One available PhD position with the group of Networks and Distributed systems at UiO

The group of Networks and Distributed systems at the Informatics Department, University of Oslo has one PhD position available in the framework of the Tidal News project.

The deadline for applications is 18 September, 2010.

The research will be carried out in collaboration with the Computer Systems group of VU University Amsterdam, in particular with the group headed by Maarten van Steen.

PhD Project

The position is in the framework of the Tidal News project: a middleware platform for adaptive and dependable data dissemination in the Internet of Systems.

Inter-system communication plays a central role in the vision of Future Internet. It is particularly relevant to Internet of Things that is characterized by enormous scale, heterogeneity of participating communication entities, dynamic changes in the amount of available resources, and inherent lack of guaranteed reliability. Even today, system interconnection in the world of business-to-business and business-to-customer communication is becoming increasingly complex, extensive, and heterogeneous. This results in building larger and larger integrated systems using a composition of interconnected distributed components, sub-systems, and services. We strongly believe that the Internet of Systems that focuses on inter-connection architectures and technology will become an integral part of Internet of Things. As the limitations of the traditional approach that relies on tightly-coupled communication between the components are getting widely recognized, distributed event-based architectures are becoming the prevailing paradigm for inter-system communication due to enhanced decoupling and reduced dependencies between the components. In particular, such architectures allow improved scalability and manageability as well as fine-grained configuration and adaptation of individual components.

These architectures pose a significant potential for inter-connecting objects in a wide spectrum of communication environments in a society, such as digital homes, offices, hospitals, and factories. Examples of systems with a positive impact on society that can be built using event-based data-dissemination schemes are manifold. They range from telemedicine and health-care services for elderly people and persons with special needs to environment monitoring, business asset management, large-scale power management, and integrated services in telecommunication systems.

At this time, however, both commercial middleware software and even state-of-the-art research middleware for data dissemination lack the technological foundations to cope with the enormous volume of data, constantly changing underlying network connectivity, and dynamic system organization that are inherent to modern inter-system communication. Typically, numerous information transmitters produce intense continuous data flows as well as massive unpredictable bursts of data of varying criticality at geographically dispersed locations. This data needs to be rapidly and reliably disseminated to a large number of potentially mobile and heterogeneous clients, in a way that intelligently adapts to both the underlying contextual conditions and user-specified requirements. In order to build a system that is capable of handling such a demanding situation, there is a clear need to develop fundamentally new middleware technologies for adaptive, scalable, and dependable handling of intense dynamic information flows.

We are seeking students who are interested in designing, developing, and evaluating techniques that address these issues.

Suitable Background and Requirements

Applicants must have a degree in Computer Science, or in a related study, with excellent results. They must also be able to demonstrate interest in scientific research. The ideal candidate for the position will have strong background in distributed computing.

You may apply if you have not yet completed your degree, but expect to do so before the position starts.

University of Oslo is an equal opportunity employer.

Knowledge of Norwegian is not a prerequisite for application. English is our working language for research. The current PhD students and postdocs in our group are coming from more than 5 different countries.

We expect the candidate to be internationally oriented and willing to do, for example, Summer internships abroad.

Details about Employment

A PhD position is a regular job with social benefits and with salary starting from 383.700 NOK per year.

The position is for the period of three years.

Host Institution and Environment

The University of Oslo is Norway's largest and oldest institution of higher education. Founded in 1811, today the University of Oslo has approx. 30,000 students and 4,600 employees. Four Nobel Prize winners indicate the quality of the research at the University. The Department of Informatics has been a home to a number of world-renown scientists, such as Turing Award recipients Prof. Dahl and Prof. Nygaard.

The group of Networks and Distributed Systems offers a work environment that is well equipped with the newest hard- and software technology. The research group has tight bonds with Simula Research Laboratory. Furthermore, we have well established links to national and international research institutions. We conduct collaborative research projects that are funded by Norwegian research funds, and the European Community.

The country, also known for its unique scenic beauty, has been ranked by the UN as having the highest standard of living in the world. Oslo is considered one of the sunniest places in Northern Europe, with summer temperatures averaging 21 degrees Celsius.

Futher information can be found on this page .

How to Apply

See the frontal for submitting applications. The announcement on the University web page may include additional details.

Full application should include

  1. Your cover letter listing
    • specific research interests
    • the position that you are interested in
    • the following reference number: 2010/9729
  2. Certificates for all University-level degrees.
  3. A curriculum vitae including
    • Your name (given, family), data of birth, nationality, current address, phone number, and email address.
    • Your highest degree's name, educational institution, department, and the year of completion.
    • List of your higher education including the type of education, place, duration, and degree if applicable.
    • List of your employments including company/institution name and duration of the employment.
    • Your publication list.
  4. Official grade sheets for all the courses taken at the University level. For applicants with any University-level education outside Norway: official description of the grading system.
  5. Names and contact details of your references. To speed up processing, applicants themselves may ask their references to mail recommendation letters to the same address.
  6. Copies of relevant work, e.g., dissertations, theses, or articles that you have authored or co-authored.

Contact

Inquiries for additional information should be sent to Associate Professor Roman Vitenberg, romanviSPAMFILTER@ifi.uio.no.