PhD Position on Requirements Engineering and Spec-Driven Development

20 Dec 2025
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Utrecht University

Research Field

Computer science » Informatics
Computer science » Programming

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Netherlands

Application Deadline

23 Jan 2026 - 22:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Not Applicable

Hours Per Week

40.0

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 Description

Join our world-leading research lab in Requirements Engineering, part of the Software Production group, as a PhD candidate. We seek a PhD candidate who is eager to advance the future of software engineering and contribute to high-impact, internationally visible work while collaborating with an approachable and highly experienced research team. You will explore cutting-edge topics in specification-driven development, large language models, and AI-assisted software engineering.
Your job
As a PhD candidate within this project, you will conduct research at the forefront of GenAI-assisted software engineering. We envision the following tasks for you:

• Analyzing the interplay between software specifications and generative AI-based code generation.
• Designing and evaluating methods for the automated creation of high-quality specifications.
• Exploring ways to transform elicited requirements into precise specifications for generative AI.
• Experimenting with tuning and adapting large language models for spec-driven development.
• Validating your ideas through empirical studies, prototypes, and real-world data.

Why is this challenging and meaningful? You will work at the frontier of requirements engineering and LLM-based software development, shape how future developers interact with AI systems and help define what “good specifications” mean in an era of automated code generation.
You will work with a diverse, collaborative, and supportive research team that values openness, creativity, and scientific rigor. This position offers unique opportunities for your growth and development. During your PhD, you will gain deep expertise in Generative AI, specification engineering, and empirical software analysis. You will also publish in top venues, collaborate with leading researchers and develop your own research line within a supportive, highly visible group.

Where to apply

Website

https://www.academictransfer.com/en/jobs/357312/phd-position-on-requirements-en…

Requirements
Specific Requirements

You are motivated to contribute to our research and eager to join our group. You are equipped with a critical mindset and recognise yourself in the following qualifications:

• a Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Information Science or related field;
• interest in conducting research in the field of Software Engineering;
• demonstrated collaboration and communication skills with an independent outlook in defining and solving research problems;
• demonstrated programming skills (Python is a plus);
• proficiency in English, both spoken and written.

Additional Information
Benefits

• a position for 18 months, with an extension to a total of four years upon successful assessment in the first 18 months;
• a gross monthly salary between € 3.059 and €3.881 in the case of full-time employment (salary scale P under the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU));
• 8% holiday pay and 8.3% year-end bonus;
• a pension scheme, partially paid parental leave and flexible terms of employment based on the CAO NU.

In addition to the terms of employment laid down in the CAO NU, Utrecht University also offers a range of its own schemes for employees. This includes arrangements for professional development , various types of leave, and options for sports and cultural activities . You can also tailor your employment conditions through our Terms of Employment Options Model. In this way, we encourage you to keep investing in your personal and professional development. For more information, please visit Working at Utrecht University .

Selection process

As Utrecht University, we want to be a home for everyone. We value staff with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and identities, including cultural, religious or ethnic background, gender, sexual orientation, disability or age. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish and contribute.
Knowledge security screening can be part of the selection procedures of academic staff. We do this, among other things, to prevent the unwanted transfer of sensitive knowledge and technology.
If you are enthusiastic about this position, just apply via the "Apply now" button! Please enclose:

• your letter of motivation;
• your Curriculum vitae;
• copy of your MSc diploma (if available, otherwise indicate your expected graduation date in your Curriculum vitae) and transcripts;
• your Master thesis (if available), otherwise a relevant course project or side software project
• the names, telephone numbers, and email addresses of two references (at least one should be academic)

If this specific opportunity isn’t for you, but you know someone else who may be interested, please forward this vacancy to them.
Some connections are fundamental – Be one of them
#FundamentalConnection

Additional comments

For more information, please contact Dr. Fatma Başak Aydemir at f.b.aydemir@uu.nl .
Do you have a question about the application procedure? Please send an email to science.recruitment@uu.nl .

Website for additional job details

https://www.academictransfer.com/357312/

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Universiteit Utrecht

Country

Netherlands

City

Utrecht

Postal Code

3584CC

Street

Princetonplein 5

Geofield

Contact

City

Utrecht

Website

http://www.uu.nl/

Street

Domplein 29

Postal Code

3512 JE

STATUS: EXPIRED

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