Doctoral student in Computer Science with focus on Computer Architecture - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

We offer a doctoral student position to qualified applicants interested in parallel processing, computer architecture, machine learning, and streaming applications. The planned research focuses on methods for system modeling, analysis and optimization, as well as extensions to machine learning processing architectures in applications where performance, energy and reliability are critical.

Project Description
The position is part of an externally funded national-level research project together with research groups from two other universities in Sweden. The project investigates novel techniques in computer architecture, runtime systems, compilers and high-level programming interfaces with the objective to generalize today’s AI accelerator hardware and system software to become applicable to broader types of computations.

This position will be focused on modeling and analyzing novel computer architectures based on AI accelerator hardware (such as tensor cores in recent GPUs, systolic arrays as in TPUs, and reconfigurable architectures) and applied to stream processing applications. The goal is to create virtual platforms supporting advanced system-level design of these architectures at different levels of granularity, precision, and abstraction as they execute streaming applications, with the purpose of extracting useful data and feedback that can help drive their development.

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 courses (no less than 80%). The work duties also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%), to widen the applicant’s competence and qualification.

Admission Requirements
A candidate meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if the applicant:

• has been awarded a second-cycle qualification
• 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 if he or she has

• at least 60 second-cycle credits at an advanced level with relevance for the research topic, or
• an MSc 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
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. An assessment of 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 assessment criteria:

• experience in system-level design and relevant technologies (e.g. SystemC, TLM),
• solid competence in one or more relevant programming languages (e.g. Java, C, C++),
• experience with parallel programming (e.g. OpenMP, CUDA) and parallel computer architectures (e.g. multicores, manycores, GPUs, TPUs)
• a background in computer architecture and hardware design,
• experience in machine learning,
• background knowledge of compilers,
• documented scientific or technical writing proficiency and a publication record.

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, a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, grade transcripts, contact information for two references, and other documents you wish to be considered (letters of recommendation, list of publications, etc.). The cover letter should state the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background.