Research Associate in Ethereum

As a Research Associate in Ethereum at the University of Manchester, you will design and build AI agents and verification engines for formal verification and automated testing of Ethereum consensus specifications. You 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, as part of the project "Bounded Model Checking for Verifying and Testing Ethereum Consensus Specifications".

What you'll do

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

What you bring

• A PhD in computer science or a closely related field, with specialisation 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

Nice to have

• Experience with bounded model checkers such as ESBMC, CBMC, or similar tools
• Familiarity with the Ethereum consensus specification or blockchain protocols more broadly
• A 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

What we offer

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

About the University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a place of education, learning and community where you can question and test received wisdom, express new ideas and explore topics across disciplines. The Department of Computer Science is part of the School of Engineering.