Postdoctoral position in Automated Verification and Debugging of Numerical Programs

Are you interested in working in automated program verification and/or software engineering, with the support of competent and friendly colleagues in an international environment? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favorable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a Postdoc position at Uppsala University. 

The Department of Information Technology holds a leading position in both research and education at all levels. We are currently Uppsala University's third largest department, and have around 350 employees, including 120 teachers and 120 PhD students. Approximately 5,000 undergraduate students take one or more courses at the department each year. You can find more information about us on the Department of Information Technology website.

The Postdoc position is hosted by the Division of Computing Science and specifically within the Programming Languages group that currently consists of 8 faculty and 8 PhD students that are working on different aspects of programming language design, verification and software engineering. Beyond technical collaborations, the group meets regularly and provides an engaging and supportive environment.

Project description and duties
The position is part of the ERC Starting grant project HORNET on practically usable automated verification and debugging techniques for numerical programs. These programs are widely used in safety-critical systems, data analysis, weather forecasting, physics, engineering and more, but verifying and debugging their accuracy and reliability today is challenging due to rounding errors and limitations of current tools. One aspect that this project focuses on is accuracy of finite-precision programs with respect to a real-valued (and thus error-free) program specification. Possible concrete research directions that the postdoc can be involved in include automated program verification, specification inference, fault localization, practical usability, etc. in the context of numerical finite-precision programs. The projects typically include both the development of novel techniques, as well as implementations that can be practically used. The postdoc candidate is expected to work both independently and in collaboration with other group members and external collaborators.

The role also includes research administration, participation in project meetings, and may include up to 20% teaching within the Department’s course offerings (depending on the candidate's interest and course availability). We encourage all interested applicants to apply, even if their experience does not perfectly match the project's subject. We review all applications carefully and seek candidates who can contribute to the project's goals.

Requirements
PhD degree in computer science in a field relevant to the position such program verification, software engineering or programming languages or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in computer science in a field relevant to the position such program verification, software engineering or programming languages. The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. The starting point of the three-year frame period is the application deadline. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

Fluency in both written and spoken English, and good programming skills are also a requirement.

Additional qualifications
We are searching for a postdoc candidate who is responsible, self-motivated, and has demonstrated independence in research, and at the same time works well in a research group. Emphasis will also be placed on the ability to publish scientific work in high-quality venues and to give presentations at conferences and scientific meetings.

Application procedure
 The application must include:

• a cover letter that briefly describes your motivation for applying for this position and this project and states the earliest possible date of employment (max 1 page);
• a curriculum vitae (CV);
• a research statement describing your previous research experience and current research interests (max two pages);
• a copy of relevant diplomas and grades (translated into Swedish or English, e.g. as provided by your university);
• a list of publications (may be included in CV);
• contact information for at least two references (do not include reference letters).

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of two years according to central collective agreement.  Full time position. Starting date 1 March 2025 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala 

For further information about the position, please contact: Associate Professor Eva Darulova, e-mail: eva.darulova@it.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 2 December 2024, UFV-PA 2024/3699.

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