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ParaBoost Challenge: Getting a PhD Position in the Sape Research Group

Dear Prospective PhD Student,

You expressed your interest in becoming a PhD student on the ParaBoost project in our research group. The Faculty of Informatics at the University of Lugano belongs to the world's leading research institutions in computer science. Admission into our PhD program is highly competitive.

Research on the ParaBoost project will require you to develop and extend features in modern virtual machines. If you would like to be considered for our positions, we thus need you to demonstrate your skills and abilities by passing our ParaBoost Challenge.

The Steps

Here is what you need to do (follow the three links to read more):

The above steps are indicative of the kind of work you would start out with during your PhD. You should be able to complete the first step in less than a day. We highly recommend you try to complete the three steps before applying to our position. If you do, please include your results in a separate "ParaBoost Challenge document" in your application.

Your Application

Note that the Faculty of Informatics requires all applications to the PhD Program to be sent by postal mail (not email). The postmark deadline for your application is May 1, 2011, thus there is limited time to complete the three steps. You have to mail your application to the address given on the Faculty of Informatics PhD Program Page.

If you completed all three steps, or if you feel you would be able to complete them if you had a little bit more time, please apply for a PhD position following the application process described on the Faculty of Informatics PhD Program Page.

In addition to the application material requested on the Faculty of Informatics PhD Program Page, we recommend that you also submit the following:

  • A list of your scientific publications (if any)
  • A list of your contributions to open-source software projects (if any)
  • The abstract of your Masters thesis (or an English translation of the abstract)
  • The "ParaBoost Challenge document" (a short report describing your results of the three steps of the ParaBoost Challenge)

Moreover, in your "Statement of Purpose", (1) explain why you would like to get a PhD, (2) connect your specific background to the overall ideas of the ParaBoost project, and (3) outline what concrete aspects of the project you are most excited about.

Finally, to ensure that your application will be considered for our ParaBoost positions, please clearly note in your "Statement of Purpose" that you are applying for a position on the ParaBoost research project.

More Information

In case you would like to ask clarification questions related to the application process or the ParaBoost Challenge, please send an email to Matthias.Hauswirth@usi.ch and include the words "ParaBoost Challenge" in the subject header. Given the large number of applications I am receiving, if you send me mail without these words, chances are that I will ignore your questions and that I will just point you to this web page again.

Please note that I will not be able to provide support in performing the above steps. You will have to read the documentation on the Jikes RVM web site. To qualify for the ParaBoost positions, you should be able to solve the challenge on your own.