[TYPES/announce] Expression of interest for two post-doc positions on blockchain and formal methods

Thu Oct 19 08:12:17 EDT 2023

Call for expressions of interest for two post-doc positions at University of Cagliari (Unica) and Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI) - Italy

# Highlights

- possibility of interaction among research groups in Cagliari, GSSI, University of Sassari and their international research partners
- possibility of interaction with mainstream blockchain foundations (e.g., Ethereum Foundation, IOTA Foundation)
- Expected skills/expertise: blockchain technologies, smart contracts, decentralised finance, formal methods for modelling and verification, logics
- Call expected by end 2023
- Duration: up-to 24 months, starting from early 2024
Gross salary: 30K EUR/year (University of Cagliari), 45K EUR/year (GSSI)

# Expression of interest for open positions

The groups of Computer Science at the Department of Matematica e Informatica of the University of Cagliari and of the GSSI invite expressions of interest for two post-doc positions funded by the Italian PNRR PRIN 2022 project DeLICE which aims to combine techniques from decentralised finance (DeFi) and formal methods to develop provably correct protocols for decentralised circular economy.

The positions are open to: 
- students who have or will get a PhD in Computer Science or affine disciplines (e.g. Mathematics, Logic) by the start of their contract (for both GSSI and Unica)
- students with an MSc Degree in Computer Science or affine disciplines who had at least 2 years of research activity, supported by an adequate scientific production (for Unica).

The successful candidates will also have the opportunity to volunteer for participating in teaching activities both at UNICA and at GSSI (where courses on blockchain are taught at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels) as well as in the supervision of BSc, MSc, or PhD students. Both Unica and GSSI are also involved in the national PhD programs “Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology” and “Cybersecurity”.

The official calls will be open by the end of 2023, but we encourage potential applicants to get in touch with us before that date for any questions.

# Contacts

- Massimo Bartoletti (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://blockchain.unica.it__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwASJnOSKw$ )
- Emilio Tuosto (https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.gssi.it/emilio.tuosto__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwBt6r98tw$ )

 We are keen to arrange informal meetings to discuss any matter regarding the positions.

# University of Cagliari (Unica)

The Department of Mathematics and Computer Science (DMI) at the University of Cagliari (Sardinia), through its dedicated research group blockchain at unica, has been a trailblazer in blockchain technology in Italy since 2014. Our research group has pushed the boundaries of the field, developing significant theoretical and practical advancements, especially in Ethereum and Bitcoin transaction analysis, smart contract development, security analysis, decentralised finance, and the application of software engineering to blockchain application development.

Unica is active on several fronts, among which:
- the organization of a summer school series on blockchain technologies: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dlt-school.github.io/__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwDhd3OnqQ$ 
- the organization of a workshop series on formal methods for smart contracts: https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dlt-fm-workshop.github.io/__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwD0HcB1Bw$ 
- the coordination of teaching and R&D activities of the Italian Distributed Ledger Technology Working Group https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dltgroup.dmi.unipg.it/index.php__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwCtuIMWSQ$ 
- the cooperation with mainstream blockchain foundations, including the Ethereum Foundation, the Algorand Foundation, and the IOTA Foundation

# Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI)

Gran Sasso Science Institute (GSSI - https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.gssi.it__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwBt9fsW6w$ ) is an International centre of excellence for advanced studies and PhD school established in L'Aquila (Italy).
The institute has already obtained wide recognition at both national and international levels. Every year, the group of Computer Science at GSSI offers PhD scholarships and postdoctoral grants as well as research internship opportunities and attracts prestigious researchers in Computer Science.
Computer Science at GSSI has been recognized as one of the "Departments of Excellence", (which gave them access to more than 7M Euros of additional funding) and it is part of a wide international research network which includes collaborations with the KTH institute in Sweden, the University of Oxford, and the University of Buenos Aires. With those institutions, the group of formal methods of GSSI actively collaborates on topics such as behavioural specifications, performance analysis, and software verification. 

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    Emilio Tuosto

        Gran Sasso Science Institute
        Department of Computer Science
        ORCID: 0000-0002-7032-3281

        Viale F. Crispi, 7 - 67100 L'Aquila (Italy)
        Office: Palazzo Mariani P1-N
        Phone: +39 0862 428 0312

        homepage -> https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://cs.gssi.it/emilio.tuosto/__;!!IBzWLUs!QGdeIxLXkG7A5cIs5Hd0UiUpviZcNSbUEZyxGDbfoFjmxogn-p7uPv018eQ_nU-D8_4EgmIKfuvpvHz8zqxOUNhFd0F2gwAxc7rOpQ$ 

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