University of Stirling
School of Natural Sciences
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Computing Science & Maths
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Computing  Science and Mathematics
School of Natural Sciences
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Scotland, UK

Cottrell Building, Room: 4B104
T:
+44(0) 1786 46-7438
gabriela.ochoa[at]cs.stir.ac.uk

Fully-funded PhD Studentships available

DAASE (Dynamic Adaptive Software Engineering) is s a four site project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council involving University College London, Birmingham, Stirling and York and with a growing list of industrial partners, including: Berner and Mattner, BT Laboratories, Ericsson, GCHQ, Honda Research Institute Europe,IBM,Microsoft Research and Motorola UK.

The project seeks to use Search Based Software Engineering to develop optimised software development processes, combining aspects of software engineering activities into a single combined and optimising process. This new form of software engineering will be supported by the development and evaluation of theory, algorithms and methods for advanced exact, meta and hyper heuristic techniques. The goal is to produce software that is dynamically adaptive; not only able to respond to and fix problems that arise before deployment and during operation, but that continually optimises, re-configures and evolves to adapt to new operating conditions, platforms and environmental challenges (as most broadly construed).

DAASE will create an array of new processes, methods, techniques and tools for a new kind of software engineering, radically transforming the theory and practice of software engineering

The Posts

DAASE is a highly collaborative project. PhD students working on the project will have at least one other “buddy partner site” (one of the four academic partners specifically designated to collaborate) with which they will collaborate, supported by visits to the partner site (of one to four weeks duration), the full expenses of which will be met by the project. PhDs will also have opportunities to visit and collaborate with industrial and other partners and to be fully engaged with the international community through conferences, workshops and other networking activities. This will enhance training and development and open new opportunities for collaboration and intellectual development.

Ten studentships are available from October 2012 onwards.

Studentships will provide funding for tuition fees (home/EU rate), a stipend of £13,590 per annum plus Research Training Support Grant of £750 pa, for 4 years.

How to Apply

The requirements for completing an application are:
  1. Research topic title and proposal (about 2 pages description of the project)
  2. CV
  3. Copy of  degree certificate or academic transcript from previous study.
  4. 2 Reference letters
Formal applications should be made via the online PG application form at
http://www.stir.ac.uk/postgraduate/research-degrees/school-of-natural-sciences/
 
Click the “apply now” button at the top right of the page.
Select Research Degree in Computing Science and register as a new user on the system to proceed to the application form.

Research Topics

Please contact me (gabriela.ochoa[at]cs.stir.ac.uk) for further discussing and elaborating research topics. My research interests in this project lie in the categories  listed below, with applications to any aspect of the software engineering cycle: requirements/specifications, design tools/techniques, software/program verification, distribution/maintenance, management.
  1. Autonomous/Adaptive Operator Selection and Generation
  2. Fitness Landscape Analysis and Visualisation
  3. Autonomous Software Repair and Improvement
  4. Cooperative and Competitive Co-evolution

Readings

The following articles, will give potential students a more in depth idea of the topics in this project

Last updated by Gabriela Ochoa. 07 March 2013.