PhD Position F/M Formal Verification of Higher-Order, Probabilistic Programs
Job Description
PhD Position F/M Formal Verification of Higher-Order, Probabilistic Programs Level of qualifications required: Graduate degree or equivalent Function: PhD Position About the research centre or Inria department The Inria center at Université Côte d'Azur includes 42 research teams and 9 support services. The center’s staff (about 500 people) is made up of scientists of different nationalities, engineers, technicians and administrative staff. The teams are mainly located on the university campuses of Sophia Antipolis and Nice as well as Montpellier, in close collaboration with research and higher education laboratories and establishments, but also with the regional economic players. Context This PhD thesis project is part of the ANR project HOPR (Higher-Order Probabilistic and resource-aware Reasoning) (ANR-24-CE48-5521-01) coordinated by P. Baillot, starting in 2025 and aiming at defining expressive logical frameworks, dealing in particular with higher-order computation and probabilities, which can serve to reason on cryptographic primitives and protocols and on differential privacy. The project has three partner sites: INRIA Lille/CRIStAL; INRIA Paris; IRISA Rennes and INRIA Sophia-Antipolis. It is starting in January 2025 for 4 years. The recruited PhD student will carry out her/his research within the SPLITS and OLAS project-teams at INRIA Sophia Antipolis, under the supervision of B. Gregoire and M. Avanzini. Assignment Randomized computation has emerged as a highly effective extension of the standard deterministic computational model, especially in recent decades. Randomization plays a key role among many areas of computer science, e.g., in computational complexity, artificial intelligence, security, and privacy. Avoiding bugs in critical applications, such as cryptographic routines, necessitates the development of formal verification methods that account for probabilistic effects. The aim of this PhD is to develop new program logics, such as type systems or higher-order logics, for the quantitative analysis of higher-order probabilistic programs. Predicate transformers can serve as a foundational tool towards this aim. A key objective will then be to apply these developed methodologies to enhance the logical foundations of EasyCrypt, a proof assistant designed for game-based cryptographic proofs, which has been extensively used in recent years to verify cryptographic routines, including post-quantum schemes. Main activities Carry out the PhD research project on Verification of Higher-Order, Probabilistic Programs. Collaborate with other team members and with the ANR HOPR project partners. Disseminate research results, by publications and presentations at international conferences. Skills The candidate should be fluent in English. Some basic knowledge of either type systems, proof theory, proof systems or program verification is expected. Knowledge in cryptography is a plus but not necessary. Benefits package Partial reimbursement of public transport costs. Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.). Possibility of teleworking and flexible organization of working hours. Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.). Social, cultural and sports events and activities. Access to vocational training. Contribution to mutual insurance (subject to conditions). Remuneration Gross Salary per month: 2200€ brut per month (year 2025) and 2300€ brut per month (year 2026). Instruction to apply Applications must be submitted online on the Inria website. Collecting applications by other channels is not guaranteed. Warning: You must enter your e-mail address in order to save your application to Inria. Applications must be submitted online on the Inria website. Processing of applications sent from other channels is not guaranteed. Defence Security: This position is likely to be situated in a restricted area (ZRR). Authorisation to enter an area is granted by the director of the unit, following a favourable Ministerial decision. An unfavourable Ministerial decision in respect of a position situated in a ZRR would result in the cancellation of the appointment. Recruitment Policy: As part of its diversity policy, all Inria positions are accessible to people with disabilities. Inria is the French national research institute dedicated to digital science and technology. It employs 2,600 people, including more than 3,500 scientists and engineers working to meet the challenges of digital technology. #J-18808-Ljbffr