The CS department at Lund University invites applications for PhD positions in theoretical computer science and/or combinatorial optimization.

The PhD students will be working in the Mathematical Insights into Algorithms for Optimization (MIAO) group headed by Jakob Nordstrom, which is active at both Lund University and the University of Copenhagen on either side of the Oresund Bridge.

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, Gröbner 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.

We currently have one opening for a theoretically oriented PhD student, funded by a Consolidator Grant from the Swedish Research Council, and one more applied opening financed by the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). There is a lot of flexibility as to what kind of research the PhD students will 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.

These are four-year full-time employed positions, 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 as early as possible during the autumn of 2021. 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 September 13, 2021. See the full announcement with more information and instructions for how to apply. Informal enquiries are welcome and may be sent to jakob.nordstrom@cs.lth.se.

Jakob Nordström, Professor
University of Copenhagen and Lund University
Phone: +46 70 742 21 98
http://www.jakobnordstrom.se