PhD position in Formal Verification of Blockchain Applications

The department of Computer Science and Engineering is strongly international, with approximately 270 employees from over 30 countries. The position is placed in the Formal Methods group, which is internationally recognised for its research in software verification. The research, also of this project, is performed in the context of international collaborations. The outcome of the specific research project will contribute to the safety of the arising digital market places in general, and blockchain applications in particular.

Information about the research
The research to be performed in this PhD position is part of a project on 'Smart Contract Verification'. Smart contracts are computer programs running on the blockchain, intended to digitally facilitate the performance of a (financial) contract between all parties which choose to engage with it. The purpose of this project is to provide methods for specifying smart contracts, and on that basis verify, with high automation and with mathematical certainty, whether a given implementation of a smart contract meets this intention. The research is performed in a group which has a strong international reputation in formal software verification. Concretely, the work will build on the 'KeY' approach to software verification, and target the most popular smart contract platform, Ethereum.

Major responsibilities
The position comes with enrolment in the PhD programme for Computer Science and Engineering. As a PhD student, you undertake original individual research, under supervision and in context of the research group. This includes preparing research papers, mostly in collaboration with other researchers. 20% of the position are devoted to deartmental work, mostly as teaching assistants in courses.

Qualifications
Applicants should have, or expect shortly to obtain, a Masters degree in Computer Science, or equivalent. A good level of skills in mathematical modelling and reasoning is required. Skills in logic in computer science, verification, computer assisted proof tools, and object-oriented programming are a merrit.

The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. If Swedish is not your native language, Chalmers offers Swedish courses.

Contract terms
The employment is a full-time fixed-term position, limited to a maximum of five years, four years of studies and up to one year of departmental work, distributed over the whole employment period.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg. 
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Read more and apply here

Application deadline: 15th July 2022

For questions, please contact:
Prof., Wolfgang Ahrendt, ahrendt@chalmers.se, +46-31-772-1011

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***