Ph.D. position at Karlsruhe University

[Alexander Wolff]

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o		     OPENING for a Ph.D. POSITION                    o
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o			    in the project                           o
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o	 GeoNet -- Geometric Networks and Their Visualization        o
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o                      at Karlsruhe University                       o
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THE PROJECT

consists of two parts: 
(a) analysis and construction of geometric networks, and 
(b) visualization of geometric networks.  
In part (a) the focus is on networks where the distance of two
geometric objects (like points or rectangles) within the network is
bounded by a constant multiple of their bee-line (i.e. Euclidean)
distance.  Such networks are called Euclidean spanners.  They have
many applications in distributed systems, communication network
design, robotics, pattern recognition, data compression, and in
biology.  Part (b) deals with the question how networks with an
underlying geometry (like subway networks) have to be distorted in the
visualization process in order to improve their readability.

The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) for up
to five years.  The project team so far consists of Dr. Alexander
Wolff (project leader) and Marc Benkert (Ph.D. student).


THE FACULTY OF COMPUTER SCIENCE AT KARLSRUHE UNIVERSITY

is one of the oldest and largest computer science departments in
Germany.  About 10% of all computer scientists in Germany have
graduated from Karlsruhe University.


THE ALGORITHMS GROUP

is a new research group at Karlsruhe University that has been
established by Prof. Dorothea Wagner in April 2003.  The group works
in combinatorial optimization, clustering, computational geometry and
graph theory.  The group currently consists of Prof. Dorothea Wagner,
Dr. Alexander Wolff, and six Ph.D. students.


THE CANDIDATE

should have a master's degree in computer science or mathematics, with
a firm background in algorithms.  The candidate will mainly work in
part (b) of the project, modeling network visualization problems and
implementing algorithms.  Programming experience is therefore
appreciated.


BEING A Ph.D. STUDENT IN GERMANY

In Germany, Ph.D. students are paid a salary; no additional grants are
needed.  Moreover, although Ph.D. students sometimes attend courses,
there is no minimum requirement.  The Ph.D. student hired for this
position is expected to do 90 minutes of teaching per week (during
terms).  The remaining time is spent on research and research-related
activities.

Foreign Ph.D. students initially do not need to speak German, since
English is spoken in the group and on campus.  For everyday life
however, it is necessary to acquire some basic knowledge of German.


THE ENVIRONMENT

Karlsruhe is a middle-sized city (270,000 inhabitants) in the
southwest of Germany, about 20 km from the French border and one hour
by train from the large international airport in Frankfurt.  It has an
excellent public transportation and ample recreation opportunities.
The region around Karlsruhe, Baden, is known for its warm and sunny
climate, its good white wine and its savoir-vivre.


WE OFFER

* A research position in a young and enthusiastic research group.

* A two-plus-two-year position, i.e. the DFG has guaranteed funds for
  two years, plus another two years provided that their funding
  resources do not change drastically.

* A salary of approximately 1500 euro per month after taxes.

* Good facilities for sports and language training.


MORE INFORMATION

If you want to know more about the project or how to apply, please
contact Alexander Wolff (awolff at ira.uka.de, use subject: application)
or visit the following web pages.

group:      http://i11www.ira.uka.de/algo/
faculty:    http://www.ira.uka.de/I3V_HOME/ueberblick.en.html
university: http://www.uni-karlsruhe.de/Uni/index_en.html

Applications (with CV and letter of recommendation) 
are expected until                                   August 25, 2003.  
Ideally the candidate's contract will start on       October 1, 2003.


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