Applications are invited to apply for one intern position at the IMDEA Software Institute, Madrid, Spain.

Research area

The research will focus on the synthesis of controllers, such as those used in drones, that can remain reliable in the presence of unexpected uncertainties during deployment, such as sudden gusts of wind. The goal is to develop methods that allow controllers to adapt to such unforeseen situations while maintaining formal guarantees of correctness and safety.

At the technical level, the research will involve advanced topics in formal methods and theoretical computer science, including graph games, Markov models, and formal language and automata theory. The work is expected to involve extending existing mathematical models to capture new forms of uncertainty, developing new algorithms for controller synthesis and verification, and analyzing their computational complexity. The project will also explore the use of practical heuristics and algorithmic optimizations to improve the performance and scalability of the resulting methods.

The goal will be to develop a theoretical framework and implement the resulting techniques in a prototype software tool, which will then be evaluated on relevant examples and case studies.

Eligibility

Candidates with both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in CS are welcome to apply. Prior backgrounds in formal verification, algorithms,



and control systems will be appreciated but not necessary.

Logistics

The position is based in Madrid, Spain, where the IMDEA Software Institute is situated. The duration of the internship is six months. Salaries are internationally competitive and include attractive conditions such as access to an excellent public healthcare system. The working language at the institute is English. Knowledge of Spanish is not required.

How to apply?

Interested candidates should apply using our online application portal at https://careers.software.imdea.org/ using reference code 2026-09-intern-verifcps. Deadline for applications is October 15, 2026. Review of applications will begin immediately.

General recruitment policy

Selection and recruitment processes are conducted in accordance with the IMDEA Software Institute’s OTM-R Policy (Open, Transparent and Merit-Based Recruitment) and are based on the principles of merit, ability, transparency and equal opportunity. Candidates with equivalent qualifications and merit will be afforded equal opportunities throughout the selection process. The institute is committed to promoting gender equality in accordance with its Gender Equality Plan and to the principles of the European Charter for Researchers and the Human Resources Strategy for Researchers (HRS4R).

📌 Internship in safe and verified cyber-physical systems (Pozuelo de Alarcón)
🏢 IMDEA Software Institute
📍 Pozuelo de Alarcón