[TYPES/announce] PhD studentships in programming languages at LFCS

[James Cheney]

Several funded PhD studentships are available in topics relating to
programming languages in the Laboratory for Foundations of Computer
Science, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.  Admission is
generally for autumn 2016; earlier admission is possible depending on
availability of funding.

We welcome applications from members of groups traditionally
underrepresented in the field.  In 2013 (renewed 2016), the School of
Informatics received an Athena Swan Silver Award, in recognition of its
commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology,
engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and
research.

Expressions of interest from applicants interested in PhD study on any
topic relating to theoretical computer science are welcome.  Programming
languages research topics of particular interest (some with funding already
secured) include:

* Topic: Proof Engineering
 Contact: David Aspinall <david.aspinall at ed.ac.uk>
 More information: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/da/proofeng.shtml

* Topic: Software security and privacy (various topics/supervisors, e.g.,
verification of SDN transformations; IoT inc ARM TrustZone and mbed;
vulnerability discovery)
  Contact: David Aspinall <David.Aspinall at ed.ac.uk>
  More information (look here first):
http://web.inf.ed.ac.uk/security-privacy/phd-study/phd-topics


* Topic: Metaprogramming for cross-tier Web and Database programming
 Funding available:  4 years stipend and tuition for student of any
nationality
 Contact: James Cheney <jcheney at inf.ed.ac.uk>
 More information:  http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/jcheney/group/skye.html

* Topic: Declarative programming for data science
 Funding available:  4 years stipend and tuition for student of any
nationality
 Contact: James Cheney <jcheney at inf.ed.ac.uk>
 More information: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/jcheney/group/dpds.html



* Topic: Complexity Metrics for Testing Concurrent Programs
  Funding available: stipend and UK/EU tuition
  Contact: Ajitha Rajan <arajan at staffmail.ed.ac.uk>
  More information:
http://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/graduate%20study/complexity-metrics-for-testing-concurrent-programs

* Topic: Coverage metrics for Security testing
  Funding available: stipend and UK/EU tuition
  Contact: Ajitha Rajan <arajan at staffmail.ed.ac.uk>
  More information: Testing for security vulnerabilities is both a crucial
and challenging task that involves
    understanding the software behaviour, system architecture, the network
and the attacker's mindset.
    In this project, we will define objective metrics that define security
requirements with respect to
    the software  behaviour interacting with the system architecture and
use it to measure the
    adequacy and effectiveness of security tests.


* Topic: A Basis for Concurrency and Distribution
 Funding available: stipend and UK/EU tuition
 Contact: Philip Wadler <wadler at inf.ed.ac.uk>
 More information: http://homepages.inf.ed.ac.uk/wadler/abcd-phd-advert.html


The LFCS web page lists additional possible supervisors, research
interests, and project suggestions:

http://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/graduate%20study/research-topics
http://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/people


Applicants with interests related to parallel programming, distributed
computation, or high-performance computing, databases, machine learning,
statistics, or optimization may also apply for funded, 4-year combined
Master's and PhD programmes offered by one of Edinburgh's two EPSRC Centres
for Doctoral Training:

Centre for Doctoral Training in Pervasive Parallelism
 http://pervasiveparallelism.inf.ed.ac.uk/

Centre for Doctoral Training in Data Science
 http://datascience.inf.ed.ac.uk/apply/

These Centres have separate application processes.  Please consult their
respective websites for details.

In any case it is strongly recommended for applicants to discuss their
interests with a prospective supervisor before applying.


== Application instructions ==

Applicants from outside the UK/EU should apply by December 9, 2016 in order
be considered for full funding.  All applicants should apply by March 19,
2017.  However, early application is advisable.

Internal funding decisions are typically made based on applications
received by early February, so it is advisable to apply for admission and
and applicable funding sources by February 1, 2017.

To apply, please follow the instructions at:

https://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/graduate%20study/apply/

and apply to the LFCS 3-year PhD program.  The direct application link is:
https://www.star.euclid.ed.ac.uk/public/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=PRPHDINFMT7F&code2=0087
).

Please get in touch early in case of questions about the application
process, project ideas or study in the UK or Edinburgh.


== Funding ==

As noted above, some topics are associated with funded projects, including
a stipend of approximately £14,000 per year, and covering UK/EU tuition or
(for some projects) full tuition for a student of any nationality.

Students interested in topics for which full funding is not available are
strongly encouraged to apply for additional University or external funding,
and are encouraged to apply to one of the School's two EPSRC Centres for
Doctoral Training if their research interests match.  University deadlines
for consideration for funding are typically in early February.

However, applicants interested in any research topic and of any nationality
are encouraged to contact a prospective supervisor and discuss their
research interests before applying.


== About the University of Edinburgh and LFCS ==

The University of Edinburgh School of Informatics brings together
world-class research groups in theoretical computer science, artificial
intelligence and cognitive science. The School led the UK 2008 RAE rankings
in volume of internationally recognised or internationally excellent
research.  The Informatics Forum, opened in 2008, is located in central
Edinburgh, Scotland's capital and one of the best places to live in the UK.

We welcome applications from members of groups traditionally
underrepresented in the field.  In 2013 (renewed 2016), the School of
Informatics received an Athena Swan Silver Award, in recognition of its
commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology,
engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in higher education and
research.  Overall the University of Edinburgh has achieved a Bronze Award.

The Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science was established by
Burstall, Milner and Plotkin in 1986, and is recognized worldwide for
groundbreaking research on topics in programming languages, semantics, type
theory, proof theory, algorithms and complexity, databases, security, and
systems biology.

Programming Languages and Foundations is one of the largest research
activities in LFCS, including 15 academic staff, 8 postdoctoral
researchers, and 10 current PhD students. We participate in a thriving PL
research community across Scotland, with Scottish Programming Languages
Seminars hosted every 3-4 months by PL groups at Glasgow, Strathclyde,
Heriot-Watt, St. Andrews, Dundee and Edinburgh.


For more information about Edinburgh and studying here, see these pages:

* Explore Edinburgh
  (http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/city)
* Overview for prospective postgraduates
  (http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/informatics/postgraduate)
* Programming Languages and Foundations at LFCS
  (http://wcms.inf.ed.ac.uk/lfcs/research/groups-and-projects/pl)
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