The new Doctoral College “Automated Reasoning” is lead by Georg Weissenbacher, who is Professor of Formal Methods in Systems Engineering. The Doctoral College is a collaboration of our Research Units Cyber-Physical Systems, Formal Methods in Systems Engineering, Machine Learning, Security and Privacy, and Software Engineering, at TU Wien Informatics. The new Doctoral College is endowed with nearly 2,5 Million Euros by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), will offer thirteen PhD positions and has seven Principal Investigators (PIs):

• Ezio Bartocci, Professor of Cyber-Physical Systems
• Maria Christakis, Professor and Head of the Research Unit Software Engineering
• Katalin Fazekas, Assistant Professor of Formal Methods in Systems Engineering
• Thomas Gärtner, Professor and Head of the Research Unit Machine Learning
• Laura Kovacs, Professor and Head of the Research Unit Formal Methods in Systems Engineering
• Matteo Maffei, Professor and Head of the Research Unit Security and Privacy

About the Doctoral College

Security and Machine Learning (ML) have a tremendous impact on society, for instance when it comes to the safety of self-driving cars or the accuracy of judicial or medical decisions made by Artificial Intelligence (AI). As the safety of AI systems hinges on the reliability of the underlying software and algorithms, how can we safeguard electronic systems against malfunctions and mitigate potential harm?

Automated reasoning and formal verification are increasingly deployed as a countermeasure to various threats. Automated Reasoners routinely perform millions of security checks in cloud computing, analyze millions of lines of code, and increasingly ensure the robustness and fairness of neural networks. These advances are driven by foundational research as well as its applications and driven by a uniquely close collaboration between industry research labs and academia. As a result, there is a growing demand for experts in these fields. The solution to this shortage lies in the education of future leaders at the intersection of security and ML with a strong background in Automated Reasoning.

Knowledge Transfer and Academic Excellence

The new Doctoral College on Automated Reasoning aims to train the next generation of experts in this critical field. It addresses foundational questions, including the rigorous definition of safety and security across domains and applications, the development of automated techniques and analyses to ensure the safety and security of electronic systems and the exploration of synergies between security and AI. The program’s academic excellence is ensured by a faculty of seven distinguished researchers, each of whom has received prestigious awards and maintains strong ties to industry.

The program offers thirteen new PhD positions, providing students with a strong foundation across the sub-disciplines that form its core through specialized area courses. Interdisciplinary research is fostered through close co-supervision by faculty members with complementary expertise, as well as regular collaboration with peers during retreats, seminars, and social events. Students also benefit from opportunities for international secondments or internships with industry and academic research partners, exposing them to fresh ideas, diverse working cultures, and expanded career possibilities. Throughout the program, students are offered mentoring and support for career planning, and access to workshops on innovation and entrepreneurship. A strong focus on ethics prepares students for difficult ethical questions, and with nearly half of the faculty comprised of female members, the program offers strong role models for students from underrepresented groups and aspires to significantly exceed the typical gender ratio in computer science.

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