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PhD and postdoc position in Graphs for Object-Oriented Verification

[ Types, in the context of graphs, are an important ingredient   ]
[ of the project advertised below. For this reason I believe     ]
[ readers of this list may be interested. Please distribute!     ]

[ Apologies for the reception of multiple copies of this message ]

The Software Engineering Chair at the University of Twente was 
recently awarded a Dutch (NWO) research project entitled "Graphs
for Object-Oriented Verification". To carry out this project we are 
looking for

* One post-doctoral researcher for a period of three years
* One PhD student (fully funded) for a period of four years

  +---------------------------------------------+
  | Deadline for application: 25 September 2003 |
  +---------------------------------------------+

The Software Engineering Chair
==============================

The Software Engineering group at the University of Twente is part 
of the Department of Computer Science, one of the largest academic 
institutes for computer science in the Netherlands. The SE group 
has 11 scientific members. The research carried out in the group 
focuses on balancing different qualities in the design of complex 
software systems, such as adaptability, reusability and 
composability, and correctness, using various techniques such as 
aspect orientation, fuzzy logic and verification. The focus of 
this project is on correctness.

The Project: Graphs for Object-Oriented Verification (GROOVE)
=============================================================

Model checking is a method for the verification of systems that has 
been quite successful in hardware design; there is worldwide interest 
in extending it to other areas, including software systems. The aim 
of this project is to develop and implement model checking techniques 
for object-oriented designs and programs, based on a representation 
of program states as graphs and computation steps as graph 
transformations. 

The advantage of this representation over the more traditional one 
(which is essentially based on fixed state vectors determined at 
compile time) is that the graph formalism quite naturally captures 
the dynamic nature of object-oriented systems that is due to object 
(de)allocation and patterns of method invocations. Furthermore, 
graphs offer new insights in state abstraction, one of the most 
promising principles to combat state space explosion. 

Finally, the representation of objects as graphs provides a direct link 
to popular design notations such as those offered by the UML, and the 
use of graph transformation is currently advocated in several earlier 
stages of software development; thus, there is a realistic hope of 
integrating graph-based object-oriented verification techniques into a 
more encompassing, truly useful software engineering process.

The Positions
=============

Postdoc
-------

You should have a PhD degree in computer science or a closely related area, 
or be able to show that you will receive the degree this year (2003). 
Familiarity with formal verification, object-orientation and graph 
transformations is considered an advantage. You are expected to cooperate 
in an internationally oriented research environment. Excellent English 
speaking and writing skills are demanded, as well as the willingness to 
learn Dutch.

The postdoc position is for the duration of 3 years, and carries a gross 
salary roughly between 2500 and 3500 euro/month, depending on the 
candidate's work experience, plus an 8% holiday allowance. In exceptional 
cases the salary can be subject to further negotiation.

PhD student
-----------

You should have a MSc or equivalent degree in computer science or a closely 
related area, or be able to show that you will receive the degree this year 
(2003). Familiarity with formal verification, object-orientation and graph 
transformations is considered an advantage. You are expected to cooperate 
in an internationally oriented research environment. Good English speaking 
and writing skills are demanded, as well as the willingness to learn Dutch.

You will be appointed for a period of 4 years with a gross salary ranging
between from Euro 1700 per month (first year) to Euro 2300 per month (fourth 
year), plus an 8% holiday allowance.  

Your Application
================

You can obtain further information about the positions by enquiring from:

  Dr.ir. Arend Rensink,
  mailto:rensink@cs.utwente.nl,
  tel: +31 (0)53 489 4862
  fax: +31 (0)53 489 3247

If you are interested, please send an application by email to the
above address, including:

- A cover letter stating your *specific* interest in one of the
  positions, indicating also your motivation and qualifications
  for joining the project. (In the absence of such a cover letter
  your application will be rejected without notification.)

- A full curriculum vitae, including the subject, abstract and
  supervisor of your graduate thesis (for the PhD position) or
  PhD thesis (for the postdoc position).

- Letters of recommendation or references of at least two
  scientific staff members.

All applications must be received ** at or before 25 September 2003 **