Assistant Professor in Software Ecosystems in the Computing Continuum

VU University of Amsterdam Department of Computer Science

Netherlands

Are you an excellent and ambitious Computer Science researcher? Is your aim to research novel and domain-specific approaches for software ecosystems in the computing continuum? We at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam would like to get to know you.

Location: AMSTERDAM
FTE: 0.8 - 1

Job description

The department of Computer Science at the VU maintains highly successful programs in various areas, including Artificial Intelligence, Bioinformatics, Computer Systems and Security, Software Engineering and Sustainability, and User-Centric Data Science. We would like to expand our department with a new position covering both research and education in topics related to Domain-Specific Software Ecosystems in the Computing Continuum.

The "Software Systems in the Computing Continuum" focus is an emerging area of research related to resources and services in the computing continuum, including but not limited to serverless computing, deep storage stacks and systems, elastic scalability, application domain portability, research methodologies include system prototyping, experimentation and simulation reproducibility and performance analysis. To realize a sustainable digitized future without technology dependence, the Netherlands must now address four major societal challenges related to CompSys: manageability, accountability, sustainability, and usability. These challenges require a holistic CompSys approach, as described in the Manifesto "Future Computer Systems and Networking Research in the Netherlands" [ https://arxiv.org/pdf/2206.03259.pdf ].

You will initiate, perform, and supervise high-quality research that aims to address challenging problems in this area, by understanding, improving, designing, deploying, and experimentally analyzing software (eco)systems and their applications with high societal impact, with a focus on domain-specific approaches. To enable this body of work, you have a proven track record in Software Systems and Ecosystems, or closely related fields, and would like to advance your research in modern, software-intensive systems and ecosystems, to address the challenges of emerging infrastructure across the computing continuum. Experience with relevant application domains in the VU science and technology ecosystem, for example, bioinformatics, is an advantage. Experience with sustainability issues is another advantage. Last, but not least, experience with reproducible results, and open/FAIR software and data artifacts, are also advantages.

We particularly encourage women to apply for this position.

Your duties

The opening is targeted at the level of Assistant Professor. The position includes research, education, and management (planned targets 40%-40%-20%, but in exceptional cases these can be discussed), and involves, amongst others, the following responsibilities.

We seek an energetic and synergetic candidate that is eager to shape and lead their own research with a focus on Software Engineering and/or Software Systems and Ecosystems, meaning:

you develop your own research line and profile your research around it
you acquire and contribute to externally funded research projects, through both national and international research grants
you initiate, develop, plan and teach courses in the relevant Bachelor and Master programs
you further improve your education/teaching skills, with support from the department and relevant courses, e.g., the Netherlands-wide University Teaching Qualification (UTQ) offered by the VU
you supervise students in the BSc and MSc tracks and/or honours programme, and you assist in the supervision of Ph.D. students and take responsibility for their daily supervision
you contribute to the management of the group and/or the department
you help establish a high-quality and trustworthy international profile for yourself, the group, and the department
you extend your professional network and share it with the department, thus creating external synergies
You strengthen and form links between the research groups mentioned in the embedding and further help identify and strengthen synergies in the department

Requirements

a PhD degree in Computer Science or a closely related field, where experience in software ecosystems and computing continuum is an advantage.
proven academic profile with scientific publications in relevant scientific venues in the areas of Software Engineering and/or Software Systems and Ecosystems, and/or related fields.
willingness to work in a multidisciplinary research environment is an advantage.
teaching and/or student supervision experience at BSc and/or MSc program level. Experience with teaching at an academic level is very important, and experience with teaching large-enrollment classes is an advantage
experience with daily supervision of PhD students is an advantage.
either being in possession of, or being willing to obtain, a relevant teaching qualification (‘UTQ').
willingness to apply to competitive grants for research, infrastructure, and/or education.
a proven track record in this sense is an advantage.
international network in fields relevant for the academic profile.
willingness to be part of a multi-cultural, diverse, international environment.
good interpersonal communication skills and English language proficiency.

What are we offering?

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. On full-time basis the remuneration amounts to a minimum gross monthly salary of €3,974 (scale 11) and a maximum €5,439 (scale 11), depending on your education and experience. The job profile is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 0.8 FTE.

We offer a tenure track/career track position at the level of Assistant Professor. A career plan to grow from Assistant Professor lv. 2 (profile Universitair Docent 2, salary scale 11) to Assistant Professor lv. 1 (profile Universitair Docent 1, salary scale 12) will be made and formalized in a tailored tenure track/career track agreement. (with specific performance indicators).

The initial appointment will be for a period of 18 months including two months’ probation. 15 Months after the starting date, performance will be evaluated. After a successful evaluation permanent employment will be granted.

The starting package will include:

One PhD student per new permanent staff member.

Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
solid pension scheme (ABP)
contribution to commuting expenses
optional model for designing a personalized benefits package
good paid parental leave arrangement
the possibility to work partly from home (hybrid working)
on campus child daycare, sport facilities, family support programs including: dual career workshops, Dutch language class, tax & insurance workshop (some might have additional costs)
certain tax benefits (30% ruling) might apply to international candidates
help and assistance with relocation (international candidates)

About Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 30,000 students. We employ over 5,500 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to more than 11,000 students.

Application

Are you interested in this position? Please apply via the application button on or before 13th April, 2023. Please include in your application a short motivation letter, your CV, a 1 page research statement, a 1 page teaching statement, names of 2 references, and 2-3 publications that exemplify the quality and direction of your research.

Applications received by e-mail will not be processed.