Umeå University, Department of Computing science

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

Are you interested in learning more? Read about Umeå university as a workplace

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is seeking a candidate for a fully funded position as Ph.D. student to work on the development of a high-performance compiler for linear algebra computations. The application deadline is July 7, 2020.

As we strive for a more balanced gender distribution within the department, we specifically encourage female candidates to apply for the position.

Project description

Linear algebra computations are the core of countless applications in science and engineering. Typically, the level of abstraction used to describe such computations is captured by high-level languages such as Matlab, Julia, R, and by C++ libraries such as Eigen and Armadillo. On the contrary, linear algebra libraries are developed in low-level languages such as Fortran and C, and offer relatively simple kernels such as those included in the BLAS and LAPACK libraries. The translation from a high-level computation to an efficient sequence of kernels is a challenging task that requires extensive knowledge of both linear algebra and high-performance computing. This project aims to extend and improve Linnea, a prototype compiler for matrix expressions.

The successful candidate will contribute to some of the following topics: Parallel generation, generation of parallel algorithms, symbolic operands sizes, support for partitioned/blocked operands, support for matrix functions, extension to loops & indexed expressions, memory-constrained algorithm generation, sparse computations.

Duties

The doctoral student’s main task is to devote herself/himself to her/his postgraduate education, which includes participation in research projects and postgraduate courses for a total study time of 48 months. In addition, teaching and other work at the department (up to a maximum of 20% of full time) can be included in the duties; if so, the employment as a PhD student will be prolonged accordingly. 

Requirements and qualifications

To be admitted for studies at the third-cycle level, the applicant is required to have completed a second-cycle level degree, or completed course requirements of at least 240 ECTS credits, of which at least 60 ECTS credits are at second-cycle level, or have an equivalent education acquired in another system or equivalent qualifications. To fulfil the specific entry requirements for doctoral studies in computing science, the applicant is required to have completed courses equivalent to 90 ECTS credits in computing science, or in a subject considered to be directly relevant for the specialisation in question. Applicants who otherwise have acquired skills that are deemed equivalent to these are also eligible.

The nature of this project is highly interdisciplinary, connecting programming languages with the domains of numerical linear algebra and high-performance computing. The applicant needs to be proactive and independent in the identification of topics relevant to their research, and in the acquisition of new knowledge.

The applicant is a skilled programmer, familiar with concepts of high-performance computing such as locality, intensity, efficiency, and scalability; similarly, they have knowledge of techniques for compiler construction, and have experience with all the different forms of parallel computing (shared memory, accelerators, distributed), as well as the relative libraries (pthreads, OpenMP, CUDA, MPI). Advanced knowledge of C, Matlab, and Python is required; knowledge of Julia, R, and C++ is welcome. The candidate is expected to be familiar with the field numerical linear algebra, and with the functionality of BLAS and LAPACK. The research will be carried out in collaboration with international researchers from different disciplines, so good collaborative skills are required, and the applicant must be able to speak and write in English fluently.

The most important assessment criteria for the selection are scientific expertise and skills, suitability for the project, and documented ability to work in groups and to independently carry out work tasks.

Application

The application must be written in English and must include the following:

• A cover letter that motivates your interest in the position and that describes how your qualifications and experience are relevant to the employment (maximum 2 A4 pages with 11pt font). Please include a discussion of your experience in the development of high-performance parallel software.

• Curriculum vitae

• Certified copies of completed academic courses and grades and diploma

• Copies of master thesis and any other relevant scientific publications

• Contact information of at least two references (no reference letters)

Please observe that all material needs to be in English. If any material is submitted in another language, a translation must be included.

The application must be submitted through the e-recruitment system of Umeå University, and be received no later than  July 7, 2020. Reference number: AN 2.2.1-917-20. Start date October 1st, 2020 or otherwise agreed.

According to the Higher Education Ordinance (Chapter 12, 2§) the hiring decision cannot be appealed.

For more information, contact Prof. Paolo Bientinesi: pauldj@cs.umu.se

We look forward to receiving your application!

About the department and research environment

The Department of Computing Science at Umeå University is a dynamic environment with around 120 employees representing more than 20 countries worldwide. We conduct education and research on a broad range of topics in Computing Science. The department's research is internationally well-established and includes basic research, method development and program development, but also research and development in various application areas. Information about the department's postgraduate education can be found on our website http://www.cs.umu.se/forskning/

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Full time
First day of employment October 1st, 2020 or otherwise agreed
Salary Monthly
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Umeå
County Västerbottens län
Country Sweden
Reference number AN 2.2.1-917-20
Contact
  • Paolo Bientinesi, pauldj@cs.umu.se
Union representative
  • SACO, 090-786 53 65
  • SEKO, 090-786 52 96
  • ST, 090-786 54 31
Published 16.Jun.2020
Last application date 07.Jul.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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