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 young, 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 selected candidate will be enrolled in the PhD program in Computer Science and Computer Engineering with specialisation in Information Systems (IS). In the context of Prof. Fridgen’s PayPal-FNR PEARL Research Grant and in strong synergy and collaboration with the FutureFinTech National Center of Excellence in Research and Innovation, the successful candidate will work on the project “Regulatory Compliance in Digital Financial Services from an Information Systems Perspective” (ReFIS).
The rise of digital financial services – from mobile banking and digital wallets to decentralised finance (DeFi) and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) – has transformed the financial landscape, bringing both opportunities and significant regulatory challenges. At the same time, regulatory activity in the European Union (EU) has intensified, with a growing body of legislation targeting digital technologies more broadly – such as the Digital Services Act, Digital Markets Act, Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation, and the AI Act. These frameworks are reshaping how digital financial services are developed, deployed, and governed. Against this backdrop, the ReFIS project will explore how regulatory compliance is conceptualised, designed, and operationalised within the domain of digital financial services, from an IS perspective. The research will focus on the socio-technical dynamics of compliance: how technological infrastructures, institutional logics, and regulatory frameworks interact to shape compliance practices and outcomes.
The candidate will be involved in various international initiatives and engaged with different stakeholders. The candidate is expected to primarily but not exclusively deploy qualitative IS methods, with specific focus on case study research, taxonomy-building and design science research, as well as to conduct interviews with relevant stakeholders – e.g., regulators, supervisors, law enforcement agencies. In addition, the candidate will have the opportunity to participate in the creation of networking opportunities, such as conferences and other events, and will disseminate results through scientific publications in IS journals and conferences.
For further information, please contact both, nadia.pocher@uni.lu and gilbert.fridgen@uni.lu.