Sandra Kiefer
Professor Sandra Kiefer
Wolfson Building, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QD
Interests
My core research is in graph theory, descriptive complexity theory, graph machine learning, and in verification. I have further publications and current projects in automata theory and at the intersection of machine learning and biomedicine.
With a background in mathematics, computer science, and bioinformatics, I am particularly interested in finding applications of mathematical concepts in fields like artificial intelligence, biochemical engineering, and software verification.
~ Please get in touch with me if you are interested in a thesis or Dphil position with me and your research interests align with (some of) mine! ~
Dphil/PhD student position available! Please see below, and note the application deadline on the 2nd of December, 2025.
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Fully Funded Doctoral Studentship in Theoretical Computer Science
Student fee status: Home
Supervisor: Sandra Kiefer
Start Date: October 2026
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford is offering one fully funded DPhil studentship at home-fee level in the Algorithms & Complexity Theory theme under the supervision of Sandra Kiefer, to commence next academic year (October 2026).
The successful applicant will join the Algorithms & Complexity Theory team. This internationally-leading research group studies the difficulty of computational problems. Methods involve classifying problems and objects according to their inherent complexity, as well as designing and analysing algorithms with respect to their efficiency and computational limits. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with other members of the team and of the department.
Sandra Kiefer’s interests are in graph theory, logic, and descriptive complexity theory, with applications in algorithms, graph machine learning, and verification. She has further projects in automata theory and at the intersection of machine learning and biomedicine.
The studentship will provide an annual stipend (at the UKRI rate) of at least £20,780 per annum for 3.5 years (42 months). The studentship will also cover the costs of course tuition fees at home level. Research students in the Department of Computer Science are also provided with a fund for travel to conferences and workshops (subject to approval).
Applicants must satisfy the usual requirements for studying for a doctorate at Oxford, and apply online by Tuesday 2 December 2025 via the DPhil in Computer Science, quoting studentship reference 25-CS-SK. Candidates are expected to have a strong computational and/or mathematical background, with undergraduate studies in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or related disciplines. Candidates must also have good writing, communication and presentation skills (see the University's web pages on the DPhil in Computer Science for details).
For further information or for informal discussions about suitability, please contact Sandra Kiefer (sandra.kiefer@cs.ox.ac.uk). For further information about the studentship or the application process, please e-mail Computer Science Graduate Admissions.
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Biography
I obtained my PhD from RWTH Aachen University. For my work on combinatorial and logical approaches to graph comparison, I received the Ackermann Award 2021, the EACSL Outstanding Dissertation Award for Logic in Computer Science. After my PhD studies, I was a postdoctoral researcher at RWTH Aachen University and at the University of Warsaw, as well as a Research Group Leader at Max Planck Institute for Software Systems. I hold Bachelor's degrees in Bioinformatics and Mathematics and a Master's degree in Mathematics from Goethe University Frankfurt. I have also completed a BSc and an MEd degree in Mathematics and Spanish.
In November 2022, I joined the University of Oxford as the recipient of a Glasstone Fellowship in Computer Science and as a Junior Research Fellow in Computer Science with Jesus College. Since September 2024, I am an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science in Oxford and the first David M Webb Fellow in Computer Science at Exeter College. My college fellowship is the first tutorial fellowship in Computer Science at Exeter College.