Jakob Nordström / Open positions / Tenure-track assistant professorship in foundations of computer science

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Tenure-Track Assistant Professorship in Foundations of Computer Science with a Focus on Logic and Automated Reasoning

The Department of Computer Science at Lund University invites applications for a tenure-track assistant professorship in the foundations of computer science with a focus on logic and automated reasoning.

The Scientific Environment

The assistant professor will be working at the Department of Computer Science, where research into the foundations of computer science is conducted by professors Susanna de Rezende and Jakob Nordström. Jakob Nordström leads the research group Mathematical Insights into Algorithms for Optimization (MIAO), which is also active at the University of Copenhagen. The research has a unique profile in that it spans a wide range of questions from the theoretical, mathematical foundations of efficient computation all the way to state-of-the-art practical algorithms for real-world problems. This creates a very special environment, where the research projects do not only go deep into different theoretical and applied topics, but where different lines of research cross-fertilise each other and unexpected and exciting synergies often arise. Much of the research activities revolve around powerful algorithmic paradigms such as, e.g., Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving, Gröbner basis computations, integer linear programming, and constraint programming. The study of such methods leads to classical questions in computational complexity theory—though often with new, fascinating twists—but also involves work on devising clever algorithms that can exploit the power of such paradigms in practice.

Position Profile

The position focuses on algorithms for foundational problems within logic, automated reasoning, and combinatorial optimization. This includes design and implementation of algorithms for computational problems within Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving, constraint programming, mixed integer linear programming, and/or satisfiability modulo theories (SMT) solving. In addition to algorithm construction, another topic of interest is to develop a scientific understanding of the practical performance of automated reasoning algorithms, and to investigate relations between empirical observations and theoretical results in algorithm analysis and computational complexity theory. Yet another related area concerns methods of ensuring that algorithms compute provably correct results, which can be used to develop trustworthy solvers for automated reasoning and combinatorial optimization.

Workplace

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the top 100 universities in the world. Lund Technical College (LTH) forms the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, where research of the highest international standard is conducted.

The Department of Computer Science at LTH is a partner in the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP), which is Sweden's largest ever individual research program and addresses research on artificial intelligence broadly construed, and also in the ELLIIT Excellence Centre focused on basic and applied research in information technologies. Furthermore, there are extensive collaborations with the University of Copenhagen, the IT University of Copenhagen (ITU), and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) on the other side of the Öresund Bridge. In particular, all current researchers working on the foundations of computer science at the Department of Computer Science at LTH are also affiliated with the Algorithms and Complexity Section at the Department of Computer Science (DIKU) at the University of Copenhagen, which hosts the world-leading Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen (BARC) centre.

Job Description

This is a full-time 6-year tenure-track position, as regulated in Chapter 4 Section 12a§ of the Higher Education Ordinance. The purpose of the appointment is for the assistant professor to be given the opportunity to develop research autonomy and acquire the scholarly and teaching qualifications required for eligibility for appointment as associate professor. The work duties mainly involve research and teaching, and are:

Research within the subject area.
Teaching at BSc, MSc, and PhD level.
Supervision of degree projects and doctoral students.
Actively seeking external research funding.
Collaboration with industry and wider society at large.
Administration related to the work duties listed above.

The working language of the research division is English, and knowledge of English is also fully sufficient to navigate every-day life in Sweden in general. It might also be worth mentioning that Sweden routinely scores at the absolute top in rankings of quality of life such as, e.g., the OECD Better Life Index. (It is also relevant to note that Swedish of course remains the official language of the country, and that tenured professors will benefit from a working knowledge of Swedish in order to be able to fulfil certain administrative duties, but support in the form of language courses is provided to international faculty.)

Qualifications and Assessment Criteria

The successful candidate should have a PhD degree in a relevant area or have attained equivalent scientific competence.

Primarily, consideration should be given to those who have earned a doctoral degree or achieved equivalent competence within the five years preceding the application deadline. However, individuals who have obtained a doctoral degree or equivalent competence earlier may also be considered.

For appointment as assistant professor, the following shall constitute the basis for evaluating eligibility:

Proficiency in developing and carrying out high-quality research.
Pedagogical skills.

Other requirements are:

Excellent proficiency in English, both spoken and written.
Significant documented research experience (e.g., from postdoctoral or PhD projects) from another university/institute or relevant experience from industry/public sector.
Publications in internationally leading conferences in the field such as AAAI, CP, IJCAI, IJCAR, SAT, SODA, and similar, or in leading journals such as AIJ, JACM, JAIR, and SICOMP.
Collaborative skills, initiative, the ability to work independently, and demonstrated interest in leadership.

The following counts as additional merits:

Documented experience in applying for and obtaining research grants.
Documented experience in developing software tools for automated reasoning and/or combinatorial optimization.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate with society at large.

Consideration will also be given to how the applicant, through their experience and skills, will complement and strengthen ongoing research, undergraduate education, and innovation within the department, and how they can contribute to the future development of the department.

Application

The application deadline is January 26, 2024 at midnight local time.

Applications must be submitted via the Lund University recruitment system. Please see the official advertisement for more information including instructions for how to apply as well as a link to the application system.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Further Information and Contact Details

Inquiries about the position can be made to Professor Jakob Nordström (jakob.nordstrom@cs.lth.se).