RESEARCH ASSOCIATE/RESEARCH ASSISTANT (THREE POSTS): Foundations of Distributed Computation

Computer Laboratory, University of Cambridge

Ref No: NR60
Grade: NRAS Salary: £20,044 - £30,002 pa. Grade: RAST Salary: £20,044 - £22,289 pa
Limit of tenure: Up to two years for two Research Associate positions; one year for one Research Assistant position.

Three Research Assistant/Research Associate positions are available in the foundations of distributed computation, funded by EPSRC grants EP/C510712 (Sewell, Gibbens, Norrish) and GR/T11715 (Sewell, Pitts).

The work spans several areas:

• Design, semantics and implementation of programming language constructs for distribution - covering type-safe communication, naming, version change, module systems, and dynamic linking.
• Formal specification, automated testing and proof about real-world network protocols.
• Tool support for mechanisation of large semantic definitions.
• Reasoning about executable distributed programs.

It builds on previous work on the experimental Acute programming language, on the NetSem semantics of real-world network protocols, and on the concerns of the POPLmark challenge problem in semantic mechanisation. Details of all these can be found at http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/pes20/index.html#PAPERS.

For the two-year positions you should have (or expect soon to obtain) a PhD in Computer Science, with a strong background in one or more of the following:

• Programming Language Semantics
• Programming Language Implementation (especially with respect to OCaml)
• Automated proof assistants (especially one or more of HOL, Isabelle, Coq, and Twelf).
• Network Protocols
• Distributed Systems

The one-year appointment may be either at the postdoctoral level (Research Associate) as above, or at a post-graduate level (Research Assistant). For the latter you should have a good first-class degree in Computer Science. For a suitably experienced candidate it may be possible to upgrade to a Senior Research Associate appointment.

Enquiries about the project should be addressed to Dr Peter Sewell, http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/pes20/.

To apply please send as soon as possible a letter of application including a brief statement of the particular contribution you would make to the project, a CV, a completed PD18 form (http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/offices/personnel/forms/pd18/) and the names and contact details (postal and email addresses) of 2 referees to