Doctoral student in computer science with a focus on program analysis

Description of the workplace

The position is within the Software Development and Environments division, part of the Department of Computer Science.  The division is exploring novel tools, languages, and methods for supporting software development, and conducts research in a variety of topics that include compiler construction, declarative specification languages, distributed development environments, safety monitoring for autonomous systems, and code review analysis driven by eye tracking. The division has strong collaborations both locally within Lund University, internationally with other universities, and with industrial partners, such as ABB and Ericsson.  The division has members from ten different countries, and regularly organises group activities to foster a positive working environment.

The Software Development and Environments division is actively developing and evaluating several systems for program analysis, including the JastAdd compiler construction framework, the MetaDL framework for declarative program analysis in C and Java and the ExtendJ extensible Java compiler.

More about the Software Development and Environments group (sde.cs.lth.se/)
More about JastAdd (jastadd.cs.lth.se/web/)
More about MetaDL (github.com/lu-cs-sde/metadl)
More about ExtendJ (extendj.org)

Being a doctoral student 

As a doctoral student, you are both admitted as a student and employed at Lund University. 

As a doctoral student, you will be trained in a scientific approach. In short, you will be trained to think critically and analytically, to solve problems independently using the right methods, and to develop an awareness of research ethics. In addition, you will have the opportunity to work on projects, to develop your leadership and pedagogical skills. Throughout your studies, you will be guided by supervisors. Doctoral studies end with a thesis and a doctoral degree.

More about being a doctoral student at LTH on lth.se. 

Subject and project description

This research project aims to improve declarative approaches to program analysis, with a focus on developing novel methods for specialising different program analysis methods to different analysis requirements and contexts, with applications in software development and software security.

The position is funded by the Wallenberg Autonomous Systems and Software Programme (WASP), and participates in the WASP NEST project `ShiftLeft: Securing the Software Supply Chain by Code-centric Analysis', a collaboration with PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and senior researchers at KTH, Chalmers, and Umeå University, and several industry partners.

More about WASP (wasp-sweden.org/)
More about the ShiftLeft project: (shiftleft.proj.kth.se/)

Work duties

You will primarily devote yourself to your doctoral programme, which includes participation in research projects as well as third cycle courses, seminars and conferences. 

The work duties include:

• Research on declarative approaches to program analysis applied to improving security in software supply chains. You will work towards the goal of developing effective techniques for building a declarative, code-centered platform that supports continuous security analysis.
• Development of declarative interfaces for various forms of program analysis, collaboration on integrating techniques developed at other project sites. Your work will contribute to building a collaborative platform for software security analysis.
• Artifact-oriented activity: You will develop software tools, algorithms, and other software components. These should be evaluated in realistic scenarios and integrated with, as well as shared within, the project team.
• Presentation and collaboration: You will present your research findings and discuss your work at regular meetings with academic project partners, including personal meetings at other locations in Sweden (approximately 1-2 times per year).
• Interaction with the industry: You will have opportunities to discuss your work and collaborate with industrial researchers, especially with the ShiftLeft industrial project partners.
• As part of the doctoral education, you will also participate in the WASP Graduate School, which offers courses in a variety of technical subjects, as well as opportunities for international travel and collaboration.

The duties also include participation in teaching and other departmental work (limited to a maximum of 20% of working hours).

More about the WASP Graduate School (wasp-sweden.org/graduate-school/)

Qualifications 

To be eligible for admission and employment as a doctoral student, you must fulfil the requirements below.

Admission requirements 

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

• has been awarded a second-cycle 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 the applicant 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

In order to complete the doctoral programme in question, the following are also required: 

• satisfying at least one of the three criteria listed below:
  - experience with compiler construction
  - an understanding of the foundations of static program analysis
  - an understanding of the foundations of dynamic program analysis
  (e.g., in the form of a university course, or through professional experiences or contributions to relevant Open Source projects).
• good ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
• good written and oral communication skills.
• very good knowledge of English, in speech and writing.
• very good programming experience.

Other qualifications

For the doctoral programme in question, the following are considered as other qualifications: 

• satisfying multiple of the criteria listed below:
  - experience with compiler construction
  - an understanding of the foundations of static program analysis
  - an understanding of the foundations of dynamic program analysis
  (e.g., in the form of a university course, or through professional experiences or contributions to relevant Open Source projects).
• experience with Java programming
• experience with systems programming and software vulnerability analysis
• experience with functional or declarative programming (logic programming, reference attribute grammars etc.)
• good understanding of areas of discrete mathematics with relation to program analysis (lattice theory, type theory, Galois connections etc.)
• experience with statistical methods (Bayesian statistics, machine learning etc.)

We offer

Lund University is a public authority which means that employees get particular benefits, generous annual leave and an advantageous occupational pension scheme. 

More about working at Lund University on lu.se.

About the employment 

The employment is a fixed-term employment at full time. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. In the case of teaching and other departmental duties, the employment is extended accordingly. Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

More about terms of employment for doctoral students on Lund University’s Staffpages. 

How to apply

Applications shall be written in English and include: 

• CV and a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the doctoral programme/employment and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. 
• Copies of issued study certificates and/or awarded degree certificates. These must confirm that you meet the general and specific admission requirements for the doctoral programme and show that you have the subject knowledge required for the doctoral programme project. 
• Other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.)

We welcome your application.