PhD Student in Software Engineering for Human-Centric Autonomous Systems

You will be a part of an exciting research environment, develop techniques that solve crucial research problems, and acquire expertise and skills to conduct independent research. You will contribute to a future in which we can rely on better human-on-the-loop autonomous systems that have the potential to improve healthcare, transportation, and other areas of our society.

Information about the division and the department
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is strongly international, with approximately 300 employees from over 30 countries. It is a shared department between Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg. The position is placed in the Division for Interaction Design and Software Engineering (IDSE). Chalmers University of Technology will be your employer.

The IDSE division is a vibrant and tightly knit group conducting research in many fields of interaction design and software engineering, including game design, intelligent user interfaces, software testing, requirements engineering, human aspects of software engineering, and empirical software engineering. You will be a part of a unit that focuses on software engineering. With approximately 20 faculty members, we are arguably one of the largest academic software engineering groups world-wide.

The division has hosted past international conferences such as EASE 2022, ICSE 2018, SPLC 2018, and ICSA 2017 and REFSQ 2016. For industrial research, the division hosts the Software Center, an associated institute in which research projects are conducted in collaboration with five universities and ten global companies. There are existing strong connections to software-intensive companies, such as Volvo Cars and Volvo AB, Ericsson, and SAAB Aeronautics. The department is connected to three science parks in Gothenburg for industrial collaborations in fields including intelligent vehicles and transport systems, mobile internet, energy, nanotechnology, and life sciences.

Project description
As part of one of the largest academic software engineering groups world-wide, you will work on a project that is connected to human-centric aspects of autonomous systems. An example of autonomous systems is a robot that collaborates with a human to solve a task. Human aspects are important when developing these autonomous systems, but also when humans interact with running systems. There are several qualities that need to be taken into account (e.g., regarding safety, cybersecurity, performance, availability, or cost). Humans need to express their quality preferences, be able to monitor systems with suitable techniques, and understand what decisions autonomous systems take.

The position will be partially funded by the Wallenberg AI, Autonomous Systems and Software Program (WASP). WASP is Sweden’s largest individual research program ever and focuses on the areas of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and software. The program supports research on artificial intelligence and autonomous systems acting in collaboration with humans, adapting to their environment through sensors, information and knowledge, and forming intelligent systems-of-systems. WASP offers a variety of PhD courses, international study visits, trips to Swedish companies and universities, and networking events.

Major responsibilities
The position comes with enrollment in the PhD program for Computer Science and Engineering, designed for 5 years. As a PhD student, you undertake the journey of becoming an expert in the field of software engineering. This includes devoting 80% of your working time to advancing research projects run in the group and under the supervision of more experienced researchers. Typically, this means carrying out high-quality research, writing academic articles, and taking courses to complement your background. The remaining 20% of your working time is devoted to teaching duties, such as helping as teaching assistant in courses offered by the University. The position requires sound verbal and written communication skills in English. The position also requires strong knowledge in software engineering, which can be shown, for example, by having taken software engineering classes. If Swedish is not your native language, and you wish to learn Swedish, Chalmers offers you Swedish courses.

Qualifications
To qualify for this position you must have a master’s-level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science or Software Engineering) at the time of start of the position. You also need to have sound verbal and written communication skills in English. We expect applicants to enjoy solving problems in an independent way and get inspired to cooperate in smaller teams.

It is a plus to have knowledge and expertise in one or more of these fields:
– requirements engineering
– empirical research methods
– software architecture and software design
– safety-, cybersecurity-, or privacy-related aspects of autonomous systems
– psychology

Contract terms
Full-time temporary employment. The position is limited to a maximum of five years.

We offer
Chalmers offers a cultivating and inspiring working environment in the coastal city of Gothenburg.
Read more about working at Chalmers and our benefits for employees.

Chalmers aims to actively improve our gender balance. We work broadly with equality projects, for example the GENIE Initiative on gender equality for excellence. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20230148 and written in English. The application should be sent electronically and be attached as PDF-files, as below. Maximum size for each file is 40 MB. Please note that the system does not support Zip files.

CV: (Please name the document: CV, Family name, Ref. number)
• CV
• Other, for example previous employments or leadership qualifications and positions of trust.
• Two references that we can contact.

Personal letter: (Please name the document as: Personal letter, Family name, Ref. number)
1-3 pages where you:
• Introduce yourself
• Describe your previous experience of relevance for the position (e.g. education, thesis work and, if applicable, any other research activities)
• Describe your future goals and future research focus

Other documents:
• Copies of bachelor and/or master’s thesis.
• Attested copies and transcripts of completed education, grades and other certificates (e.g., TOEFL test results).

Please use the button at the foot of the page to reach the application form.

Application deadline: April 14, 2023

For questions, please contact:
Asst. Prof. Rebekka Wohlrab
E-mail: wohlrab@chalmers.se

*** Chalmers declines to consider all offers of further announcement publishing or other types of support for the recruiting process in connection with this position. ***

Chalmers University of Technology conducts research and education in engineering sciences, architecture, technology-related mathematical sciences, natural and nautical sciences, working in close collaboration with industry and society. The strategy for scientific excellence focuses on our six Areas of Advance; Energy, Health Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Materials Science, Production and Transport. The aim is to make an active contribution to a sustainable future using the basic sciences as a foundation and innovation and entrepreneurship as the central driving forces. Chalmers has around 11,000 students and 3,000 employees. New knowledge and improved technology have characterised Chalmers since its foundation in 1829, completely in accordance with the will of William Chalmers and his motto: Avancez!