[fg-arc] PhD scholarships in Computer Science at the Free Univ. of Bozen-Bolzano (Italy)

[Enrico Franconi]

The Free University of Bozen-Bolzano announces a public competition, by qualifications, for admission to the PhD programme of the Faculty of Computer Science, with the first 6 positions covered by scholarships (17,000€ per year). In addition, the student will be financially supported to attend conferences and schools, and to spend a period of 6-12 months abroad. The PhD programme lasts three years. The official language of the programme and of the faculty is English.

Research in the Faculty of Computer Science is divided in three research centres (see below). Candidates are strongly advised to get in contact with the desired research centre before applying.

Bolzano is the city’s Italian name while Bozen is its German name: it is the capital of the multilingual province of Alto Adige / Südtirol. Near Italy’s northern border with Austria, the city is a gateway to the Dolomites, the majestic white mountain peaks that are part of the Alps. Bolzano is an Italian city with Austrian flair. Its two lifestyles, one Northern European and the other more Mediterranean, combine to make the perfect union, which can be clearly seen in the historic and artistic treasures of this city. Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. It has one of Europe's lowest unemployment rates, excellent services and a wonderful landscape. The landscape of the surrounding mountain sides is characterised by old wine hamlets and villages nestling amid vineyards watched over by 200 castles, stately country houses and ruins (see the wonderful video).

Instructions for application (pre-enrollment): http://www.unibz.it/en/inf/progs/phdcs/
The deadline for the applications is the 29th August 2014.


RESEARCH CENTRES:

KRDB RESEARCH CENTRE FOR KNOWLEDGE AND DATA

- web page: http://www.inf.unibz.it/krdb/
- contact person: Enrico Franconi franconi at inf.unibz.it

	•	Logic based languages for knowledge representation
	•	Intelligent access to databases
	•	Semantic technologies
	•	Visual and verbal paradigms for information exploration  
	•	Temporal aspects of data and knowledge
	•	Extending database technologies
	•	Inter-operation, verification, and composition of business processes

The research topics in knowledge representation are focused on foundational and practical aspects of knowledge representation technologies applied to information systems. The whole life cycle ranging from the design to the deployment of such technologies is covered: the conceptual modelling of various types of knowledge, the linguistic and logical aspects of knowledge, the integration of heterogeneous knowledge sources, including information coming from the Internet, the usage of knowledge to support the intelligent retrieval of information, and the usage of knowledge to create virtual services on the net. 

INFORMATION AND DATABASE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING 

	•	Spatial and temporal databases 
	•	Approximation Techniques in databases
	•	Query optimisation in databases
	•	Cooperative interfaces for information access and filtering
	•	Data mining techniques for preference elicitation and recommendation
	•	Cloud computing and big data
	•	Agile development & human aspects of software engineering
	•	Software startups and open science
	•	Design based Hardware engineering
	•	Technology enhanced learning

The research activities in the area of database and information systems focus on key aspects of applied computer science, including data warehousing and data mining, the integration of heterogeneous and distributed databases, time-varying information, data models, and query processing. The research approach is primarily constructive in its outset, and it includes substantial experimental and analytical elements. The development activities cover the design of data models and structures, and the development of algorithms, data structures, languages, and systems. The experimental activities verify real world artifacts with the help of prototypes and simulations. The analytic activities include the analysis of the algorithmic complexity and the evaluation of languages. The main goal is theoretically sound results that solve real world problems. 

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
 
	•	Agile methods, lean management, and open source
	•	Measurement and study of software quality, reliability, evolution and reuse
	•	Distributed computing and service-oriented architectures (mobile and distributes services)
	•	IT and business alignment
	•	Software reuse and component based development
	•	Interoperability in collaborative systems
	•	IT for automation
	•	Energy-aware systems

The research topics in software engineering are focused on the empirical and quantitative study of innovative models for software development. The target analysis techniques include both traditional statistics, and new approaches, such as computational intelligence, Bayesian models, and meta-analytical systems. The innovative software development techniques include (a) methods based on lean management, such as agile methods, with a specific interest for benchmarking and identification of defects, and (b) open source development models.

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