PhD Position F/M Ranked Access to Query Answers Under Updates

A propos du centre ou de la direction fonctionnelle

Inria is the French National Institute for Research in Digital Science, of which the Inria Côte d'Azur University Center is a part. With strong expertise in computer science and applied mathematics, the research projects of the Inria Côte d'Azur University Center cover all aspects of digital science and technology and generate innovation. Based mainly in Sophia Antipolis, but also in Nice and Montpellier, it brings together 47 research teams and nine support services. It is active in the fields of artificial intelligence, data science, IT system security, robotics, network engineering, natural risk prevention, ecological transition, digital biology, computational neuroscience, health data, and more. The Inria Center at Université Côte d'Azur is a major player in terms of scientific excellence, thanks to the results it has achieved and its collaborations at both European and international level.

Contexte et atouts du poste

This PhD proposal is funded as part of the ANR EXPAND project.

The PhD will be supervised by Nofar Carmeli (Inria researcher in Boreal) and Antoine Amarilli (advanced researcher at Inria Lille and maître de conférences in Télécom Paris, HDR).

Mission confiée

A central problem in database theory is the efficient evaluation of queries over databases. However, in many application settings, the complete result to a query may also be very big, i.e., it may be unrealistic to compute all the query answers. For that reason, recent work in database theory has studied how to efficiently compute *implicit representations* of query answers over databases. The goal of these data structures is to provide a way to efficiently solve some tasks on the answer relation without fully materializing it: in particular, *enumerating* the results, or *directly accessing* a given result by its index.

One important feature needed for such applications is the support for an *order* on query answers, i.e., producing in priority the results that come first according to this order. These tasks have been studied in the setting of static data, but another important feature of modern applications is that databases can be modified over time. The focus of this PhD thesis is thus to study the task of accessing query answers under updates according to a user-defined order, in particular, ranked access and ranked enumeration.

Principales activités

The PhD candidate is expected to read and understand related work, to devise new algorithms and hardness proofs, and to write scientific reports describing this work.

Expected outcomes include publications of the results leading database theory conferences.

Compétences

The candidate should have a solid background in computer science, including algorithms, data structures, complexity, logic, and databases.
The candidate should have a good level of English, good communication skills, and be able to work effectively with other people and integrate into the team.

Avantages

• Subsidized meals
• Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
• Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
• Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours
• Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
• Social, cultural and sports events and activities
• Access to vocational training
• Contribution to mutual insurance (subject to conditions)