PhD position Unifying Correctness for Communicating Software (1.0 FTE) in Groningen

Department

Faculty of Science and Engineering

Organisation

University of Groningen

Founded in 1614, the University of Groningen enjoys an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative institution of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Flexible study programmes and academic career opportunities in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 30.000 students and researchers alike to develop their own individual talents.

Within the Faculty of Science and Engineering, the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence conducts research along several research areas, including Fundamental Computing.

Job description

The Fundamental Computing group of the University of Groningen has one four-year PhD position on the topics of programming languages, program verification, and concurrency. The position is embedded in the project "Unifying Correctness for Communicating Software", a 5-year Vidi career grant awarded to Dr Jorge A. Pérez by the NWO (Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research).

The project will deliver a comprehensive description of how different verification techniques for message-passing concurrency relate to each other.
We will use the Curry-Howard correspondence for concurrency (also known as "propositions as sessions") as a reference in formalizing these relations.
These foundational results will be validated through case studies and tool prototypes.

The successful candidate will contribute to rigorously compare and systematize different type systems for message-passing programs (such as session types).
These comparisons will then be used to streamline existing type systems for message-passing programs, but also to define new type systems, following the logical foundations defined by the Curry-Howard correspondence for concurrency.
The research plan for the PhD student can be shaped depending on his/her strengths and interests.

The PhD candidate will join a vibrant research group (three PhD students and a postdoc), supported by generous research funds.
In particular, he or she will work in coordination with a postdoc researcher (also to be funded by the Vidi career grant), and will have the chance of visiting international research collaborators to be involved in the project.

Requirements

We look for a talented and dedicated candidate with an MSc degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Logic, or Mathematics, excellent communication skills in English, and enthusiastic to work in a team.

Candidates with experience in one or more of the following are especially encouraged to apply:
● semantics of programming languages and/or program verification
● the Curry-Howard isomorphism (also known as "propositions as types")
● concurrency theory and/or process calculi
● modal/substructural logics and (their) proof theory.

Conditions of employment

Contract length: 12 months.

The University of Groningen offers a salary of € 2,266 gross per month in the first year up to a maximum of € 2,897 gross per month in the fourth year. It is a temporary assignment for a period of four years. First, you will get a temporary position of one year with the perspective of prolongation with another three years. Before the end of the first year, there will be an evaluation as to the feasibility of successful completion of the PhD thesis within the next three years.

The University of Groningen has adopted an active policy to increase the number of female scientists across all disciplines of the University. Therefore, female candidates are especially encouraged to apply.

The preferred starting date is 1 October 2018.

Application
You may apply for this position until 23 August 23:59h / before 24 August 2018 Dutch local time by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website).

Please upload your complete application in English as a single PDF-file. The submission should contain the following:
1. A full curriculum vitae
2. A cover letter explaining your motivation to join the project
3. contact information of two references.

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