We are looking for a PhD candidate who is interested in the field of automated testing at the User Interface. The  candidate will carry out research within the context of a new EU ITEA funded research project “IVVES :
Industrial-grade Verification and Validation of Evolving Systems”. This is a three-year research project between 5 EU countries and 27 academic and industrial partners. The IVVES project targets V&V challenges in of AI and evolving systems. The use of AI and complex, evolving systems (ES), i.e. systems that rapidly change, either due to fast iteration cycles in development or due to their capability to self-adapt and learn, will grow significantly in automation, computation and novel digital services. IVVES will systematically develop Artificial Intelligence approaches for robust and comprehensive, industrial-grade V&V of “embedded AI”, i.e. machine-learning for control of complex, mission-critical evolving systems and services covering the major industrial domains in Europe. The research goal at OU is to investigate new advanced methods for test automation at the Graphical User Interface level using the TESTAR.org tool together with artificial intelligence, search-based algorithms or machine learning techniques. The candidate will be expected to collaborate closely with our Dutch industrial partners, including ING, Philips and Sogeti.

The candidate is also expected to participate for 10 to 15% of his/her time in educational activities within our Master Software Engineering and the Bachelor Computer Science. Also, valorization activities form a considerable part of the daily activities of the candidate.

The candidate holds an MSc degree preferably in Computer Science or Software Engineering with proven affinity to testing.
The candidate is flexible, able to work independently and is result driven. Preferably, the candidate has good communication skills (oral and written) in Dutch; fluency in English (oral and written) is required. Relevant specializations in one or more of the following areas are desirable: artificial intelligence, search-based algorithms or machine learning techniques. Evidence of experience and commitment to any of these areas, such as substantial project work, would also be an advantage.

Applicants must be strongly motivated for doctoral studies, possess the ability to work independently and perform critical analysis and also possess good levels of cooperative and communicative abilities. Teaching experience and publications are not required, but are considered an advantage if the candidate can demonstrate experience in these areas.
 

Fixed-term contract: temporary position for 4 years.

The PhD candidate will be appointed for a period of 12 months. The appointment will be extended to four  when progress and performance are good. The salary is € 2.325,- gross per month in the first year and is expected to increase to € 2.972,- in the fourth year, for a full time appointment, contingent on satisfactory performance.

The Open Universiteit provides good secondary benefits such as training, mobility, part-time employment and paid parental leave.

Open University

Online education from any location in the Netherlands and Belgium (Flanders)
The Open Universiteit (Open University of the Netherlands, or OU) is a part-time university in the Netherlands. At the OU, students pursue an ‘online activating’ education and may choose from a wide range of scientific disciplines. Students can follow Bachelor- and Master-level education across seven broad subject areas. Key characteristics of the OU model of education are its openness, its flexibility, and its high quality. Particular attention is paid to improving students success rates. The OU has more than 14,000 students, supported by 700 employees. The OU has study centres across the Netherlands and Belgium. Its headquarters are based in Heerlen.
At the OU, the newest, most innovative technologies and educational techniques are applied, not only in Bachelor- and Master-level studies and courses, but equally in our research programmes and collaborations with our partners. The OU plays an important role, both nationally and internationally, in fostering innovation in higher education. Moreover, our educational curriculum is interwoven with our research, which ensures that state of the art research plays a role in driving education. The OU invests both in discipline-specific research, as well as in in research in the field of learning, teaching and technology.

Top rankings
In the Nationale Studenten Enquête (NSE—the Dutch National Students’ Survey), the Keuzegids Universiteiten (Keuzegids: a comparative university guide that compiles student satisfaction and expert evaluation on Bachelor-level education at the fourteen Dutch universities), and the Keuzegids Masters (for Master-level programmes), the OU has achieved a top ranking for many years in a row, in the list of fourteen Dutch universities. In addition, all programmes rank highly in the subject-specific rankings of the universities in respect of the relevant courses of study. All assessments can be found on the OU website (www.ou.nl).

Faculty of Science

The faculty of Science is one of the six faculties of the Open University of the Netherlands. Education, research and valorisation are the main tasks of the faculty. The faculty offers academic bachelor and master programmes in the fields of environmental science and computer science. The faculty has a large number of PhD-students who conduct research on various current topics within this research program.

At the faculty of Science students can immediately reflect on what they learn in the light of their work situation. The organisations where they work are often involved and here assignments can be performed and research can be conducted as part of the bachelor or master program they study. As a result of the interdisciplinary focus on education and research, as well as the connection with business, scientific work at this faculty provides innovative and challenging opportunities.