PhD fellowship in computer science
PhD Project in parallel functional programming languages
Department of Computer Science
Faculty of SCIENCE
University of Copenhagen
The section for Programming Languages and the Theory of Computation (PLTC) at the Departmenf of Computer Science invites applicants for a PhD fellowship in the implementation and optimisation of data-parallel functional programming languages.
Start date is (expected to be) January 2023 or as soon as possible thereafter.
The project
Modern massively parallel processors such as GPUs are highly efficient, but notoriously difficult and awkward to program for humans, particulary for irregular problems or those with nested structure. At DIKU, we are a small team that researches programming and compilation techniques for making high-performance parallel programming more accessible to non-expert programmers. We conduct applied research with a focus on actual real-world performance on mainstream hardware, and we use the functional array language Futhark and its implementation as our main experimental vessel. The precise research problems to be investigated by the PhD candidate depends on the interests of the candidate, but we are particularly interested in problems such as:
- How to efficiently map fully or partially irregular nested parallelism to hardware, while still taking advantage of locality.
- The construction of profiling tools that can precisely measure the performance of heavily compiler-transformed code and connect it to the original program, allowing the programmer to understand the high-level performance of their program.
- Optimising data layout based on how it is accessed by the program; possibly also taking distributed execution or NUMA behaviour into account.
At a basic level, our research consists of developing a strong idea, and then demonstrating the applicability of the idea by implementing it in a practically usable compiler or tool. For more information, feel free to contact Troels Henriksen (athas@diku.dk).
Who are we looking for? We are looking for candidates broadly within the field(s) of computer science and engineering. Applicants can preferably have a background from programming languages or high performance computing. Knowledge of programming language theory (e.g. type systems) is also very welcome. The candidate will work closely with the rest of the FUTHARK research group.
Our group and research- and what do we offer? The FUTHARK research group is a part of the PLTC section at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU), Fanculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. To get an idea of our past and presearch research, see
https://futhark-lang.org/publications.html.
The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and is the oldest and largest university in Denmark. It is often ranked as the best university in Scandinavia and consistently as one of the top places in Europe. Within computer science, it is ranked number 2 in the European Union according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2021.
The Department of Computer Science offers a friendly and thriving international research and working environment with opportunities to build up internationally competitive research groups. Copenhagen is one of the 10 most livable cities in the world with a rich culture within music, theater and associations. Life for families is made easy by a publicly supported daycare and health care system, dual career opportunities, maternity/parental leave and six weeks of paid annual vacation. International candidates may find information on living and working in Denmark
here. Useful information is also available at The International Staff Mobility office (ISM) at the University of Copenhagen (
link). ISM offers a variety of services to international researchers coming to and working at the University of Copenhagen.
Further information on the Department is linked at
https://www.science.ku.dk/english/about-the-faculty/organisation/ Principal supervisor is
Assistant Professor Troels Henriksen
, Department of Computer Science, athas@di.ku.dk.
The PhD programme Depending of your level of education, you can undertake the PhD programme as either:
Option A: A
three year full-time study within the framework of
the regular PhD programme (5+3 scheme),
if you already have an education
equivalent to a relevant Danish master’s degree. Option B: An up
to five year full-time study programme within the framework of
the integrated MSc and PhD programme (the 3+5 scheme), if you do not have an education
equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree – but you
have an education
equivalent to a Danish bachelors´s degree.
******************************************************************************** Option A: Getting into a position on the regular PhD programme Qualifications needed for the regular programme To be eligible for the regular PhD programme, you must have completed a degree programme, equivalent to a Danish master’s degree (180 ECTS/3 FTE BSc + 120 ECTS/2 FTE MSc) related to the subject area of the project, e.g. computer science or software engineering. For information of eligibility of completed programmes, see
General assessments for specific countries and
Assessment database.
Terms of employment in the regular programme Employment as PhD fellow is full time and for maximum 3 years.
Employment is conditional upon your successful enrolment as a PhD student at the PhD School at the Faculty of SCIENCE, University of Copenhagen. This requires submission and acceptance of an application for the specific project formulated by the applicant.
The terms of employment and salary are in accordance to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Option B: Getting into a position on the integrated MSc and PhD programme Qualifications needed for the integrated MSc and PhD programme If you do not have an education
equivalent to a relevant Danish master´s degree, you might be qualified for the integrated MSc and PhD programme, if you have an education equivalent to a relevant Danish bachelor´s degree. Here you can find out, if that is relevant for you:
General assessments for specific countries and
Assessment database.
Terms of the integrated programme To be eligible for the integrated scholarship, you are (or are eligible to be) enrolled at one of the faculty’s master programmes in computer science.
Students on the integrated programme will enroll as PhD students simultaneously with completing their enrollment in this MSc degree programme.
The duration of the integrated programme is up to five years, and depends on the amount of credits that you have passed on your MSc programme. For further information about the study programme, please see:
www.science.ku.dk/phd, “Study Structures”.
Until the MSc degree is obtained, (when exactly two years of the full 3+5 programme remains), the grant will be paid partly in the form of 48 state education grant portions (in Danish: “SU-klip”) plus salary for work (teaching, supervision etc.) totalling a workload of at least 150 working hours per year.
A PhD grant portion is DKK 6,243.
When you have obtained
the
MSc degree, you will transfer to the salary-earning part of the scholarship for a period of two years. At that point, the terms of employment and payment will be according to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State (AC). The position is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Responsibilities and tasks in both PhD programmes - Complete and pass the MSc education in accordance with the curriculum of the MSc programme
(ONLY when you are attending the integrated MSc and PhD programme)
- Carry through an independent research project under supervision
- Complete PhD courses corresponding to approx. 30 ECTS / ½ FTE
- Participate in active research environments, including a stay at another research institution, preferably abroad
- Teaching and knowledge dissemination activities
- Write scientific papers aimed at high-impact journals
- Write and defend a PhD thesis on the basis of your project
We are looking for the following qualifications: - Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD project
- Relevant publications
- Relevant work experience
- Other relevant professional activities
- Curious mind-set with a strong interest in programming language design and implementation, type theory, high performance, computing, or functional programming
- Good language skills
*************************************************************************** Application and Assessment Procedure Your application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.
Please include:
- Motivated letter of application (max. one page)
- Your motivation for applying for the specific PhD project
- Curriculum vitae including information about your education, experience, language skills and other skills relevant for the position
- Original diplomas for Bachelor of Science or Master of Science and transcript of records in the original language, including an authorized English translation if issued in another language than English or Danish. If not completed, a certified/signed copy of a recent transcript of records or a written statement from the institution or supervisor is accepted.
- Publication list (if possible)
- Reference letters (if available)
Application deadline: The deadline for applications is 20 October 2022, 23:59 GMT +2
. We reserve the right not to consider material received after the deadline, and not to consider applications that do not live up to the abovementioned requirements.
The further process After deadline, a number of applicants will be selected for academic assessment by an unbiased expert assessor. You are notified, whether you will be passed for assessment.
The assessor will assess the qualifications and experience of the shortlisted applicants with respect to the above mentioned research area, techniques, skills and other requirements. The assessor will conclude whether each applicant is qualified and, if so, for which of the two models. The assessed applicants will have the opportunity to comment on their assessment. You can read about the recruitment process at
http://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.
Interviews with selected candidates are expected to be held in week 47.
Questions For specific information about the PhD fellowship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about PhD study at the Faculty of SCIENCE is available at the PhD School’s website:
https://www.science.ku.dk/phd/.
The University of Copenhagen wishes to reflect the surrounding community and invites all regardless of personal background to apply for the position.