Fully Funded Doctoral EPSRC CASE Scholarship

Department of Computer Science, Oxford University

Supervisor: Professor Alessandro Abate

Start Date: October 2021

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford is currently looking for an outstanding candidate to fill one doctoral studentship position available from October 2021 on a 3.5-year, fully-funded EPSRC Doctoral Training Partnership CASE Scholarship, led by Professor Alessandro Abate.

The scientific underpinnings of the project lie in the areas of Formal Verification and Control Theory, with additional core components from the area of Machine Learning (in particular, Reinforcement Learning). The overall goal is to contribute to the development of general approaches to integrate learning components within architectures for the formal verification and control of complex engineering systems: we aim on the one hand to certify the correct behaviour of safety-critical components and systems adaptively to collected data, and on the other to provide formal guarantees (from verification and control theory) to learning components that are embedded in safety-critical systems. The project will have an additional emphasis on applications in the domain of Smart Energy, through an established collaboration with an industrial partner.

The successful candidate will be a Computer Science DPhil student in the research group of Professor Abate:

http://www.oxcav.org

The OXCAV research group investigates the areas of Formal Verification and Control Theory, and has a keen interest on integrating techniques and tools from Machine Learning (for instance, Reinforcement Learning). OXCAV investigates applications in Safety-Critical Systems, such as the energy infrastructure, automotive, space, and beyond. The group is focussed both on theoretical developments, and on generation of usable software, towards technology transfer pursued alongside key industrial partners. Further information about Professor Abate’s research profile can be found here:

http://www.cs.ox.ac.uk/people/alessandro.abate

The project will provide an annual stipend to the student of at least £15,285 per annum for 3.5 years. The project will also cover the cost of course fees at the home level, travel to conferences and workshops, and provision for a laptop computer.

We welcome applications from students with a MSc-level degree (first class/distinction) in Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical degrees. Strong maths foundations are required, plus willingness to develop code and to engage in collaborative projects. Applicants must satisfy the usual requirements for studying for a doctorate at Oxford. Candidates must also have good writing, communication and presentation skills (see the University's web pages on the DPhil in Computer Science for details).

You should apply online by 12 noon (UK time) on Friday 12 February 2021, quoting studentship reference CS-AA-2021.

We expect to invite shortlisted applicants to interview in the early months of 2021.

For further information about the project or for informal discussions about suitability, please contact Professor Abate (Alessandro.Abate@cs.ox.ac.uk).  For further information about the studentship or the application process please e-mail Computer Science Graduate Admissions.