Research assistants (MSc thesis workers), Digital Economic Security Lab DIESL
Start date: Flexible, Fall/Winter 2026-27
Post duration: 6 months
Salary: 2620,59€ per month full-time (or pro rata for part-time if taking courses
concurrently)
Place of work: Aalto University, Computer Science building, room A238
The Digital Economic Security Lab (DIESL) is hiring research assistants to conduct
research on the international political economy of digital infrastructures. The research
assistants are expected to be final-year MSc students in the Computer Science
department (including the Information Networks Master’s programme) or of related
disciplines and will write their Master’s thesis as part of the role. The supervising
professor is Vili Lehdonvirta, and the theses will be advised by lab members based on
the topic of interest.
The research assistants will be members of DIESL (http://diesl.eu/) , a multi-disciplinary
research group that brings together diverse expertise in an open and constructive
research environment. DIESL members study computational infrastructures and how
they are shaped by economic and political forces globally. The group examines the
changing geography of these infrastructures and how it is shaped by the interaction of
technology companies’ business interests and states’ economic and security interests.
Thesis topic areas
The research assistant will write a thesis that addresses a research question relevant to
DIESL’s aims, chosen in consultation with the supervisor and advisor. Potential topics
include:
- Data centre survey: Citizen attitude survey of data centres
o Analysis of a large-scale survey collected with external partners to gauge
views on data centre construction and operation in Finland
o Skills needed: Multivariate statistics and regression modelling using R,
Python or Stata, basic understanding of survey design and sampling
- Global cloud adoption: Expand on previous work (see Kilpi, 2025) and tools by
gathering more data
o Focus can be on:
- Cases of Chinese hosting to enable multi-class hosting provider inference and analysis
- Expanding the public sector data set with private sector data
- Identifying the hosting dependencies of specific sectors of government
o Skills needed: ML/statistics in Python, basic understanding of Internet
architecture
- Russian sanctions: Case study on the e ects of post-2022 sanctions on Russia's
digital infrastructure
o Drawing on trade and internet measurement data (from OONI, Censored
Planet, etc.) to assess disruption, adaptation, and the limits of
technological decoupling. Framing and methodology flexible.
o Focus can be on:
- Changes in digital infrastructure;
- Changes in internet tra ic;
- Changes in Russian domain infrastructure;
- Changes in trade and supply chain for semiconductors;
- Relevant focus of the candidate’s choosing.
o Skills needed: Basic econometrics in R/Python, descriptive time-series
analysis, network measurement data parsing. Work proficiency of the
Russian language is preferred.
- Your own research idea relevant to the lab
Selection criteria
Essential selection criteria (you should have all of these)
1. Strong interest in studying technology from the perspectives of international
trade and global politics
2. Attention to detail
3. Skills required to work on a specific research topic (see above)
4. Ability to write fluent academic English
Additional selection criteria (you should have some of these)
1. Basic multivariate statistics (e.g. multiple regression, logistic regression)
2. Basic skills in statistical software (R, Python libraries, etc)
3. Basic understanding of policymaking, industrial policies, and tech governance
How to apply
Submit your application by October 18th via Aalto’s online application system. Indicate
in your cover letter which topic(s) you are interested in. Please include the following
attachments:
1. CV
2. A cover letter that includes a point-by-point response to how your profile
matches the selection criteria listed above (max. 800 words)
3. One writing sample demonstrating your academic writing skills in English, not
necessarily on a related topic; e.g. a course paper (ideally 1,000-6,000 words)
If your application is shortlisted, you will be contacted to arrange an interview.
Please send any informal queries via email to [email protected] (cc [email protected],
[email protected] , [email protected] ) with ‘DIESL thesis’ in the subject line.
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