KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm has grown to become one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation. We are Sweden’s largest technical research and learning institution and home to students, researchers and faculty from around the world. Our research and education covers a wide area including natural sciences and all branches of engineering, as well as architecture, industrial management, urban planning, history and philosophy.

Project description

Third-cycle subject: Computer Science 

Our research vision is to produce software platforms that have mathematically guaranteed security properties through the use of formal modelling and verification. The past decade has seen impressive progress in this area, where projects such as seL4, CertiKoS and Prosper have demonstrated that a combination of systems compartmentalisation techniques (virtualisation, partitining, containerisation) with modern verification techniques results in very considerable gains in trustworthiness. However, verification of these platforms is complex and expensive. In fact, implementing and verifying low level and optimized code is highly nontrivial. Moreover, the security of the system depends on many hardware details that are found only after many rounds of trial and error.

Our goal is to automate as much as possible the implementation and verification of various types of high performance real-time applications, kernel functionality, and device drivers, and to demonstrate the performance, reliability and security of the developed solutions. Our project aims to improve various aspects of the design and verification of low level platforms. For this reason, the student will be able to contribute to the project in one or more research tasks according to their research interests. These include design and implementation of a new kernel, design of new security techniques, development of new methods for software synthesis, formal modeling and verification.

Supervision: The doctoral student will be placed at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and supervised by Mads Dam.

What we offer

The possibility to study in a dynamic international research environment in close cooperation with industries and advanced universities the world over. A personal study plan to support your development within your areas of interest. A workplace with many employee benefits and monthly salary according to KTH’s Doctoral student salary agreement. A postgraduate education at an institution that is active and supportive in matters pertaining to working conditions, gender equality and diversity as well as study environment. Work and study in Stockholm, one of Europe’s fastest growing capitals, which is close to both nature and the sea. Help to relocate and be settled in Sweden and at KTH.

Eligibility

To be admitted to postgraduate education (Chapter 7, 39 § Swedish Higher Education Ordinance), the applicant must have basic eligibility in accordance with either of the following:

• passed a degree at advanced level,
• completed course requirements of at least 240 higher education credits, of which at least 60 higher education credits at advanced level, or
• in any other way acquired within or outside the country acquired essentially equivalent knowledge. Selection

In order to succeed as an doctoral student at KTH you need to be goal oriented and persevering in your work. In the selection of the applicants, the following will be assessed:

• ability to independently pursue his or hers work,
• ability to collaborate with others, have a professional approach and analyse and work with complex issues.

After the qualification requirements, great emphasis will be placed on personal qualities and personal suitability.

Target degree: Doctoral degree

Information regarding admission and employment

Only those who are or have been admitted to third-cycle studies may be employed as a doctoral student. The term of the initial contract may not exceed one year and may there after be extended. Doctoral students may engage in teaching, research, and administration corresponding to a maximum of 20 % of a full-time position.

Union representatives

You will find contact information for union representatives on KTH's website.

Doctoral section (Students’ union on KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

You will find contact information for doctoral section on the section's website.

Application

Apply for the position and admission through KTH's recruitment system. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application is complete in accordance with the instructions in the advertisement.

Applications must be received at the last closing date at midnight, CET/CEST (Central European Time/entral European Summer Time).

Applications must include the following elements:

• CV including your relevant professional experience and knowledge.
• Application letter with a brief description of why you want to pursue research studies, about what your academic interests are and how they relate to your previous studies and future goals. (Maximum 2 pages long)
• Copy of the degree certificate(s) and transcripts of records from your previously attended university-level institutions. Translations into English or Swedish if the original documents are not issued in one of these languages.
• Representative publications or technical reports. For longer documents, please provide a summary (abstract) and a web link to the full text.

Other information

Gender equality, diversity and zero tolerance against discrimination and harassment are important aspects of KTH's work with quality as well as core values in our organization.

For information about processing of personal data in the recruitment process please read here.

We firmly decline all contact with staffing and recruitment agencies and job ad salespersons.

Disclaimer: In case of discrepancy between the Swedish original and the English translation of the job announcement, the Swedish version takes precedence.