[JOB][Research] Postdoc "'Higher level IDEs for BlockChain Technologies"

We are looking to fill a Postdoc position.

The candidate should :

- hold a PhD degree in Computer Science
- be fluent in English (French is an advantage but not required)
- have good programming skills

Experience with DSLs, IDEs, Models, compilers, code analysis... is a plus.


Topic: Higher level IDEs for BlockChain Technologies
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With Ethereum, BlockChain technology moves from being an implementation technology for virtual currency to  being the basis for developing new kinds of software with smart contracts. The goal of this project is to analyse and improve high-level development and analysis tools for this new kind of software.

Users like banks and insurance companies need tools that model their processes and level of confidentiality of the information shared though blockchain technology, especially on public blockchains. For this, users need a solution that provides a higher level way to model systems than solidity code or even low-level byte-code. In addition, blockchain based solutions often use multiple programming languages. Especially the later poses a risk for later software maintenance.

The goal of this Postdoc is to work on high level IDE / modelling tools for blockchain technology like Ethereum.

The plan is to
- Analyse the current state of tools and languages in the context of blockchain technologies.
- Analyse the current state: modelling tools and processes with a focus in decision processes
 both in communities and commercial use.
- Explore how to improve the state of the art, with a focus on how tools can support users of blockchain solutions.
- Realize prototypes for IDEs/modelling tools for Ethereum, possibly using Pharo. Directions
 to explore will be both related to generating and analysing solidity code as well as complete
solutions for users in an industrial setting.
- Results will be submitted to be publish in international conferences and journals.

The work is a collaboration between Inria Lille (RMOD) and Utocat SAS.

Duration : 2 years
Salary: 31 644€ brut
Employer: Inria
More information: contact [hidden email]

Utocat:
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Utocat was created in October 2014 by Clément Francomme to help merchants accepting bitcoin payments and converting it directly in euros. In 2015, Utocat joined the EuraTechnologies acceleration program and pivoted to propose Blockchainiz : the dedicated access platform for Banks and Insurance companies. Laurent Koszyczek and Alexis Mévellec partnered with Clément Francomme to improve the technical and commercial aspects.

As a Platform As A Service (PAAS), Blockchainiz accompanies projects up to the production stage.
Blockchainiz connects the functional processes to the blockchain. Data is not replicated on different IT systems anymore. Blockchain is used as a common repository for every part of the process. Hence, it enables to limit the typing errors, to optimize the costs and delays while the customer experience is improved.

More information at: https://www.blockchainiz.io

Inria Lille
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Inria is a research institute dedicated to promoting ‘scientific excellence in the service of technology transfer and society as a whole’. Inria employs a staff of 2700, drawn from the world’s most prestigious universities, to address the latest challenges in computer science and mathematics. The Institute operates eight Research Centres throughout France.

The Inria Lille - Nord Europe Research Centre was founded in 2008 and employs a staff of 360, including 300 scientists working in sixteen research teams. Recognised for its outstanding contribution the socio-economic development of the Nord - Pas-de-Calais Region, the Inria Lille - Nord Europe Research Centre undertakes research in the field of computer science in collaboration with a range of academic, institutional and industrial partners.

The strategy of the Centre is to develop an internationally renowned centre of excellence with a significant impact on the City of Lille and its surrounding area. It works to achieve this by pursuing a range of ambitious research projects in such fields of computer science as the intelligence of data and adaptive software systems. Building on the synergies between research and industry, Inria is a major contributor to skills and technology transfer in the field of computer science. https://www.inria.fr/centre/lille

RMOD
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The goal of RMoD is to support remodularization and development of modular object-oriented applications. We tackle this objective from two complementary perspectives: reengineering, and constructs for dynamic languages. In the context of languages, we revisit language concepts such as modules and composition; we are also working on a new
generation of reflective systems. We experiment with these programming constructs using Pharo, an open source, reflective, object-oriented language. http://rmod.inria.fr