Job Purpose

To make a leading contribution to the project “End to End Verification for Constraint Programming”, working with Dr Ciaran McCreesh and other project collaborators. This project is funded by ARIA.

Specifically, the job requires excellent programming skills and substantial prior software development experience. As well as software engineering activities, the successful candidate will also be expected to contribute to the formulation and submission of research publications and research proposals as well as to help manage and direct this complex and challenging project as opportunities allow.

The job involves maintaining and extending software used for solving constraint programming and optimisation problems, and for verifying that the solutions provided are correct. It will involve a mix of algorithm engineering and formal methods, alongside more traditional software engineering activities. This project involves developing software which is both mathematically rigorous, and sufficiently performant to be used to solve hard problems at industrial scale. The software is developed in a mix of modern C++, Rust, and CakeML.

The successful candidate will work closely with other members of the team; besides the Principal Investigator, these include a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow, and international collaborators in Copenhagen and Singapore.

The successful candidate will be a member of the Formal Analysis, Theory and Algorithms (FATA) research section within the School.  Support and mentoring will be provided to enable the successful candidate to develop their career in accordance with the key recommendations of the recent report of the Society for Research Software Engineers.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.  Take a leading role in the implementation of software individually or jointly in accordance with the project deliverables and project / section / School strategy. Be responsible for all managerial aspects of the laboratory including contributing to the strategic direction of research/teaching, provision of specialist advice and training to service users, management of resources (including technical and operational staff) and responsibility for health and safety.  Ensure that best software engineering practice is followed as advocated by the Software Sustainability Institute.

2.  Maintain and extend implementations of algorithms and software for certified constraint programming, and the surrounding ecosystem including documentation and educational material.

3.  Conduct theoretical and experimental comparisons of techniques arising in the design and implementation of proof logging systems, looking at metrics including performance and ease of use.

4.  Survey the existing software environment, understand the challenges associated with the project and subject area, and develop / implement a suitable strategy.

5.  Document research output including analysis and interpretation of all data, maintaining records and databases, drafting technical / progress reports and papers as appropriate.

6.  Present work at international and national conferences, at internal and external seminars, colloquia and workshops to develop and enhance our research profile.

7.  Take a leading role in developing and maintaining collaborations with colleagues across the FATA section / School / College / University, and the wider proof logging and constraint programming communities. This will involve UK and international travel, which is budgeted for.

8.  Take a leading role in team / group meetings / seminars / workshops and FATA section activities to enhance the wider knowledge, outputs and culture of the School/College.

9.  Take the lead in the organisation, supervision, mentoring and training of members of the project team to ensure their effective development.

10.  Work collaboratively with others, including within the wider College/School/Group and where relevant with external contacts, to enhance the delivery of the research/teaching aims and support the broader strategic aims of the University, including the Technician Commitment key themes, https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/technicians/ Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by Head of Service/School.

11.  Perform administrative tasks related to the activities of the project, FATA section and School, including budgets / expenditure.

12.  Engage in personal, professional and career development, to enhance both specialist and transferable skills in accordance with desired career trajectory.

13.  Undertake any other duties of equivalent standing as assigned by the Head of School and/or PI.

14.  Contribute to the enhancement of the University’s international profile in line with the University’s Strategic Plan, World Changers Together.

Knowledge. Qualifications, Skills & Experience

Qualifications

Essential:

A1   Good first degree (2:1 or above, or equivalent) in Computing Science, Mathematics or a related discipline

Desirable:

B1   Postgraduate degree (MSc or equivalent, or PhD) in mathematics, operational research or in a computational discipline

Knowledge and Skills

Essential:

C1   A comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge of current issues and future directions within the wider subject area or subject specialism

C2   Excellent programming skills and knowledge of a range of programming languages and technologies, including at least one of C++ or Rust.

C3   Detailed knowledge of software development practices including testing, issue tracking, documentation generation and maintenance, version control, and continuous integration

C4   Proven ability to deliver quality outputs in a timely and efficient manner

C5   Excellent communication skills (oral and written), including public presentations and ability to communicate complex data/concepts clearly and concisely

C6   Excellent interpersonal skills including team working and a collegiate approach

C7   Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines

Desirable

D1   A knowledge of statistical analysis techniques for interpreting experimental results

Experience

Essential:

E1   Substantial prior software development experience

E2   Substantial experience of applying rigorous methodologies to increase confidence in implementation correctness

E3   Experience of scientific writing

E4   Ability to demonstrate a degree of independence as illustrated by identification of project objectives from assessment of the literature, design and analysis of algorithms and drafting of papers

Desirable:

F1   Experience of constraint programming, or a similar paradigm such as integer programming or Boolean satisfiability

F2   Experience with formal methods, proof logging, or other technologies used to guarantee software correctness

F3   Experience of overseeing students / junior colleagues with respect to the development of practical skills, e.g., acting as a demonstrator or mentor; supervising student projects.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and has funding available until 30 September 2027.

The University of Glasgow has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.  If you require a Skilled Worker visa to work in the UK, you will be required to meet the eligibility requirements of the visa route to be assigned a Certificate of Sponsorship.

Please note that this post may be eligible to be sponsored under the Skilled Worker visa route if tradeable points can be used under the Skilled Worker visa rules. For more information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.

Closing Date: 18 August 2025