Open Positions

Data Systems and Theory (DaST) is a new research group in the Department of Informatics at the University of Zurich headed by Prof. Dr. Dan Olteanu.

We are looking for passionate and talented researchers to join the group as PhD students and postdoctoral assistants.

Within the team, you will work on theoretical and systems aspects of data management and at the intersection of databases and machine learning. To get an idea of the kind of research done in the group, please have a look at our most recent publications and presentations. Our research projects are typically supported by industry (RelationalAI, OrdnanceSurvey, Infor), European Commission (ERC consolidator grant FADAMS), and University of Zurich. We are fortunate to collaborate with world-class researchers from academia and industry in Switzerland (EPFL), in the USA (RelationalAI, Universities of Cornell, Washington, and Michigan), and in the UK (Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford). We regularly publish in conferences (e.g., SIGMOD, PVLDB, PODS, ICDT, ICDE, EDBT) and journals (e.g., ACM TODS, VLDBJ, SIGMOD Record, LMCS) in data management and database research, though we occasionally also publish outside the data management community (e.g., CGO, OOPSLA, AISTATS, AAAI).

If you are interested in joining our group to work on the research topics currently pursued by DaST (or strongly connected topics) and fit the profile given below, please contact Prof. Dan Olteanu by email with your CV and a cover letter stating your research interests and reason for applying. (Later in the process we will also need at least three references and transcript of your studies.)

The positions will be open until filled. The starting date is flexible.

We offer:

• Research group of young and highly motivated colleagues who are passionate about topics at the intersection of database systems, database theory, and machine learning
• Opportunity to gain teaching and mentoring experience
• Strong support for your professional/career development
• Attractive work environment both within the research group and beyond: the University of Zurich is one of Switzerland's leading universities in the middle of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that regularly ranks as one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world.
• Generous social benefits (PhD students are regular employees with a pension plan)
• Generous support for professional travel and research needs
• Competitive salary of approximately 75K CHF per year (+ 15% social contributions)

You have:

• MSc degree in Computer Science with a first degree (or equivalent at your university)
• Strong interest in database systems and/or database theory. This can be evidenced by a topical MSc thesis, projects in academia or industry, and published research articles.
• Strong mathematical skills
• Excellent communication skills in English (research is done completely in English)
• Proficiency in at least one of theoretical computer science, machine learning, and data structures and algorithms is desirable
• Desire to learn and work on new research topics as proposed by the professor.

We offer:

• Research group of young and highly motivated colleagues who are passionate about topics at the intersection of database systems, database theory, and machine learning
• Opportunity to gain teaching and mentoring experience
• Strong support for your professional/career development
• Attractive work environment both within the research group and beyond: the University of Zurich is one of Switzerland's leading universities in the middle of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city that regularly ranks as one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the world.
• Generous social benefits (Postdocs are regular employees with a pension plan)
• Generous support for professional travel and research needs
• Competitive salary of 100K CHF (+ 15% social contributions) per year.

You have:

• A PhD degree in Computer Science
• An excellent publication record in one of the following: database systems (with publications in SIGMOD, PVLDB), database theory (with publications in PODS, ICDT), machine learning (with publications in AISTATS, ICML, NeurIPS), and theoretical computer science (with publications in LICS, ICALP, STACS). For database systems researchers, evidence of software design and implementation is needed.
• Strong mathematical skills.
• Excellent communication skills in English (research is done completely in English)
• Proven ability and desire to work in a team of researchers of different seniority levels
• Desire to learn and work on research topics pursued in the group.