We are looking for motivated students to join the Software Lab as a PhD student or as a student research assistant. Please read on for details.

Looking for PhD Students

We are looking for students interested in joining the Software Lab as PhD students. The Software Lab (SOLA) conducts research at the intersection of software engineering and programming languages, with a focus on tools and techniques for constructing reliable, efficient, and secure software. General areas of research include:

• Dynamic program analysis
• Static program analysis
• Test case generation

More concretely, projects to be worked on may include but are not limited to:

• Test generation techniques for concurrent software
• Profiling techniques for concurrent programs that help detect unnecessary synchronization
• A framework to systematically introduce concurrency bugs in a program, to evaluate the effectiveness of bug finding techniques

We focus on approaches that apply to real systems. In the past, the group leader, Michael Pradel, has developed analyses that find bugs in widely used Java, C, and JavaScript applications, such as the Java standard library, Eclipse, and GCC.

The Software Lab has opened in autumn 2014 as part of EC SPRIDE and is lead by Dr. Michael Pradel, who joins TU Darmstadt from University of California, Berkeley. Working in a newly created lab will give applicants the unique chance to work in and shape a young and dynamic research group. The lab is embedded into an excellent environment for research on program analysis, with several other groups that work on related topics.

Requirements

Please consider applying if you:

• Have obtained or will soon obtain a master/diploma degree in computer science (or a related subject)
• Are creative and able to come up with fresh ideas to address technical challenges
• Like to write code and will not be afraid of a large software project
• Like to read and write technical texts in English
• Enjoy working with undergraduate students
• Are persistent and willing to work several years of your life on a project that many people will never understand
• Like to present your work to academic audiences (for example, at international conferences) and to non-academic audiences (to increase the number of people that understand your work)

Additional Information

The goal of applicants should be to pursue academic research at the highest level and to obtain a PhD degree within three to five years. The working language of the lab will be English. Knowing German is not required (but helpful to enjoy life outside of the lab). PhD students at TU Darmstadt have the opportunity to take courses but are not required to do so. The positions are filled as soon as we find suitable candidates. PhD students are paid a competitive salary (according to TV-TU Darmstadt, EG 13).

It is generally possible to work part time. TU Darmstadt has a large interest in increasing the number of female researchers, and hence particularly encourages female candidates to apply. Applicants with a degree of disability of 50% or more will be preferred in case they are otherwise equally qualified to the other candidates.

How to Apply?

Please send your application (including CV and transcripts of your grades) as an email to Michael Pradel.

 

Looking for Student Research Assistants (“HiWis”)

We are looking for students who want to gather some research experience as a student research assistant (“HiWi”). These positions are typically given to current students at TU Darmstadt, but may also be given to external students. Details will follow soon. For the impatient, send email to Michael Pradel to be added to a list of candidates.