Software Engineer II, PhD (Programming Systems Group) (San Francisco)

About the Role

Uber is seeking an exceptional and experienced program analysis expert to join the Programming Systems Group within the Developer Platform organization. The ideal candidate will possess in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in static program analysis, with a proven track record of designing, developing, and deploying automatic bug detection tools, including linters. Key qualifications include demonstrated expertise in leveraging advanced techniques, such as program analysis and large language models (LLMs), to build innovative developer tools. A critical aspect of this role involves integrating these tools seamlessly into the software development workflow, with a particular focus on enhancing the code review cycle.

About the Team

The Programming Systems Group at Uber aims to accelerate performance, reliability, and developer productivity across various computational domains. We focus on research in programming languages spanning Go, Java, Swift, Kotlin, and TypeScript, to name a few. The research includes the right mix of innovation, advanced development, and critical extensions to core infrastructure to address novel problems in computer science and adjoining domains. The team's recent work includes static analysis tools such as NullAway , NilAway, Last Diff Analyzer , and Piranha ; dynamic analysis tools such as CRISP , datarace detection , and LeakProf ; optimization tools such as swift protocol specialization , code-size optimization , and profile-guided optimization in Go; and Generative-AI tools for fixing concurrency bugs and resource leaks in Java . We make our tools open source and publish our research as academic papers at premier conferences and blog posts. We also participate actively in the research community, including attending conferences, organizing workshops, and serving on program committees.

To succeed in this position, you will have a solid understanding of innovative program analysis techniques and experience developing static analyses or compiler optimizations. You should also be passionate about writing clean, efficient, and well-tested code.

What the Candidate Will Do ----

1. Drive exciting, ambitious, previously unsolved projects from end-to-end

2. Thrive in ambiguous product requirements

3. Iterate fast to explore possible solutions

4. Make data-driven decisions with exceptional execution

5. Collaborate closely with product managers and data scientists

6. Be motivated to own projects and push them forward with independence

7. Most importantly, have a passion for making Uber better for our customers

8. Publish your work at top computer science conferences

---- Basic Qualifications ----

1. Ph.D. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field

2. 3+ years of professional software development experience with prior experience with compiler design/optimization, static or dynamic analysis, abstract syntax trees (ASTs), intermediate representations (IRs), and formal methods.

3. Proficiency in programming languages and experience developing static analysis tools using frameworks like LLVM, Soot, WALA, Spoon, or ASM.

4. Experience with machine learning or Generative AI for program analysis is needed.

5. Knowledge of different compilation steps (and ability to troubleshoot) in languages such as Go, C, C++, or Java

6. Strong publication record in relevant conferences (e.g., PLDI, OOPSLA, ICSE, ASE, FSE, ASPLOS).

7. Excellent coding skills and software design skills

Note that up to 3 years of the total required software engineering experience may have been gained through education and full-time work experience, additional training, coursework, research, or similar (OR some combination of these). The years of specialized experience are not necessarily in addition to the years of Education & full-time work experience indicated.

---- Preferred Qualifications ----

1. Deep knowledge of runtime environment such as JVM, LLVM, GraalVM, or JIT compilation.

2. Familiarity with software verification tools like Errorprone, Z3, CBMC, or Infer.

3. Experience integrating program analysis tools into CI/CD pipelines.

4. Ability to communicate effectively with both technical and business partners

5. Experience in simplifying/converting business challenges into technical problems

6. Research mentality with a bias towards action to structure a project from idea to experimentation to prototype to implementation

7. Experience building and iterating on code review (phabricator, GitHub), automation test infrastructure (unit, integration, E2E), and build systems (Bazel / buck)

8. Experience working with teams spanning geographic locations and time-zones

9. Linux and Kubernetes system knowledge

10. Experience presenting at industry-recognized academic conferences

For New York, NY-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD$167,000 per year - USD$185,500 per year. For San Francisco, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD$167,000 per year - USD$185,500 per year. For Seattle, WA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD$167,000 per year - USD$185,500 per year. For Sunnyvale, CA-based roles: The base salary range for this role is USD$167,000 per year - USD$185,500 per year. For all US locations, you will be eligible to participate in Uber's bonus program, and may be offered an equity award & other types of comp. You will also be eligible for various benefits. More details can be found at the following link

Uber is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know by completing this form-