Job description

PhD Research Fellowship in Fog Computing is available at Department of Informatics, University of Oslo.

The fellowship period is for 3 years and is devoted to research education. Candidates may be offered one additional year by the Department of Informatics; the 4 years position then entails a compulsory work load of 25% that consists of teaching and supervision duties.

Starting date no later than 01.10.2021.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

Job description

The Fog Computing paradigm makes it possible to have software running in a spectrum of machines, ranging from a server in the cloud data-center to some device on the edge, including any number of P2P networks in between. However, developing and testing applications running on such an environment is a very difficult task. Security aspects need to be addressed and performance and scalability are difficult to evaluate. For example, just imagine the effort needed to develop, test and evaluate an application to executing on several dozens of Android smartphones all moving at the same time.

On one hand, network simulators available today offer no support to the necessary development and testing of such applications. In fact, they are mostly focused on the underlying communication protocols and fail in providing support for application development and testing on top of a simulated fog computing network. On the other hand, network emulators specially designed for developing and testing such applications lack the necessary IDE layer where application development and tests must be performed. Finally, both network simulator and emulators lack a GUI interface through which a user can define a set of possibly moving machines.

The scientific purpose of this PhD project is to investigate the value of Fog Computing experimentally. The values that will be investigated include performance, security, and scalability. The security aspects will be analyzed and possible attack vectors specific for fog computing will be identified. The performance and scalability aspects will be investigated by designing, developing, and evaluating a simulator that will allow the development and testing of applications running in a Fog Computing environment.The simulator must provide:i) usability – a GUI interface should be provided to a user allowing her/him to create any number of devices (from a stationary server in some cloud data-center to a possibly moving device in the edge including any number of P2P networks) long with the corresponding IDE and emulator;ii) scalability – the possibility of running the IDEs and the emulator for the each one of the several devices mentioned above in several computers so that the scalability of the simulator can be ensured.

Supervision

The candidate will be supervised by a group of supervisors in the Programming Technology Group who have broad competence in informatics:

• Eric Jul, Professor, Department of Informatics, UiO
• Paulo Ferreira, Professor, Department of Informatics, UiO

Qualification requirements

The Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences has a strategic ambition to be among Europe’s leading communities for research, education and innovation. Candidates for these fellowships will be selected in accordance with this, and expected to be in the upper segment of their class with respect to academic credentials.

Required qualifications

• Applicants must hold a Master’s degree or equivalent ininformatics or a related field.
• Foreign completed degree (M.Sc.-level) corresponding to a minimum of four years in the Norwegian educational system.
• A solid background in theoretical computer science is an advantage.
• Documented strong programming skills.

Candidates without a Master’s degree have until 30 June, 2021 to complete the final exam.

Personal skills:

• Well-motivated

Grade requirements:

The norm is as follows:

• the average grade point for courses included in the Bachelor’s degree must be C or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the average grade point for courses included in the Master’s degree must be B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• the Master’s thesis must have the grade B or better in the Norwegian educational system
• Fluent oral and written communication skills in English.
• English requirements for applicants from outside of EU/ EEA countries

The purpose of the fellowship is research training leading to the successful completion of a PhD degree.

The fellowship requires admission to the PhD programme at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The application to the PhD programme must be submitted to the department no later than two months after taking up the position. For more information see:

http://www.uio.no/english/research/phd/

http://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/

We offer

• Salary NOK 482 200 – 526 000 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority as PhD Research Fellow (position code 1017)
• Attractive welfare benefits and a generous pension agreement
• Vibrant international academic environment
• A stimulating, flexible, and creative work environment in a research group with strong links both within academia and to industry
• Career development programmes
• Oslo’s family-friendly surroundings with their rich opportunities for culture and outdoor activities

How to apply

The application must include:

• Cover letter - statement of motivation and research interests
• CV (summarizing education, positions and academic work - scientific publications)
• Copies of the original Bachelor and Master’s degree diploma and transcripts of records
• Documentation of English proficiency
• Letters of recommendation
• List of publications and academic work that the applicant wishes to be considered by the evaluation committee
• List of reference persons: 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and phone number)

The application with attachments must be delivered in our electronic recruiting system, please follow the link “Apply for this job”. Foreign applicants are advised to attach an explanation of their University's grading system. Please note that all documents should be in English (or a Scandinavian language).

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Formal regulations

Please see the guidelines and regulations for appointments to Research Fellowships at the University of Oslo.

No one can be appointed for more than one PhD Research Fellowship period at the University of Oslo.

According to the Norwegian Freedom of Information Act (Offentleglova) information about the applicant may be included in the public applicant list, also in cases where the applicant has requested non-disclosure.

The University of Oslo has an agreement for all employees, aiming to secure rights to research results etc.

The University of Oslo aims to achieve a balanced gender composition in the workforce and to recruit people with ethnic minority backgrounds.

Contact information

For further information please contact:

• Professor Eric Jul, e-mail: ericbj@ifi.uio.no
• Professor Paulo Ferreira, e-mail: paulofe@ifi.uio.no.

For questions regarding the recruitment system, please contact HR Adviser Torunn Standal Guttormsen, phone:+47 22854272,e-mail:t.s.guttormsen@mn.uio.no.

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