[TYPES/announce] CRASH/SAFE postdoc opportunities at Penn, Harvard, and Northeastern

[Benjamin C. Pierce]

[A more detailed version of the announcement I posted a few weeks ago. --BCP]

Applications are invited for postdoc positions in the areas of programming
languages, operating systems, verification, and hardware design at the
University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Northeastern University.

The hosting project, called SAFE (Semantically Aware Foundation
Environment), is part of CRASH, a larger DARPA-funded effort to design new
computer systems that are highly resistant to cyber-attack, can adapt after
a successful attack in order to continue rendering useful services, learn
from previous attacks how to guard against and cope with future attacks, and
can repair themselves after attacks have succeeded.  It offers a rare
opportunity to rethink the hardware/OS/software stack from a completely
clean slate, with no legacy constraints whatsoever.

Specifically, the SAFE project aims to build a suite of modern operating
system services that embodies and supports fundamental security
principles—including separation of privilege, least privilege, and mutual
suspicion—down to its very bones, without compromising performance.
Achieving this goal demands a co-design methodology in which all critical
system layers are designed together, with a ruthless insistence on
simplicity, security, and verifiability at every level -- an integrated
effort focusing on (1) processor architectures, (2) operating systems, (3)
formal methods, and (4) programming languages and compilers.

The ideal candidate will have a Ph.D. in Computer Science, a combination of
strong theoretical and practical interests, and expertise in two or more of
the following areas: programming languages, security, formal verification,
operating systems, and hardware design.  Applications from women and other
under-represented groups are particularly welcome.

Further details:
 - We expect to offer five positions in the first year -- three at Penn, one
   at Harvard, and one at Northeastern -- with varying duties, salary, and
   desired expertise.  
 - Positions are for one year in the first instance, with possible
   renewal up to four years.  
 - Review of applications is ongoing and will and continue until
   positions are filled.
 - Starting date is negotiable, but we'd ideally like to have people in place
   within a few months.

Background reading:
 SAFE white paper:
   http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/papers/SAFEwhitepaper.pdf
 CRASH BAA: 
   https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=82f6068978da5339752c89d2f65d89ca    

To apply, please send a CV, research statement, and the names of three
people who can be asked for letters of reference to Benjamin Pierce
(bcpierce at cis.upenn.edu).  Inquiries can be directed to any of the PIs:

  Andre Dehon (Penn)
  Greg Morrisett (Harvard)
  Benjamin Pierce (Penn)
  Olin Shivers (Northeastern)
  Jonathan Smith (Penn)