. For more information, please visit our website: www.uni.lu/snt-en/research-groups/finatrax/
The candidate will be enrolled in the PhD program in Computer Science and Computer Engineering with specialisation in Information Systems. In the context of Prof. Fridgen’s PayPal-FNR PEARL Research Grant and the FutureFinTech National Centre of Excellence in Research and Innovation, the successful candidate will work on crypto-asset transaction analysis – at the intersection of data science, blockchain technology, and financial crime prevention from an Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism standpoint. Crypto-assets are reshaping global financial markets but also bring about significant operational and compliance risks. Preventing the misuse of the crypto-asset ecosystem is vital for safeguarding financial stability and international security. This project investigates how blockchain analytics and data engineering can enhance the detection of illicit activities across these decentralised and increasingly complex networks. By deploying and advancing techniques such as machine learning, graph-based network analysis, and synthetic data generation, the project tackles key challenges in anomaly detection, transaction classification, and overcoming label scarcity.

Tasks:

• Conduct interdisciplinary research on crypto-asset analytics and financial crime prevention
• Analyze blockchain data and develop innovative analytics methods
• Contribute to the understanding of illicit financial flows in the crypto-asset ecosystem
• Develop strategies to improve the design of public-private cooperation in crypto-asset compliance and supervision
• Participate in the creation of networking opportunities – conferences, interviews, events
• Conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders – regulators, supervisors, law enforcement agencies
• Disseminate results through scientific publications in outlets at the intersection between information systems and computer science

For further information, please contact nadia.pocher@uni.lu and gilbert.fridgen@uni.lu