Deadline: 15 July 2011
Open to: Degree holders in Computer Science, Mathematics or Software Engineering
Scholarship: payment of fees, a stipend of €18,000 per annum, and ancillary costs
Applications are invited for two PhD studentships with the Principles of Programming research group in the Department of Computer Science at NUI Maynooth.
Both PhD studentships are funded through the Research Frontiers Programme of Science Foundation Ireland.
The studentships are offered in the following areas:
A: Formal models and transformation for software metrics
Software metrics can be applied at many levels, from analysis, through design and into code. In a round-trip engineering environment it is reasonable to expect that metric calculations will move with ease from models through code and back again. This PhD will develop a formal foundation that will provide for the definition and use of metrics at the intra- and inter-model level, and investigate the portability of these metrics between models.
B: Formal models and transformation for class invariants
Class invariants are a major component of OO specification and development, yet there are many barriers to describing and using them correctly across different models in a model-oriented environment. This project will investigate the specification of invariants at the intra- and inter-model level, and investigate the portability of these invariants between models. Fundamental to each project is the development of a formal infrastructure to facilitate the movement of metrics and invariants across models based on the category-theoretic framework of institution.
Eligibility
Ideally, an applicant will have either:
- A degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering, with demonstrated knowledge of formal foundations through subjects such as formal specification, program verification, formal semantics, logic and/or theorem-proving.
- A degree in Mathematics, including abstract algebra and/or category theory, with a good knowledge of programming and algorithms (e.g. through a CS minor), and a clear interest in working in Computer Science.
- The project investigates the formal foundations of model-oriented engineering; thus, some experience in formal methods or category theory is highly desirable.
Scholarship
The PhD studentships are funded through the Research Frontiers Programme of Science Foundation Ireland. For each PhD student the funding includes payment of fees, a stipend of €18,000 per annum, and ancillary costs. Both PhD studentships will run from October 2011 for four years.
Application
To apply: Send a copy of your C.V to pop-phd11@cs.nuim.ie including details of your educational background, projects and publications (if any). You should highlight your experience/courses in formal logic, formal verification and/or algebra.
The deadline for submitting your application is 15 July 2011
