PhD positions are available at the Theory and Foundations (FoCS) group in the Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, UK. The group works on various aspects of theoretical computer science including:

• algorithmic game theory,
• approximation algorithms,
• automata and formal languages,
• combinatorics and graph algorithms,
• computational complexity,
• logic and games,
• online and dynamic algorithms,
• parallel algorithms and distributed computing,
• parameterized complexity and structural graph theory,
• random structures and randomized algorithms,
• sublinear and streaming algorithms.

The group has strong ties with the Centre for Discrete Mathematics and its Applications (DIMAP), established in 2007 jointly with the Warwick Mathematics Institute and Warwick Business School. Together with DIMAP, the group is one of the leading theory groups in Europe, with regular publications in top international conferences and journals in theoretical computer science.

The Department of Computer Science at Warwick offers an excellent research environment. It was ranked joint 4th in the latest UK research assessment in Research Excellence Framework (REF) in 2021. The University of Warwick is one of the founding members of the Alan Turing Institute.

The university campus is located on the border of two counties, West Midlands and Warwickshire, is about one hour train ride from London, and 15 minutes from Birmingham International Airport.

The applicants are expected to have a strong background in discrete mathematics, algorithms, computational complexity, automata, logic, formal languages, verification, or related topics with undergraduate and/or Master's degrees in Computer Science, Mathematics, or related disciplines. The position(s) will be fully funded, and the successful applicant(s) will be receiving a stipend at rate in line with current Research Councils UK rates.

If you are interested in this opening, please send an email to Sayan Bhattacharya (S dot Bhattacharya at warwick dot ac dot uk) with a SINGLE .pdf file containing your CV, contact email id, and the names and email addresses of two references, by November 15, 2024.

You are strongly encouraged to informally contact faculty members in the group you might want to work with prior to submitting your application. The candidates whose applications are endorsed by at least one faculty member in the group will be interviewed informally during November 25 – 27 2024.

Interviews: Provisionally, the interviews (during November 25 – 27 2024) will be structured as follows:

• Each interview will last for 25-30 minutes and will take place over Zoom. The candidate will first give a 5-minute presentation (with some slides) about a research topic/problem/paper that they are enthusiastic about. The topic is not necessarily something that they intend to work on during their PhD. Following this, they will speak for 5 minutes (with or without slides) about their academic profile/achievements and their plans for the PhD. After these 10 minutes without interruptions, the next 15-20 minutes will be devoted to a Q&A session where the interview panel members will be asking the candidate questions. The questions might be based on the candidate’s presentation, or there might also be some additional questions to test the candidate’s background in theoretical computer science.

Permanent members of the group:

• Sayan Bhattacharya
• Dmitry Chistikov
• Graham Cormode
• Artur Czumaj (group leader)
• Alex Dixon
• Charilaos Efthymiou
• Matthias Englert
• Christian Ikenmeyer
• Marcin Jurdzinski
• Ranko Lazic
• Mike Paterson
• Igor Carboni Oliveira
• Ramanujan Sridharan

For more information about the Foundations of Computer Science (FoCS) Research Group, see FoCS web page.

For more information about DIMAP, see DIMAP web page.