At the Department of Computer Science of University of Mons (Belgium) we have an open PhD position on a new research project on "ML4SECO: Predictive Health Modelling of Evolving Software Packaging Ecosystems". This project will start in 2021 and bring together recent developments in machine learning, software evolution and open source software ecosystems. The project aims to develop prediction, simulation and discovery models to analyse and predict the health of evolving open source ecosystems and their constituent software components. The project will be conducted at the Department of Computer Science<http://informatique.umons.ac.be> of the University of Mons<https://web.umons.ac.be/en/>, lead by Tom Mens<https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=5RJe8dsAAAAJ&am… (Full Professor, Software Engineering Lab) and Souhaib Ben Taieb<http://souhaib-bentaieb.com/> (Associate Professor, Big Data and Machine Learning Lab). Belgium is centrally located in Europe, and the labs are well-connected to other research teams worldwide. A research position in our group is an ideal stepping stone for an independent research career in academia or industry. Our teams host researchers of various nationalities, hence the working language will be English. How to apply: Candidates should have a Master's degree or equivalent in computer science, with a background in machine learning and/or software engineering. A good knowledge of statistics and former experience in data analysis and open source software development are recommended. Interested applicants should contact the principal investigators Tom Mens<mailto:tom.mens@umons.ac.be> and Souhaib Ben Taieb<mailto:Souhaib.BENTAIEB@umons.ac.be> by e-mail. Official applications should be submitted at your earliest convenience and should indicate at least: a motivation letter; the earliest available starting date of the candidate; a CV including previous experience; a list of previous publications (if applicable); a digital copy of the master thesis; a copy of relevant grade documents; full contact details of the candidate; contact information for at least two potential academic referees that we may contact. For a short summary of the project and its research objectives, see: https://souhaib-bentaieb.com/arc-project/ Tom Mens Software Engineering Lab Faculty of Sciences University of Mons