PhD student

PhD position in Software Engineering and Benefits Management

Research project: 

Development of software is sometimes highly successful, but there are also numerous failures leading to an enormous waste of resources and effort. It is essential to understand when and why this happens. This research project aims at contributing to these goals. Recent findings suggest that benefits management has favourable effects to the success of software development projects. Therefore, the project will focus on the development and use of novel benefit management methods during agile software development. This includes researching methods for 

• estimating benefit of backlog items and assessing the uncertainty of such estimates,
• prioritizing construction according to explicit benefit/cost metrics, 
• monitoring construction according to earned business value management metrics 

It is also essential to change the software development discipline into an evidence-based discipline where we use methods and tools documented to work well in the relevant context. Therefore, empirical research on the effects of the use of methods such as the above will be central. 

The project will interact with other research on agile software development and other development methods, how to organize software development teams, means for better estimation, planning and management of software projects, introduction of benefits management processes and better processes and contract types for the interaction between client and provider.

The IT Management Department of SimulaMet has as its main goal to discover important relationships and connections related to the management of software development work, and use this to contribute to substantial improvement in software development processes and products. The group has an extensive network of collaboration partners from industry and research and a long tradition of conducting empirical studies in software development.

We are looking for one full-time 3-year PhD student to join the department. The successful candidates are expected to contribute to:

• Design and conduct high quality empirical studies on topics related to better software development
• Collaborate with industry, including collecting software development experience and data, contribute with process improvement initiatives and transfer of knowledge
• Produce industry-relevant results on connections between management or development methods and software development success
• Supervise and collaborate with master and Ph.D. students
• Support the project management/coordination activities

Candidate requirements:

Interested PhD applicants should:

• Hold a master’s degree in software engineering, computer science, management or other relevant fields
• Have an average GPA of at least C in Bachelor and at least B for Masters
• Have good knowledge of software engineering and/or IT management
• Have experience with, or be willing to learn, how to conduct high quality empirical studies
• Be willing to work closely with industry partners
• Demonstrate excellent level of spoken and written English

 SimulaMet Offers:

• A highly dynamic and motivated team of international researchers and engineers.
• A well-established collaboration with applied research teams and companies.
• Access to an internally hosted HPC infrastructure of experimental nature, specifically targeting heterogeneous architectures that are expected to be vital for future exascale computing.
• An informal and inclusive international working environment.
•  Professional courses and workshops in scientific and transferable skills.
•  Good office facilities located in the Oslo downtown.
• Support with administrative matters, EU funding, accommodation, and visas
• A competitive salary.

The successful candidate will also enjoy an inspiring and resourceful environment, with the possibility of travelling to conferences, short- and long-term research visits to existing and new collaborators.

Application requirements:

We invite applications from highly qualified and motivated young scientists of any nationality and background in information technologies, computer sciences, applied mathematics, engineering and/or related fields.

Candidates are requested to upload a cover letter, CV including a list of publications, and contact information of three references (including the main supervisor). After initial screening, relevant candidates will be asked to provide further documentation of education and work experience.

The starting date is at the earliest convenience (negotiable). Application deadline is Mai 1, 2019. Applications will be screened continuously and a decision will be made as soon as we find the right candidate.

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.

SimulaMet uses Semac’s background check in our recruitment process. 

Contact:

For more information, please contact Prof. Magne Jørgensen (magnej@simula.no, +4792433355) or Jo Hannay (johannay@simula.no) +47 479 55 015.