Doctoral Students in Computer Science with focus on Useful Program Analysis - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Project description
We are offering two Ph.D. student positions to qualified applicants with an interest in software engineering, software technology and human-computer interaction, with funding provided by the ADAPT project.

ADAPT (Adaptive Developer Tools) is a research project with the goal of exploring how adaptive developer tools can make program analysis more useful to software developers. Numerous research studies have shown that program analysis is suffering from usability problems caused by false positives and poor integration into the developer workflow. In ADAPT, the goal is to investigate how gathering of information, about how developer tools are used and about how program analysis results are received by users, can be used to make data-driven decisions about how to adapt developer tools, with the goal of increasing usability of program analysis results. Exploration in this space includes activities such as:

• Studying how program analysis is being used in practice by professionals during different tool interaction activities in the developer workflow.
• Exploring how detection of use (of program analysis results) and detection of developer tool interaction patterns can improve the presentation of program analysis results.
• Exploring different strategies for presentation of program analysis results.
• Exploring automation of meta-analyzer systems for data-driven program analysis deployment. 

The ADAPT project has the additional goal of sharing software developed in the project as open-source and to contribute to an emerging community around useful program analysis.

The research in the project is interdisciplinary and combines theories and methods from different research fields. The project brings together researchers with backgrounds in software engineering, software technology, human-computer interaction, psychology, and eye-tracking. The work in the project is carried out in close collaboration with industry.
For more information about ADAPT, see https://emso.gitlab.io/projects/adapt/.

Work duties
The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies which includes participating in research projects and third cycle (Ph.D. level) courses (80 % of the time). The work duties also include teaching and other departmental duties (20% of the time) to facilitate well-rounded development and to enable future academic appointments.

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle (Ph.D. level) courses and study programmes if he or she:

• has been awarded a second-cycle (M.Sc. level) qualification, or
• has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
• has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Computer Science if he or she has:

• at least 60 second-cycle credits at an advanced level with relevance for the research topic, or
• an M.Sc. in Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Engineering Physics or Engineering Mathematics.

Additional requirements:

• Very good oral and written proficiency in English.

Assessment Criteria and Other Qualifications
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
2. Ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
3. Written and oral communication skills.
4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other qualifications:

• Knowledge of software engineering, particularly program analysis.
• Knowledge of programming languages and their implementation.
• Knowledge of human-computer interaction or cognitive science.
• Strong programming and math skills.
• Experience of working with eye-tracking equipment.
• Experience of working with machine learning.
• Strong systems understanding, preferably through industrial experience.
• Interest and willingness to work with industry partners.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).