5 PhD Positions in Computer Architecture

Applications are due no later than March 26, 2014.

Uppsala University's Department of Information Technology has five open PhD positions for research in computer architecture. These positions will leverage our leading work in analyzing, modeling and design of multicore and heterogeneous systems and will target the following five areas:

• Power-efficient micro-architecture: All computers will be limited by their power consumption in one way or another. This works continues our work on novel multicore cache hierarchies, coherence protocols and pipeline designs targeting low power.
• Power-efficient execution models: This work involves exploring different execution models to save energy. This involves modifying compilers and/or binaries to alter the execution path or execution order to save energy. The decisions about the optimizations are to be made based on static or dynamic information.
• Heterogeneous task management: Choosing the appropriate processor for task execution requires understanding the relative performance and power consumption for each task and device, as well as taking into account resource sharing and data transfer. Optimizing this type of execution requires insight into the application generating the tasks, the code generation and understanding the power and performance tradeoffs for different decisions and schedules.
• Optimized data movement: Software or runtime profiling can give us deep insight into the memory behavior of an application, but to take advantage of this we need hardware support for controlling data movement. Such hardware support needs to allow the right combination of runtime HW/SW control as well as static profile-based analysis.
• Virtualized multicore simulation: Virtualization allows detailed simulators to run at exceptionally high speeds, which is essential for modern architecture analysis. Integrating virtualization techniques with multicore simulation requires insight into the interactions between threads in both the virtualized and simulated environments, as well as efficient parallelization for performance.

The Uppsala Architecture Research Team undertakes advanced research in low-power and memory system modeling and design. Over the past years we have developed unique approaches to understanding applications' behavior in multicore systems (Cache and power modeling: StatCache and Green Governors; Behavioral measurement: Cache Pirating,Bandwidth Bandit and PowerSleuth; Phase detection: ScarPhase). These techniques enable us to rapidly predict performance and power consumption for a specific application running on a specific architecture and can guide us towards more efficient solutions. We have also recently suggested disruptive ways of saving power in multicore designs:

• VIPS: A cache coherence protocol without any directory or invalidation messages.
• TLC: A cache hierarchy implemented with no address tags or comparisons.
• DAE (Decoupled Access/Execute) is another recent example of a disruptive execution model we have proposed which combines compiler technology with architecture insights.

The successful candidates will become part of a large dynamic international research group, including 15 PhD students, 2 post doc and 3 professors from four continents with strong contacts to industry and a history of successful startups. The work will be carried out in close collaboration with the UPMARC interdisciplinary 10-year multicore research programwithin the Dept. of IT at Uppsala University, which ranked among the top 100 universities in the world.

Candidates are expected to have an MS-level degree in computer science/systems with a good background in computer architecture and performance. Fluency in English (both verbal and written) is required. The application should explicitly state why this area of research is of interest to the candidate and how his or her background is a good fit for the position. Applicants should be sure to read about applying for a PhD in our group, and then apply through the university job website.

Sweden is a fantastic place for living and working. Swedes are friendly and speak excellent English. The quality of life is high, with a strong emphasis on outdoor activities. The Swedish working climate emphasizes an open atmosphere, with active discussions involving both junior and senior staff. As a PhD student you are regarded as a regular employee with a respectable salary, including a five weeks of paid holiday. Healthcare is free after a small co-pay and the university subsidizes athletic costs, such as a gym membership. The parental benefits in Sweden are among the best in the world, including extensive parental leave (for both parents), paid time off to care for sick children, and affordable daycare.

Important:

• Applications are due no later than March 26, 2014.
• The application must explicitly state why this area of research is of interest to the candidate and how his or her background is a good fit for the position.
• Applicants should be sure to read about applying for a PhD in our group.

Full application details and instructions can be found at: http://www.uu.se/en/jobs/jobs-detail-page/?positionId=33684
For more information please contact Erik Hagersten, Stefanos Kaxiras, or David Black-Schaffer.