applications for a PhD position in theoretical computer science and/or
combinatorial optimization.
The PhD student will be working in the Mathematical Insights into
Algorithms for Optimization (MIAO) group headed by Jakob Nordstrom
(www.jakobnordstrom.se), which is active at both the University of
Copenhagen and Lund University on either side of the Oresund Bridge. We
are closely affiliated with the Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen
(BARC) centre, and are part of a world-leading environment in algorithms
and complexity theory encompassing also the IT University of Copenhagen
and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). We aim to attract top
talent from around the world to an ambitious, creative, collaborative,
and fun environment. Using the power of mathematics, we strive to create
fundamental breakthroughs in algorithms and complexity theory. While the
focus in on foundational research, we do have a track record of
surprising algorithmic discoveries leading to major industrial applications.
The MIAO research group has a unique profile in that we are doing
cutting-edge research both on the mathematical foundations of efficient
computation and on state-of-the-art practical algorithms for real-world
problems. This creates a very special environment, where we do not only
conduct in-depth research on 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 activities of
the group revolve around powerful algorithmic paradigms such as, e.g.,
Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving, Groebner basis computations,
integer linear programming, and constraint programming. This 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.
Our most recent new line of research is on how to verify the correctness
of state-of-the-art algorithms for combinatorial optimization. Such
algorithms are often highly complex, and even mature commercial solvers
are known to sometimes produce wrong results. Our work on designing a
new generation of certifying combinatorial solvers, which output not
only an answer but also a machine-verifiable mathematical proof that
this answer is correct, has already received several international
awards, but many more exciting problems are still waiting to be solved!
With this call, we are mainly looking for a mathematically gifted PhD
student with excellent programming skills to continue our
ground-breaking work on certifying algorithms. There is some flexibility
as to what kind of research PhD students in the group pursue, though,
and all candidates are welcome, both those who want to go deep into
either theory or practice and those who are inspired by the challenge of
bridging the gap between the two.
This is a four-year full-time employed position, but PhD positions
usually (though not necessarily) include 20% teaching, in which case
they are prolonged for one more year. The starting date is negotiable,
but should ideally be in August-September 2025 or earlier. All positions
in the research group are fully funded, employed positions (including
travel money) that come with an internationally competitive salary.
The application deadline is January 17, 2025. Please see
https://jakobnordstrom.se/openings/PhD-Lund-250117.html for more
information and instructions how to apply. Informal enquiries are
welcome and may be sent to jakob.nordstrom@cs.lth.se.
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