[Job-offers-cs] Postdoc and PhD positions in combinatorial optimization and/or TCS in Lund

[Pekka Orponen]

The Department of Computer Science at Lund University invites 
applications for postdoc and PhD positions in combinatorial optimization 
and/or theoretical computer science.


The researchers will be working in the Mathematical Insights into 
Algorithms for Optimization (MIAO) group headed by Jakob Nordstrom 
(http://www.jakobnordstrom.se/ which is active at both the University of 
Copenhagen and Lund University on either side of the Oresund Bridge. We 
are closely affiliated with the Basic Algorithms Research Copenhagen 
(BARC) centre, and are part of a world-leading environment in algorithms 
and complexity theory encompassing also the IT University of Copenhagen 
and the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). We aim to attract top 
talent from around the world to an ambitious, creative, collaborative, 
and fun environment. Using the power of mathematics, we strive to create 
fundamental breakthroughs in algorithms and complexity theory. While the 
focus in on foundational research, we do have a track record of 
surprising algorithmic discoveries leading to major industrial applications.

The MIAO research group has a unique profile in that we are doing 
cutting-edge research both on the mathematical foundations of efficient 
computation and on state-of-the-art practical algorithms for real-world 
problems. This creates a very special environment, where we do not only 
conduct in-depth research on different theoretical and applied topics, 
but where different lines of research cross-fertilise each other and 
unexpected and exciting synergies often arise. Much of the activities of 
the group revolve around powerful algorithmic paradigms such as, e.g., 
Boolean satisfiability (SAT) solving, Groebner basis computations, 
integer linear programming, and constraint programming. This leads to 
classical questions in computational complexity theory—though often with 
new, fascinating twists—but also involves work on devising clever 
algorithms that can exploit the power of such paradigms in practice.

Our most recent new line of research is on how to verify the correctness 
of state-of-the-art algorithms for combinatorial optimization. Such 
algorithms are often highly complex, and even mature commercial solvers 
are known to sometimes produce wrong results. Our work on designing a 
new generation of certifying combinatorial solvers, which output not 
only an answer but also a machine-verifiable mathematical proof that 
this answer is correct, has already received several international 
awards, but many more exciting problems are still waiting to be solved!

The postdoc position is a full-time research positions for an intended 
duration of 2 years. The PhD position is a four-year full-time employed 
position, but PhD positions usually (though not necessarily) include 20% 
teaching, in which case they are prolonged for one more year. The 
starting dates are negotiable, but should ideally be in August-September 
2026 or earlier. All positions in the research group are fully funded, 
employed positions (including travel money) that come with 
internationally competitive salaries.

The application deadline for both positions is January 16, 2026. For 
more information about the postdoc position see 
https://jakobnordstrom.se/openings/Postdoc-Lund-260116.html and for the 
PhD position see https://jakobnordstrom.se/openings/PhD-Lund-260116.html 
Informal enquiries are welcome and may be sent to jakob.nordstrom at cs.lth.se.