Organisation/Company: Universidade de Coimbra
Department: Divisão de Projetos e Atividades (Bolsas)
Research Field: Engineering
Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
Positions: Undergraduate Positions
Country: Portugal
Application Deadline: 24 Apr 2025 - 23:59 (Europe/Lisbon)
Type of Contract: Temporary
Job Status: Full-time
Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer DescriptionThe University of Coimbra opens a call for the assignment of a research initiation grant, with one position, within the scope of the project CISUC - UID/00326, title Center for Informatics and Systems of the University of Coimbra.
This call is governed by this Announcement, the Research Grants Regulation of the University of Coimbra (RBI-UC), supplemented by the Research Grants Regulation of the Foundation for Science and Technology (RBI-FCT), the Research Grant Holder Statute (EBI), the Rules for the Attribution and Management of Grants within the scope of R&D Projects, the Code of Administrative Procedure (CPA), all in their current wording, and other applicable national and EU legislation.
Procedure Reference: IT137-2025-141
I - Legal admission requirementsI.I - Grant Recipients:Students enrolled for the first time in a bachelor's degree in the scientific area of Informatics Engineering, Data Science and Engineering or Design and Multimedia.
I.II - Ineligible candidates:Candidates who have previously received any research grants under the terms of the EBI are not eligible.
I.III - The following are eligible for the grant(s), provided they meet the requirements outlined above:Portuguese nationals or nationals of other EU Member StatesNationals of third countriesStateless personsBeneficiaries of political refugee statusWhen the work plan takes place, in whole or in part, in foreign institutions, only candidates who can prove permanent and habitual residence in Portugal at the start of the grant are eligible.
II - Grant location:Department of Informatics Engineering of the University of Coimbra
III- Scientific supervision/coordination of the grant:Professor José Alexandre D'Abruzzo Pereira
IV - Work Plan / Goals to be achieved:Title: Evaluation of Large Language Models (LLMs) to classify software vulnerability fixes using Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC)
Description: Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) is a technique developed to classify software defects as part of the root-cause analysis. It is also used to classify the fixes of software vulnerabilities. In a previous study, vulnerability fixes of three large open-source C/C++ projects (Linux, Mozilla, and Xen) were classified using ODC by cybersecurity researchers. However, this task is time-consuming and error-prone.
Large Language Models (LLMs) are being widely used in many applications of computer science, including security. A potential application of LLMs is to classify software vulnerability fixes using ODC. The goal of this scholarship is to evaluate the ability of LLMs to classify software vulnerability fixes and compare them with a previous classification from security experts. It is targeted to a student who wants to improve their programming skills in Python, and who wants to learn more about LLM applications.
Work Plan:M1: Review the available free LLMs solutions, either targeted to source code or not.M2: Classify the software vulnerabilities from the Linux project using LLM technologies.M3: Classify the software vulnerabilities from the Xen project using LLM technologies.M4: Classify the software vulnerabilities from the Mozilla project using LLM technologies.M5-M6: Compare the classification provided by the LLMs with the previous classification provided by the researchers.V - Initial grant duration:Three (3) months.
V.I - Renewal Possibility:Possibly renewable
VI - Funding and financial conditions of the grantVI.I - Monthly grant amount:651,12€
VI.II - Other financial components of the grant:In addition to the above amounts, voluntary social security (SSV) is included when the grant has a duration of six months or more, corresponding to the first level, if the candidate opts for it, as well as mandatory personal accident insurance.
VI.IV - Funding:The grant(s) assigned under this call will be funded by the national funds entered in the budget of the Foundation for Science and Technology and, if applicable, co-financed by Community funds.
VII - Selection Methods:Evaluation of the academic record (AR) and Interview (I)
VII.I - AR - The curriculum evaluation considers the candidates' academic and professional achievements based on the following weights and criteria:Criterion 1 – Absolute merit of curriculum vitae;Criterion 2 – Adequacy of the candidate's profile to the work plan to be developed.VII.II- I – The interview evaluates the candidates' performance based on the following weights and criteria:Criterion 1 – Ability to express oneself and verbal fluency;Criterion 2 – Motivation and interest.VII.VI - All candidates who score above 50 in the AR will proceed to the next method, i.e., the interview.VIII - Application Submission:Candidates must access and register on the electronic platform / to submit their application, selecting the procedure to which they wish to apply. Documents uploaded for the application must be in portable document format (PDF).
VIII.I- Mandatory documents to attach when applying:Curriculum Vitae, duly updated, dated, and signed;Copy of academic degree certificates.Proof of enrollment in a degree or non-degree course.IX – Application deadline:10/04/2025 to 24/04/2025
X - Activity Regime:The grant does not create or constitute a legal-labor relationship. It is carried out under an exclusive dedication regime, and the grantee is awarded the Research Grantee Status, as stipulated in the EBI and the RBI-UC.
XI - Notification of Candidates:All notifications will be made through the electronic platform Apply UC.
XVI - Equal Opportunity Policy:The University of Coimbra actively promotes a policy of equal opportunities between men and women in terms of employment access and career progression.
XVII- Reporting:The grantee must submit annual activity reports for each renewal and at the end of the grant contract.
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