Database and Information Systems Group (DBIS)
Department of Computer Science
University of Basel, Switzerland
One full-time research programmer position
Job Description ---------------------------
The Database and Information System Group (http://dbis.cs.unibas.ch/) at the Department of Computer Science at the University of Basel is looking for research programmers for application development in the area of grid computing.
The work will take place in the context of the European project D4Science (http://www.d4science.eu/), an official follow-up to the European project DILIGENT (http://www.diligentproject.org).
The aim of the D4science project is to put into production a grid-based infrastructure for e-Science, enabling members of dynamic virtual e-Science organisations to access shared knowledge and to collaborate in a secure, coordinated, dynamic and cost-effective way through a seamless access to all the resources they need regardless of their physical location, including content resources, application services that manipulate them, and computational resources.
The infrastructure integrates Grid and Digital Library (DL) technologies, and is supported by a service-oriented application framework named gCube (http://www.gcube-system.org/index.htm). gCube makes possible the declarative and dynamic creation of transient Virtual Research Environments (VREs) by aggregating and deploying on-demand content resources, application services, and computing resources. It also monitors the shared resources during the VREs lifetime guaranteeing their optimal allocation and exploitation. Finally, it provides mechanisms to easily create VREs dedicated web portals through which content and services can be accessed, thus offering a full-featured platform for distributed hosting, management and retrieval of data and information, and a framework for extending state-of-the-art indexing, selection, fusion, extraction, description, annotation, transformation, and presentation of content.
The successful candidate will participate in the refinement/development of gCube services playing a central role in the infrastructure, supplying functionality for content storage and organization and for service composition and work-flow management, in team with computer scientists, PhD students and/or other R&D programmers.
Requisites ---------------------------
The position requires skills in research-oriented application development, ability to work in a collaborative environment, interest in working with new, innovative technologies. The successful candidate will hold a B.Sc. or (preferably) a M.Sc. in Computer Science or other related area, have a good knowledge of the English language and several of the following qualifications:
- Good knowledge of unix/linux environments
- Demonstrated programming experience in Java
- Background in databases, database programming, and experience with commercial or open-source relational DBMSs.
- Background in Service-Oriented Architectures, and experience in developing, testing, and deploying web-services (possibly with Java technologies)
- Familiarity with existing grid technologies (e.g. gLite, Globus toolkit)
- Ability to solve problems in an autonomous way
- Excellent communication and organizational skills and ability to work in team.
- Ability to travel inside Europe
Economic Treatment -------------------------
The position is available immediately, will have a minimum duration of 8 months, and is extensible to a maximum of 1.5 years. The economic treatment is equivalent to that of a PhD student. The gross salaries are geared to the salary levels of the Swiss National Science Foundation, and are:
1st year: 38'400 CHF 2nd year: 41'400 CHF
and is subject to a comparatively low national taxation.
The Computer Science Department -------------------
The University of Basel, founded in 1460, is the oldest university in Switzerland. The Computer Science Department (see http://www.informatik.unibas.ch) is located in two modern buildings in the center of the town, close to the river Rhine and to many other departments and student's facilities.
With its more than 30 members coming from all over the world, it offers a friendly atmosphere and a pleasant working environment. Details on the Database and Information Systems Research Group at the University of Basel can be found at http://dbis.cs.unibas.ch.
Life in Basel -----------------------------
Basel is an attractive, green town located on the river Rhine, at the border between Switzerland, France and Germany. Its position makes it a lively, international, multi-cultural center. The city, with its variety of museums, its University and its Music Academy, is rightly referred to as the cultural capital of Switzerland, but it is also a major industrial centre and an important commercial crossroad, hosting every year trade shows like "BaselWorld" or "Art Basel", attracting visitors and business people from all over Europe. Its many parks, the beautiful, well preserved old town centre dominated by the Cathedral, and the crowded terraces on the banks of the Rhine make it a pleasant, attractive place to visit but also to live and work.
Application and Contacts ----------------
Please send your initial application material via email to:
Diego Milano (diego.milano@unibas.ch)
specifying in the subject the words "Research Programmer Position" and your complete name.
The application should include a CV in either .txt, .doc, .rtf or .pdf format. The candidates should also specify the date when they will be able to start the job, and whether they require special visas to work in Switzerland and to travel within Europe. Applications will be evaluated in the order they are received, until the position is filled. Candidates who are considered eligible for the job will be contacted via email to fix a (possibly telephonic) interview.
For any further inquiry, please write to: diego.milano@unibas.ch