Ph D Project in Verified, Distributed Data Stream Processing
Department of Computer Science
Faculty of SCIENCE
University of Copenhagen
The Department of Computer Science invites applicants for a Ph D fellowship in Formal Verification. The Ph D project is part of the research project DISCOVER (Distributed Streaming Computations, Verified) funded by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (DFF).
Start date is (expected to be) 1 January 2025 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project
Today’s software and hardware systems produce massive amounts of data. Stream processing frameworks are vital tools for software engineers and data scientists to tame this data. They provide convenient programming abstractions that allow their users to express the desired data analysis. From the expressed analysis, they generate a distributed program and deploy it on computing clusters, which enables the massively parallel processing of data. Apache Flink, Apache Spark, and Google Cloud Dataflow are examples of mature stream processing frameworks that are widely used in industry. For thousands of users these frameworks serve as both the programming language and the operating system. Yet, these systems exhibit unreliable and unpredictable behavior, which prohibits their use in scenarios that cannot tolerate errors such as data loss. The goal of the Ph D project is to contribute to an ongoing formalization effort using the Isabelle proof assistant towards the first formally verified system for the analysis of big data.
Who are we looking for?
The ideal candidate for this position is an enthusiastic student with a strong background and interest in one or more of the following areas:

• formal methods, specifically interactive theorem proving,
• data stream processing
• distributed systems

Candidates with a strong theoretical background in related areas are also encouraged to apply.
Our group and research- and what do we offer?
The Ph D project will be hosted by the Software, Data, People & Society (SDPS) Section, which performs research in software, process, and data management systems. We focus in particular on methods for the development of trustworthy software systems that closely match the needs of developers, users, and society. More information on the section can be found online: https://di.ku.dk/english/research/sdps/.
The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and is the oldest and largest university in Denmark. It is often ranked as the best university in Scandinavia and consistently as one of the top places in Europe.
Principal supervisor is Associate Professor Dmitriy Traytel, Department of Computer Science, traytel@di.ku.dk.
The Ph D programme
Qualifications needed for the regular programme
To be eligible for the regular Ph D programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. Computer Science. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see General assessments for specific countries and Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme
Employment as Ph D fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrollment as a Ph D student at the Ph D School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Responsibilities and tasks

• Carry through an independent research project under supervision

• Complete Ph D courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
• Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
• Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
• Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact conferences and journals
• Write and defend a Ph D thesis on the basis of your project

We are looking for the following qualifications:

• Professional qualifications relevant to the Ph D project
• Relevant publications
• Relevant work experience
• Other relevant professional activities
• Curious mind-set with a strong interest in Formal Verification and Distributed Systems
• Good language skills

Application and Assessment Procedure
Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include:
Application deadline: The deadline for applications is 31 October 2024, 23:59 CET.
We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
The further process
After the deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in weeks 48 (November 25—November 29).
Questions
For specific information about the Ph D fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about Ph D study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the Ph D School’s website: https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.

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