PhD opportunity in open-source EDA, formal methods, and hardware design

Created on April 26, 2026

2026

We are looking for a motivated PhD candidate to work on open-source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) methods and tools in the context of the European project ODE4EC-PIV (Open Design Ecosystem for European Chips – Productivity, Interoperability, Verification), which focuses on open-source EDA for productivity, interoperability, and verification.

The position will be carried out in collaboration with EDALab, an industrial partner active in the EDA domain.

The PhD will be strongly tool-oriented. The candidate will contribute to the development of open-source software for hardware design and verification, and to new methodologies to be implemented in these tools.

A key research direction is the integration of HIFSuite and CHASE to provide formal support, including Assume/Guarantee contracts, for the specification of electronic devices. This aligns with the broader ODE4EC-PIV
objectives on open-source EDA infrastructures, modular tool integration, verification workflows, and AI-driven design methodologies.

The PhD will offer the candidate the opportunity to build strong skills in:

  • Software engineering;
  • Hardware design;
  • Electronic Design Automation;
  • Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence;
  • Research software development.

The PhD will also provide the opportunity to interact with leading academic and industrial players in the European EDA ecosystem, fostering technical exchange and collaboration within the ODE4EC-PIV project, and the other projects funded by the European Chips Act.

The candidate will join the Electronic System Design research group at the University of Verona, led by Prof. Franco Fummi. The group also includes Dr. Enrico Fraccaroli and I, who both of us received a prestigious Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Global Fellowship after our PhD working in the same research group, highlighting the group’s strong international profile and research training environment.

The position is based in Verona, Italy, a historic and vibrant city with an excellent quality of life.

For details, please contact: michele.lora@univr.it