Looking for PhD Students

Update (Sep 27, 2018): Please do not apply anymore. There aren't any open PhD positions at this point.

We are looking for students interested in joining the Software Lab as PhD students. The Software Lab conducts research at the intersection of software engineering, programming languages, machine learning, and security, with a focus on tools and techniques for constructing reliable, efficient, and secure software. General areas of research include:

  • Dynamic program analysis
  • Static program analysis
  • Test case generation

More concretely, projects to be worked on may include but certainly are not limited to:

  • Applying machine learning to detect software bugs
  • Tracking warnings by code analysis tools across code changes
  • Analyses to identify and prevent Node.js security problems

We focus on approaches that apply to real systems. In the past, we have developed analyses that find bugs and other problems in widely used Java, C, and JavaScript applications, such as the Java standard library, Eclipse, GCC, and various popular web sites.

The Software Lab is lead by Prof. Dr. Michael Pradel, who has joined TU Darmstadt from University of California, Berkeley. Becoming part of a relatively young research group will give applicants the unique chance to work in and shape a young and ambitious research group. The lab is embedded into an excellent environment for research on program analysis, with several other groups that work on related topics.

Requirements

Please consider applying if you:

  • Have obtained or will soon obtain a master degree in computer science or a related subject
  • Are creative and able to come up with fresh ideas to address technical challenges
  • Like to write code and will not be afraid of a large software project
  • Like to read and write technical texts in English
  • Enjoy working with undergraduate students
  • Are persistent and willing to work several years of your life on a project that many people will never understand
  • Like to present your work to academic audiences, e.g., at international conferences, and to non-academic audiences (to increase the number of people that understand your work)
To better understand our research and whether it may fit your interests, please read some recent papers by our lab before you apply.

Additional Information

The goal of applicants should be to pursue academic research at the highest level and to obtain a PhD degree within three to five years. The working language of the lab is English. Knowing German is not required (but helpful to enjoy life outside of the lab). PhD students at TU Darmstadt have the opportunity to take courses but are not required to do so. The positions are filled as soon as we find suitable candidates. PhD students are paid a competitive salary (according to TV-TU Darmstadt, EG 13).

It is generally possible to work part time. TU Darmstadt has a large interest in increasing the number of female researchers, and hence particularly encourages female candidates to apply. Applicants with a degree of disability of 50% or more will be preferred in case they are otherwise equally qualified to the other candidates.

How to Apply?

Please send your application (including CV and transcripts of your grades) as an email to Michael Pradel (michael@binaervarianz.de).