Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Trustworthy GenAI-assisted Software Engineering

The Department of Computer science, Electrical engineering and Mathematical sciences at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) has an open position as a post-doctoral researcher within trustworthy GenAI-assisted software engineering.

The position is for a period of up to 3 years and associated with the strategically funded TERSE project.

Workplace is campus Bergen.

Project and duties of the position The TERSE project aims to develop actionable methods, guidelines and software tools for enhancing software engineering with the application of GenAI; and to explore how profession-oriented education and curricula in software engineering should be transformed in light the emerging GenAI era. A central element of the project is collaboration with industry, public sector institutions and international partners aimed to investigate the real-world effects of GenAI in software engineering.

Software technology and engineering are key enablers in the ongoing digital transformation of society. GenAI has emerged as a disruptive technology not only within a multitude of sectors profoundly impacting the way we will work in the future, but also within the profession of software engineering itself where code is increasingly being automatically produced by GenAI-based coding co-pilots and agents. Considering the pivotal and increasingly critical role of software in society, the prospect of such a disruptive change raises fundamental questions on the feasibility and risks associated with the application of GenAI, and on how the future profession of software engineers will change.

The postdoctoral researcher will work closely with the four work package leaders of the TERSE project on coordinated industry collaboration enabling longitudinal and empirical studies of GenAI, and on developing and evaluating methods and software technology to detect, prevent, and mitigate faults in GenAI-generated software. Key research questions to be addressed include: what measurable productivity and software quality effects occur when applying GenAI in software engineering processes; how to develop and apply software engineering tools which make AI-assisted development dependable; what are best practices and methodology for trustworthy application of GenAI-based software tools and technology; and how to integrate GenAI in software engineering education.

Research environment

The postdoctoral researcher will be a key researcher in the TERSE project and part of the software engineering research group at HVL https://www.hvl.no/en/research/group/software-engineering/ . The research group currently include 10 professors and associate professors, 12 postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates, and a large number of master students in software engineering and in applied computer science. The software engineering research group is conducting high-quality research presented at international venues, and has broad scientific expertise including empirical software engineering, model- based software engineering, and formal methods for software engineering. The research group has a strong track record of externally funded projects with national and international industry and with academic partners. This includes projects within cloud computing and services, internet-of-things, business process modelling, AI, machine learning, collaborative systems, and security spanning domains such as healthcare services, marine environments, robotics, industrial automation and emergency work. The postdoctoral research fellow will be provided with work expense funding that can be used forconference participation, travel and research visits, and equipment. The place of employment is Campus Bergen.

Qualifications

The successful applicant must have earned a PhD degree in informatics/computer science/software engineering or have submitted the PhD thesis before the application deadline. The PhD must have been awarded before the candidate can be offered the position. The scientific profile of qualified candidates must be within software engineering, and preferably include the application of generative AI and machine learning in software engineering or software engineering for AI. In addition to the required educational background and scientific profile, the following criteria will be assessed in the ranking of qualified candidates:

• Quality and relevance of the PhD thesis
• Publication and project acquisition track record, quality and relevance of publications
• Practical software engineering skills, including experience with generative AI in software development or the engineering of software for AI solutions
• Research network, industrial work experience and/or experience from industrial collaboration
• Ability to work in the intersection of theoretical, applied, and empirical research
• Teaching experience and interest in curriculum development in software engineering education
• Ability to collaborate, engage in writing funding applications, lead the writing of research papers, ability to initiate and advance research work, and research and scientific leadership potential
• Dissemination capacity, oral and written communication skills in English (or in Norwegian)

The application must include the following

• Cover letter, including a statement of motivation, description of relevance of research profile in relation to the position and summary of scientific work and industry experience
• A CV, including publication list,
• Up to five selected publications
• Copies of educational certificates, transcript of academic records
• Names and contact details of 2-3 references (name, relation to candidate, e-mail and telephone number)

Applicants will in addition be assessed in relation to their prospective starting date.

Short-listed candidates might be required to give a research presentation, in addition to an interview. If the documents submitted are not in English or in a Scandinavian language, the applicants must submit the corresponding certified translations.

Application procedure

Submit your application and CV by clicking on the button marked "søk stillingen" on this page.

Please note that applications will be assessed based on the information submitted to www.jobbnorge.no by the application deadline. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all relevant attachments are submitted by the deadline, including:

Applicants with a degree from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcripts of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, in addition to the original documents, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here.

The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant’s degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here.

As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application.

Applications will be sent electronically to an expert committee. Based on the committee's recommendation, suitable applicants will be invited for an interview.

Applications cannot be sent by email to individuals at HVL.

We offer

Exciting and stimulating work as part of a strong international academic environment An open and inclusive work environment with dedicated colleagues Favourable terms in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund Employee benefits

The position as Researchers is paid according to the Government's salary regulation, in position code 1109 - Forsker ( Researcher). There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no/en for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time..

General information

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte”). Organizationalchanges and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds. Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants.

The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected. Applicants may be called in for an interview...

Contact

Assistant Head of Department Pål Ellingsen

E-mail: pal.ellingsen@hvl.no

Inclusion, challenging norms, collaboration

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Om arbeidsgiveren

With about 17,500 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og Haugesund.

Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.

The Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences offers a wide range of courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels in: Engineering and Natural sciences Economic and Administrative sciences Maritime sciences Social sciences and Humanities. The Faculty is also responsible for PhD programmes in computer technology, innovation and regional development and in nautical operations.

The Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences has a strong academic and research environment, offering programmes at bachelor’s, master’s and PhD levels. The department has around 1,100 students and more than 120 staff members, and plays a key role in advancing technologies for digitalisation and the green transition.

We offer education across our campuses in Førde, Bergen and Haugesund, with six study programmes in computer science and electrical engineering, and teaching contributions in mathematics, statistics and physics.

The department hosts active research groups in areas such as software engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, human-computer interaction and sensor networks, and collaborates closely with industry and public sector partners