Logic List Mailing Archive

PhD student position in reachability problems, Bordeaux (France)

** PhD POSITIONS **

The ANR project REACHARD proposes several PhD positions on reachability 
problems for counter systems, including vector addition systems and 
related models.  The PhD position can start in 2011 or 2012 and will take 
place either at LaBRI (http://www.labri.fr/) or at LSV 
(http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr), France. The duration is 3 years, with an 
annual salary of 21,000 euros after tax + benefits (e.g. social security).

See also http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/Projects/anr-reachard/.


** HOW TO APPLY **

Candidates should hold a Master degree in Computer Science (ideally
with courses in formal verification, theoretical computer science and
mathematical structures for CS) or equivalently is graduated from a
Computer Science Engineering School with a strong background in
theoretical computer science.

Applications should be sent to anr-reachard@lsv.ens-cachan.fr.
Required documents are:
- a detailed curriculum vitae
- a copy of the master
- a reference letter by their master supervisor.


** THE PROJECT REACHARD IN A NUTSHELL **

Many standard verification problems can be rephrased as reachability
problems, and there exist powerful methods for infinite-state systems;
see e.g. the theory of well-structured transition systems.  However,
obtaining decision procedures is not the ultimate goal, which we
rather see in crafting provably optimal algorithms---required for
practical use.  In the ANR project REACHARD, we focus on algorithmic
issues for the verification of counter systems, more specifically to
reachability problems for vector addition systems with states (VASS)
and related models.

More specifically, the main objective of the ANR project REACHARD is
to propose a satisfactory solution to the reachability problem for
vector addition systems, that will provide significant improvements
both conceptually and computationally.  Recent breakthroughs on the
problem and on related problems for variant models should also allow
us to propose solutions for several extensions, including for instance
VASS with one zero-test or branching VASS.  Furthermore, the goal is
to take advantage of the new proof techniques involving semilinear
separators designed by J. Leroux in order to design algorithms that
are amenable for implementation.  We propose to develop original
techniques in order to solve the following difficult issues:

- to understand the mathematical structure of reachability sets and
   relations in vector addition systems,

- to develop new techniques for the computational analysis of
   reachability problems that are verification problems connected in
   some way to the reachability problem for VASS or their extensions,

- to design algorithms, most probably on the lines of Karp & Miller
   algorithms, plus relating flattening methods and semilinearity,

- to widen the scope of our analysis to models richer than VASS,
   including models with restricted zero-tests or with branching
   computations.


** PHD SUBJECTS **

Mathematical Structures for Reachability Sets and Relations
http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/Projects/anr-reachard/uploads/Documents/LaBRI-1.pdf

Semilinearity of Vector Addition Systems with States
http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/Projects/anr-reachard/uploads/Documents/LaBRI-2.pdf

Computational Analysis for Reachability Problems
http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/Projects/anr-reachard/uploads/Documents/LSV-1.pdf

Counter machine reachability sets computation
http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/Projects/anr-reachard/uploads/Documents/LSV-2.pdf


** FURTHER INQUIRY **

Any further inquiry should be sent to anr-reachard@lsv.ens-cachan.fr.