--------------------------------------------------------------------------- [[[ We apologize if you receive multiple copies of this message ]]] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------- PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO WHOEVER YOU MAY THINK INTERESTED. -------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: February 26, 2010 One Doctoral Student Position in Information and Communication Technologies on the research project "WORD-LEVEL FORMAL VERIFICATION VIA SMT SOLVING" is available at the International Doctorate School in Information and Communication Technologies (http://www.ict.unitn.it/) of the University of Trento, Italy, under the joint supervision of Dr. ALESSANDRO CIMATTI, Embedded Systems Research Unit, FBK-Irst, via Sommarive 18, I-38100 Povo, Trento, Italy http://sra.fbk.eu/people/cimatti/, cimatti[at]fbk[dot]eu Prof. ROBERTO SEBASTIANI Software Engineering & Formal Methods Research Program DISI, University of Trento, via Sommarive 14, I-38100 Povo, Trento, Italy http://disi.unitn.it/~rseba/. rseba[at]disi[dot]unitn[dot]it The research activity will be carried out jointly within the Embedded Systems (ES) Research Unit of the Center for Scientific and Technological Research of the Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Trento, and the Software Engineering & Formal Methods (SE&FM) Research Program, at Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science (DISI) of University of Trento. The research activity will aim at investigating and developing novel techniques, methodologies and support tools for Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) for the verification of WORD-level circuit designs. This work will be part of the "Word-Level Formal Verification via SMT Solving" (WOLFLING) project, a three-year custom research project supported by SRC/GRC (http://grc.src.org/fr/S200802_Call.asp), in strict collaboration with the Formal Verification Group at Intel, Haifa, Israel. SMT tools will be developed on top of the MathSAT SMT platform (http://mathsat4.disi.unitn.it), and Formal Verification tools will be developed on top of the NuSMV Model Checking platform (http://nusmv.fbk.eu). Both platforms are jointly developed and maintained by ES and SE&FM. The selected candidate will be initially enrolled in a stage and, if he/she passes the selection of the Ph.D. school, he/she will be enrolled as Ph.D. students. Ph.D. courses will start in Autumn 2010, and the thesis must be completed in three or four years. People enrolled in a stage and subsequent Ph.D. courses are expected to move to Trento, and will receive monetary support during both phases of their activity. Candidate Profile ================= The ideal candidate should have an MS or equivalent degree in computer science, mathematics or electronic engineering, and combine solid theoretical background and excellent software development skills. The candidate should be able to work in a collaborative environment, with a strong commitment to reaching research excellence and achieving assigned objectives. Background knowledge and/or previous experience in the following areas (in order of preference), though not strictly mandatory, will be considered very favorably: - Satisfiability Modulo Theory (SMT) - Propositional Satisfiability (SAT) - Embedded Systems Design Languages (e.g. Verilog, VHDL) - Symbolic Model Checking - Automated Reasoning - Constraint Solving and Optimization Applications and Inquiries ========================== Interested candidates should inquire for further information and/or apply by sending email to Prof. Sebastiani (rseba[at]disi[dot]unitn[dot]it) with Dr. Cimatti (cimatti[at]fbk[dot]eu) in CC. Applications should contain a statement of interest, with a Curriculum Vitae, and three reference persons. PDF format is strongly encouraged. Emails will be automatically processed and should have 'PHD ON WOLFLING PROJECT' as subject. Contact Person ============== Prof. ROBERTO SEBASTIANI Software Engineering & Formal Methods Research Program DISI, University of Trento, via Sommarive 14, I-38100 Povo, Trento, Italy http://disi.unitn.it/~rseba/. mailto: rseba[at]disi[dot]unitn[dot]it The Embedded Systems Research Unit at FBK ========================================= The Embedded Systems Unit consists of about 15 persons, including researchers, post-Doc, Ph.D. students, and programmers. The Unit carries out research, tool development and technology transfer in the fields of design and verification of embedded systems. Current research directions include: * Satisfiability Modulo Theory, and its application to the verification of hardware, embedded critical software, and hybrid systems (Verilog, SystemC, C/C++, StateFlow/Simulink). * Formal Requirements Analysis based on techniques for temporal logics (consistency checking, vacuity detection, input determinism, cause-effect analysis, realizability and synthesis). * Formal Safety Analysis, based on the integration of traditional techniques (e.g. Fault-tree analysis, FMEA) with symbolic verification techniques. The Embedded Systems Unit is part of Fondazione Bruno Kessler, formerly Istituto Trentino di Cultura, a public research institute of the Autonomous Province of Trento (Italy), founded in 1976. The institute, through its center for the scientific and technological research, is active in the areas of Information Technology, Microsystems, and Physical Chemistry of Surfaces and Interfaces. Today, FBK is an internationally recognized research institute, collaborating with industries, universities, and public and private laboratories in Italy and abroad. The institute's applied and basic research activities aim at resolving real-world problems, driven by the need for technological innovation in society and industry. The SW Engineering & Formal Methods Research Program at DISI ============================================================ The SW Engineering & Formal Methods R. P. at DISI currently consists on 5 faculties, 4 post-docs and 19 PhD students. The Unit carries out research, tool development and technology transfer in the fields of Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering, Agent-oriented SW engineering, Security, and Formal Methods. Referring to formal methods, current research directions include: * Satisfiability Modulo Theory, and its application to the verification of hardware, embedded critical software, and hybrid systems. * Advanced Model Checking Techniques for Formal Verification of hardware, embedded critical software, and hybrid systems. * Applications of Propositional Satisfiability (SAT) to various domains. The R.P. is part of the Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, DISI (http://disi.unitn.it/) of University of Trento. University of Trento in the latest years has always been rated among the top-three small&medium-size universities in Italy. DISI currently consists of 50 faculties, 68 research staff and support people, 21 postdocs and 146 Doctoral students, plus administrative and technical staff. DISI covers all the different areas of information technology (computer science, telecommunications, and electronics) and their applications. These disciplines above are studied individually but also with a strong focus on their integration, Location ======== Trento is a lively town of about 100.000 inhabitants, located 130 km south of the border between Italy and Austria. It is well known for the beauty of its mountains and lakes, and it offers the possibility to practice a wide range of sports. Trento enjoys a rich cultural and historical heritage, and it is the ideal starting point for day trips to famous towns such as Venice or Verona, as well as to enjoy great naturalistic journeys. Detailed information about Trento and its region can be found at http://www.trentino.to/home/index.html?_lang=en. [For admin and other information see: http://www.mta.ca/~cat-dist/ ]