Research Associate in Ethereum

Hybrid in Manchester·Added 12 days ago (last checked 3 Oct)

University of Manchester

71 open roles

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Overview

Job details

£37,694 - £46,049 a year
Gross, as stated in the ad.
About £2,550 - £3,060 a month after tax.
Fixed-term contract
Per the ad.
Hybrid
Office and home days — the ad has the split.
Apply by Wednesday 14 October
The date the employer’s listing closes.

Requirements

Be near Manchester for hybrid days
No relocation package mentioned.

Benefits

29 days holiday + bank holidays
Paid annual leave, per the ad.

Skills

Nice to have

The role

We are seeking a motivated and collaborative individual to join our team as a Research Associate in Ethereum. This role offers an exciting opportunity to contribute to research within a dynamic and inclusive environment.

The post holder will design and build AI agents and verification engines for the formal verification and automated testing of Ethereum consensus specifications, as part of the project "Bounded Model Checking for Verifying and Testing Ethereum Consensus Specifications".

The successful candidate will join the Department of Computer Science within the School of Engineering, working in the Systems and Software Security (S3) Research Group led by Dr. Lucas Cordeiro.

You will be responsible for

Extending ESBMC's Python frontend to model check the Ethereum consensus specification's reference implementation, including the fork choice component
Designing new bounded model checking techniques for verifying safety and reachability properties without manual abstraction of the specification
Building AI agents that translate specification clauses into formal properties and drive the verification engine's search and triage of counterexamples
Developing agentic workflows that use the verification engine to generate test suites traceable to individual specification clauses
Writing scientific articles on the verification engine, agent design, and test generation results for security and software engineering venues

We welcome candidates who bring diverse perspectives, experiences, and approaches to their work.

About You

We encourage applications from individuals with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. You should demonstrate:

Essential Criteria

PhD in computer science or a closely related field, in formal verification, software testing, programming languages, or AI agents
Strong programming skills in Python and/or C++
Knowledge of formal verification techniques such as model checking, SAT/SMT solving, or symbolic execution
Experience building or applying AI agents, including LLM-based agents, for software engineering tasks
Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Criteria

Experience with bounded model checkers such as ESBMC, CBMC, or similar tools
Familiarity with the Ethereum consensus specification or blockchain protocols more broadly
Track record of peer-reviewed publications in formal methods, software testing, or AI
Experience with coverage-guided test generation or fuzzing
Familiarity with Git-based version control and open-source software development

We value transferable skills and real-world experience as much as formal qualifications.

Our benefits include

• Generous employer contribution pension
• 29 days annual leave plus bank holidays, along with Christmas closure
• Ride to work and EV car scheme available

For more information, please see University of Manchester Benefits. You can also find information on our Flexible and Hybrid working arrangements.

We are an open place of enquiry and challenge. We embrace and celebrate difference, diversity and debate, and we pride ourselves on being a place of education, learning and community where we are able, within the law, to question and test received wisdom, express new ideas and explore controversial or unpopular topics and opinions.