PhD Candidate in Computer Science FNR-funded Doctoral Training Unit on Network Science and High-Performance Computing (HPC) for Digital History (D4H)

The University of Luxembourg is an international research university with a distinctly multilingual and interdisciplinary character. The University was founded in 2003 and counts more than 6,700 students and more than 2,000 employees from around the world. The University’s faculties and interdisciplinary centres focus on research in the areas of Computer Science and ICT Security, Materials Science, European and International Law, Finance and Financial Innovation, Education, Contemporary and Digital History. In addition, the University focuses on cross-disciplinary research in the areas of Data Modelling and Simulation as well as Health and System Biomedicine. Times Higher Education ranks the University of Luxembourg #3 worldwide for its “international outlook,” #20 in the Young University Ranking 2021 and among the top 250 universities worldwide.

The Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) contributes multidisciplinary expertise in the fields of Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science, Life Sciences and Medicine. Through its dual mission of teaching and research, the FSTM seeks to generate and disseminate knowledge and train new generations of responsible citizens, in order to better understand, explain and advance society and environment we live in.

Your Role...

The successful candidate will join the Parallel computing and Optimisation Group (PCOG), led by Prof. Pascal Bouvry. PCOG conducts research on parallel computing and optimization techniques, in particular how different species may co-evolve taking local decisions while ensuring global objectives, to tackle large and difficult problems. The main application domains are security, trust and reliability; reliable scheduling and routing on new generations of networks; sustainable development and systems biomedicine; Unmanned autonomous vehicles (UAV), Smart Cities. Detailed information about the group is available at http://pcog.uni.lu/

The applicant will be a member of the Doctoral School in Science and Engineering (DSSE), which offers a doctoral programme in computer science that aims to provide interdisciplinary and internationally competitive research training.

The candidate is one of 18 PhD students within D4H and will work within the FNR-funded research training group "Deep Data Science of Digital History". This interdisciplinary DTU focuses on various challenges at the interface between the disciplines of history, AI, data science and human-computer interaction. D4H involves the Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C²DH) of the University of Luxembourg, the Department of Computer Science of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM), the Institute of History (IHIST) of the Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences (FHSE), the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST) and the Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).

In this frame, the PhD thesis will tackle interdisciplinary challenges in the fields of network science, optimisation/machine learning, high-performance computing, to name a few.

The successful candidate will work under the academic supervision of Prof. Pascal Bouvry (University of Luxembourg).

The position holder will be required to perform the following tasks/will do research on the following topics:

• Contribute to the D4H project
• Carry out research in the predefined areas
• Participate at D4H training activities and research workshops
• Disseminate results in top scientific venues
• Present results in well-known international conferences and workshops
• Participate in public history and outreach activities

What we expect from you…

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or an equivalent discipline
• Good communication skills, commitment, team working, and a critical mind
• Experience in Optimisation and/or Machine Learning algorithms
• Knowledge of Parallel/High-Performance Computing
• Programming skills in Python and/or C/C++

Fluent written and verbal communication skills in English are mandatory. The communication in the research groups is in English, while teaching is conducted in English, French and German. You will work in an exciting international environment and will have the opportunity to participate in a state-of-the-art research topic at the intersection of Mathematical Programming, Machine Learning and High-Performance Computing. You will also have the chance to collaborate with other motivated members of the team on exciting problematics.

In Short...

• Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract 36 Month (extendable up to 48 months if required)
• Work Hours: Full Time 40.0 Hours per Week
• Location: Belval
• Employee and student status
• Job Reference: UOL05475

The yearly gross salary for every PhD at the UL is EUR 38028 (full time)

How to apply...

Applications should be submitted online and include:

• Curriculum vitae, including your current contact address, transcript of certificates and grades (with a detailed list of university courses taken) and your previous publications (if any)
• Research proposal (max. 2 pages, including references) of a multi-disciplinary research topic that fits into one of the three thematic research pillars of D4H; see https://dhh.uni.lu/d4h
• Motivation letter (max. 1 page)
• Contact information for 3 referees at your current and/or previous affiliations

Early application is highly encouraged, as the applications will be processed upon reception. Please apply formally through the HR system. Applications by email will not be considered.

The University of Luxembourg embraces inclusion and diversity as key values. We are fully committed to removing any discriminatory barrier related to gender, and not only, in recruitment and career progression of our staff.

In return you will get…

• Multilingual and international character. Modern institution with a personal atmosphere. Staff coming from 90 countries. Member of the “University of the Greater Region” (UniGR). 
• A modern and dynamic university. High-quality equipment. Close ties to the business world and to the Luxembourg labour market. A unique urban site with excellent infrastructure.
• A partner for society and industry. Cooperation with European institutions, innovative companies, the Financial Centre and with numerous non-academic partners such as ministries, local governments, associations, NGOs …
• Find out more about the University
• Addresses, maps & routes to the various sites of the University

Further information...

For further information, please feel to directly contact Prof. Pascal Bouvry: pascal.bouvry@uni.lu