Software ecosystems, i.e., collections of interdependent projects, have become prominent in software development as they allow developers to rely on external libraries to reuse functionality, thus leading to a significant increase in productivity. Alongside the benefits from reusing external libraries, challenges arise when depending on external components, such as keeping them up-to-date and risks of bugs or security issue propagation through dependencies. Such technical challenges are intertwined with social challenges w.r.t the communities maintaining these projects, e.g., contributors abandoning the projects. In order to understand the development and evolution of software ecosystems, and to provide methods and tools to facilitate their development, researchers mine information from software repositories such as version control systems, code reviews, bug tracking systems, archived communication between developers, and question and answer websites. The goal of the PhD is to improve development processes and collaboration in software ecosystems.

You will join the Software Engineering and Technology (SET) group of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science of Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). A successful PhD candidate is expected to:

• carry out research in the field of software ecosystem evolution and mining software repositories;
• develop and maintain tools for the validation of the research results, in cooperation with the other parties involved;
• contribute to the writing of scientific papers;
• present results at (international) conferences;
• finish a PhD thesis within four years;
• a small contribution to the teaching activities of the Software Engineering and Technology group may be asked.

We are looking for an excellent candidate that adds value to the Software Engineering and Technology group and matches the following profile:

• a MSc degree in Computer Science;
• experience in software development (Python is a plus);
• strong demonstrable analytical skills;
• familiarity with statistics or data analysis;
• interest in software development;
• strong communication skills in English, both written and oral;
• ability to work in a team and in an interdisciplinary and highly international environment;
• eager to learn new things

Being a PhD student in the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, every PhD student gets paid a salary; no additional grants are needed. Moreover, although PhD students sometimes take courses, there is no minimum requirement. Hence, PhD students are more like employees than like students. Indeed, the Dutch word for PhD student translates to "research trainee". The work of a PhD student may include assisting in courses of BSc or MSc programs of the department. This amounts to around 10% of the time; the remaining time is spent on research and research-related activities. Foreign PhD students need not speak Dutch: it is easy to get by with English, not only at the university but also in everyday life.

What we offer
We offer one PhD position in a stimulating research environment. Gross salary ranges from € 2.325 per month in the first year increasing up to € 2.972 in the fourth year. TU Eindhoven offers a broad package of fringe benefits (e.g. excellent technical infrastructure, child care, and excellent sports facilities).