Logic List Mailing Archive

PhD position in mathematical logic, Utrecht (The Netherlands), Deadline: 14 June 2010

PhD position in Mathematical Logic at Utrecht University, the Netherlands.

A four year PhD position in Mathematical Logic is available at the
Department of Philosophy of Utrecht University in The Netherlands. The
position is part of the research project "The power of constructive proofs",
which is a five year project on proof theory and constructive mathematics,
funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research. Below is a
description of the project.

We are looking for a talented and dedicated student with a MSc or equivalent
degree in mathematics or computer science. The research carried out in the
project belongs to the area of  mathematical logic, and the applicant should
preferably have a background in this field.

The deadline for applications is June 14th, 2010.

For more information on the project and application procedure, please visit
http://www.uu.nl/NL/Informatie/sollicitanten/Pages/Vacatures.aspx

Description of the project:

Constructive mathematics is the part of mathematics that is concerned with
explicit constructions. Research in this area roughly falls into two
categories: the development of mathematics according to constructive
principles, and the study of constructive theories in general. This project
falls in the second category, although the areas are not strictly separated
and there is much interaction between them: principles of constructive
theories are used in constructive mathematics, and conversely increasing
knowledge of what can and cannot be done constructively leads to
meta-mathematical insights.

This project focuses on the structure of constructive proofs. Constructive
proofs appear everywhere in mathematics, and, because of their computational
content, are increasingly relevant in this era of computing. The project
aims to find and explain the characteristics of such proofs. It thus
approaches constructive mathematics from the proof-theoretic point of view,
and tries to establish which and in which way properties of proofs, such as
for example skolemization and unification, change when moving from a
classical to a constructive context.

This is a project in proof theory and constructive mathematics. These are
lively research areas, with connections to almost all other areas in
mathematical logic. They consist of a wide range of topics, techniques, and
directions of research, and therefore provide a good environment for the
start of a scientific career.