PhD scholarship in Rigorous Design of Time-predictable Embedded Computer Systems

A substantial and growing number of safety-critical functions in society is relying on increasingly complex embedded real-time systems. A deadline miss in systems like autonomous cars can cause disastrous consequences. Current industrial design flows require large safety margins and huge verification effort to ensure timely correctness, since they lack a systematic and rigorous foundation in form of a sound system modelling paradigm and time-predictable platforms. This project takes a radical shift from current industrial design practice by combining ForSyDe (developed at KTH), a formal system design framework based on the theory of models of computation, and T-CREST (developed at DTU), a collection of time-predictable multicore platform components. The project results will be integrated into existing software libraries and tools of ForSyDe and T-CREST, available as open source artefacts on GitHub.

The project will be conducted as joint KTH-DTU project, where each partner employs one PhD student. The KTH-student will extend the ForSyDe modelling framework, work on the identification of design patterns, and develop methods and tools for design space and platform exploration. The DTU-student will explore hardware and software support within T-CREST for models of computation and communication, so that timely correctness can be guaranteed for an implementation of the initial ForSyDe model.

Responsibilities and qualifications
Your overall focus will be to strengthen the department’s competences within designing time-predictable multicore systems for real-time systems. You will work with nearby colleagues, and with both academic and industrial partners in Denmark as well as abroad. Your three years PhD project will include a one year stay at our partner university KTH in Stockholm. Your primary tasks will be to:

• Research on support for time-predictable communication in a multicore processor
• Building hardware for core-to-core communication
• Researching models of computation on top of this hardware
• Teach and co-supervise BSc and MSc student projects

Your qualifications may include:

• Hardware design in a hardware description language such as Chisel, VDHL, or Verilog
• Knowledge of real-time systems
• System programming in C

You must have a two-year master’s degree (120 ECTS points) or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to a two-year master’s degree.

Approval and Enrolment
The scholarship for the PhD degree is subject to academic approval, and the candidate will be enrolled in one of the general degree programmes at DTU. For information about our enrolment requirements and the general planning of the PhD study programme, please see DTU’s rules for the PhD education . 

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation, and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and appointment terms
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. The period of employment is 3 years.The starting date is planned 1 January 2023.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Martin Schoeberl at masca@dtu.dk .

You can read more about DTU Compute at www.compute.dtu.dk/english .

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark . Furthermore, you have the option of joining our monthly free seminar “PhD relocation to Denmark and startup “Zoom” seminar ” for all questions regarding the practical matters of moving to Denmark and working as a PhD at DTU.

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than15 November 2022 (Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link “Apply online”, fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• A letter motivating the application (cover letter)
• Curriculum vitae
• Grade transcripts and BSc/MSc diploma (in English) including official description of grading scale
• If available, include a link to an open-source project you contributed to into your CV

You may apply prior to ob­tai­ning your master’s degree but cannot begin before having received it.

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, disability, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

IT and mathematics are the most important technologies in the society of the future.

DTU Compute is a unique and internationally recognized academic department with 385 employees and 11 research sections spanning the science disciplines mathematics, statistics, computer science, and engineering. We conduct research, teaching and innovation of high international standard – producing new knowledge and technology-based solutions to societal challenges. We have a long-term involvement in applied and interdisciplinary research, big data and data science, artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), smart and secure societies, smart manufacturing, and life science. At DTU Compute we believe in a diverse workplace with a flexible work-life balance.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear mission to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That mission lives on today. DTU has 13,400 students and 5,800 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.