LEDIG STILLING VED SIMULA

PhD student for Data-Driven Testing of Autonomous Agents

Deadline: 08.01.2023

Simula Research Laboratory AS

Simula Research Laboratory AS is a publicly owned research laboratory located in Oslo, Norway. Simula has a multicultural organization, employing about 200 individuals from 35 countries. Simula’s mission is to solve important and fundamental problems of science and engineering, with the main goal of benefiting and advancing society. We focus on performing excellent research within five select research areas (scientific computing, software engineering, communication systems, machine learning and cybersecurity), developing and supporting our researchers, students and staff, and spinning out applicable results into profitable startups.

Call for PhD student for Data-Driven Testing of Autonomous Agents

Simula Research Laboratory is seeking one three-year full time paid PhD researcher position on data-driven testing of autonomous agents in the Department of Validation Intelligence for Autonomous Software Systems.

This PhD position is originally a three year’s research position. Simula will, for each PhD position, consider proposing 25% time (i.o.w. a fourth year) of compulsory work to the original three years of research. Whether this specific contract will be 3 or 4 years will be evaluated depending on the availability of appropriate work tasks and each candidate’s individual skill set and aspiration

The appointment starts after or in March 2023, with some flexibility. The review of candidates will be performed continuously until the position has been filled.

Project Description

This PhD project explores the combined, hybridized application of logic-based and data-driven methods for the validation of autonomous agents, such as collaborative or mobile robots, autonomous cars, or, more generally, adaptive software systems. These agents need to be reactive in a fail-safe and secure way to avoid harming humans or causing security issues. Expected reactions are encoded in the (high-level and abstract) security specification of the agent, either given by domain experts or learned during construction/training [1].

The project will develop methods to construct test scenarios from a specification. Diverse variations of these scenarios will validate the agent's resilience and functionality, including functional, i.e. the correct execution of given tasks, and non-functional requirements, such as security requirements or performance.

As the technological basis, we will combine and exploit techniques from 1) software testing, including metamorphic [2,3] and constraint-based testing, and 2) artificial intelligence, including logic-based constraint satisfaction, and data-driven machine learning, e.g. generative adversarial networks for input synthesis and reinforcement learning for scenario control. The exact applications and types of models to investigate will be discussed and decided based on the interests of the candidate. The expected outcome of the PhD project is a novel methodology for resilience testing of autonomous agents and the demonstration of its effectiveness.

[1] Spieker, H. (2021). Constraint-Guided Reinforcement Learning: Augmenting the Agent-Environment-Interaction. 2021 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN)

[2] Chen, T. Y., Kuo, F.-C., Liu, H., Poon, P.-L., Towey, D., Tse, T. H., & Zhou, Z. Q. (2018). Metamorphic Testing: A Review of Challenges and Opportunities. ACM Computing Surveys, 51(1).

[3] Spieker, H., & Gotlieb, A. (2020). Adaptive metamorphic testing with contextual bandits. Journal of Systems and Software, 165, 110574.

Candidate Profile

Applicants are expected to have a Master’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or machine learning.

The master’s degree must have been awarded, with good results, before their start in the PhD position – in particular, the candidate must satisfy the enrollment requirements for the PhD program at the University of Oslo.

These requirements include:

  • C or better average for Bachelor’s degree, B or better for Master's degree and Master's thesis (in the Norwegian grading system)
  • Proof of English language proficiency (requirements vary, see UiO regulations)

An additional feature of this call is the opportunity for the PhD fellow to conduct a portion of their doctoral research at one of our collaborative partners, such as Inria in France. As such, applicants should consider if they are eager to spend a portion of their fellowship (generally four to six months) as a visiting scholar at a partnering research organization.

Simula offers:

  • An excellent environment and outstanding opportunities for performing high quality research as part of a highly competent, motivated and enthusiastic team of researchers and engineers.
  • An informal and inclusive international working environment
  • Brand-new office facilities located in the heart of Oslo, with an extensive public transport network within a few minutes walk and a vibrant city life right outside the office door steps.
  • A competitive salary, with a starting range of NOK 501.200
  • Generous support for travel and opportunities to build international networks, through established collaborations with industry, exchange programs and research visits with other universities, and funding to attend conferences.
  • Numerous other benefits: access to company cabins, BabyBonus arrangements, sponsored social events, generous equipment budgets (e.g., computer, phone and subscription), subsidized canteen meals and comprehensive travel/health insurance policy, etc.
  • Relocation assistance: accommodation, visas, complimentary Norwegian language courses, etc.
  • Administrative research support: e.g., quality assurance process for grant proposals (including RCN and EU programs).
  • Wellness and work-life balance. Our employees’ health and well-being is a priority, and we encourage them to make use of Simula’s flexible work arrangements to help balance their work and home lives efficiently.

Application Requirements

Interested applicants are must submit the following:

  • A cover letter explaining the candidate’s background, qualifications, research interests and how/why the candidate is qualified for the position;
  • Curriculum vitae (summarizing education, positions and academic or industrial work, scientific publications, and software development experience);
  • Academic transcripts, including a copy of Master thesis.
  • Contact information of two references, including the Master supervisor(s).

Application deadline:

We are accepting applications until 8 January 2023.

Applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis, until the position has been filled.

Main supervisor and contact:

Simula Research Laboratory uses Semac´s background check in our recruitment process.

According to the Norwegian Freedom and 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.

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