PhD positions in verification of low-level code at ISTA

Stream: job postings

[Michael Sammler]

I am excited to announce that I am recruiting PhD students to join my group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), located on the outskirts of Vienna. I am looking for motivated and capable students with a strong interest in Programming Languages and Verification (https://ista.ac.at/en/research/sammler-group/).

The research of my group centers around the theoretical and practical challenges of verifying realistic low-level code, with a focus on verification techniques based on proof assistants like Lean and Rocq and separation logics like Iris. Concrete projects of the group are the RefinedC verification tool for C, the DimSum framework for multi-language semantics and verification, or work on Iris-Lean. If any of these sound interesting, I encourage you to apply.

ISTA offers internationally competitive salaries, full health benefits, and subsidized on-campus housing in the first year. Students with a bachelor’s or master’s degree in a relevant field are encouraged to apply. The deadline for PhD applications is January 8, 2026 for a start date in September 2026 (or earlier, if desired).

Applications should be submitted through https://phd.ista.ac.at/. If you apply, please also drop me a note at michael.sammler@ista.ac.at so I am aware of your application. Feel free to reach out to me via email or Zulip for more information or visit https://phd.ista.ac.at/.