PhD student position on Software Architecture and Technical Debt

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering is a joint department at Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg, with activities on two campuses in the city of Gothenburg. The department has around 210 employees from over 30 countries. Our research has a wide span, from theoretical foundations to applied systems development. We provide high quality education at Bachelor's, Master's and graduate levels, offering over 120 courses each year. We also have extensive national and international collaborations with academia, industry and society.


Information about the division
This position will be in the Software Engineering division - one of the leading software engineering research groups in Europe - in close collaboration with the companies connected to the Software Center (www.software-center.se). The Software Center is a collaboration between 8 companies and 5 universities in the Nordics with the purpose of increasing the software engineering capability of the Nordic software intensive systems industry with an order of magnitude over the coming decade.

Major responsibilities
Your major responsibilities as PhD student is to pursue your own doctoral studies. You are expected to develop your own scientific concepts and communicate the results of your research. The position generally also includes teaching on Chalmers' undergraduate level or performing other duties corresponding to 20 per cent of working hours.

The architecture of software intensive systems is critical for effective and efficient software development as well as for delivering the quality attributes of these systems. Over time, software architectures accumulate debt in terms of design elements that no longer are optimal for the current requirements on the system. The research is concerned with identifying, developing and validating effective mechanisms for managing architectural technical debt. The research is performed in close collaboration with the Software Center companies and, hence, will have a strong empirical foundation.

The research in the Software Center is performed in sprints of six months. The PhD student is expected to perform his or her research in this context. Also, the research will be performed in close collaboration with the Software Center companies so an affinity to work on real-world problems and deploying solutions in industrial contexts is required.

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

Qualifications
To qualify as a PhD student, you must have a master's level degree corresponding to at least 240 higher education credits in Computer Science, Software Engineering or any related field.

The successful applicant should also be able to communicate efficiently in written and spoken English. She/he shall have a general interest to learn new topics. The successful applicant should be highly motivated for research work, and able to work well both on her/his own and in groups of researchers. Previous research experience shall be well documented in a master's thesis project of high quality.

Chalmers continuously strives to be an attractive employer. Equality and diversity are substantial foundations in all activities at Chalmers.

Application procedure
The application should be marked with Ref 20150275 and written in English.

Application deadline: August 17, 2015

For questions, please contact:
Jan Bosch, Professor of Software Engineering, SE. 
jan.bosch@chalmers.se
+46 733 664705


*** 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 eight Areas of Advance; Built Environment, Energy, Information & Communication Technology, Life Science, Materials Science, Nanoscience & Nanotechnology, 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!