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Getting to Know a PhD
December 26, 2013
Google offers a variety of opportunities for PhDs who wish to gain industry experience. Through our Getting to Know a PhD series, we’ll provide a glimpse into some of these opportunities as well as the impactful projects PhDs at Google work on. Today we’re featuring
Ian Zerny
, a Software Engineer in our Aarhus office who interned on the
Dart Language
team.
So Ian, tell us about yourself and your PhD topic...
I’m Danish/Canadian and I completed my PhD under the supervision of
Olivier Danvy
at
Aarhus University
. During my studies I investigated techniques for the construction and inter-derivation of semantic descriptions for programming languages, in particular, for lazy languages, like Haskell. These techniques can be used to help design specifications for programming languages and to mechanically derive implementations for them.
I’m also a recipient of the
Google European Doctoral Fellowship
in Programming Technology. As part of the fellowship I was provided a Google mentor which was great for getting a different perspective on my research.
Why did you apply for an internship at Google?
Google has a strong reputation and works on a wide range of topics including the design and implementation of programming languages, which I find extremely interesting.
Was there a connection between your internship and your PhD topic?
My PhD topic was about design and specification of programming languages, while my internship and current work is about language implementation. The internship was a nice change of pace from dissertation writing and provided some concrete work within a related domain.
What did you work on during your internship with Google and what are you working on at Google now?
During my internship, I worked on optimizing the Virtual Machine (VM) for Dart, a new programming language for the web designed by Google. The Dart VM is a standalone VM for running Dart programs and is now about twice as fast as the fastest JavaScript VM.
Currently, I’m working on the open source
Oilpan project
, designing and implementing trace-based garbage collection for the Blink rendering engine in Google Chrome. Oilpan will make Chrome less memory intensive, more secure and easier to maintain.
What’s it like working on the Dart and Chrome team?
It’s great! Both teams are very dedicated and enthusiastic about their respective projects. Chrome has improved the way we use the web today and continues to push boundaries. The Dart project is an exciting attempt to provide web programmers with an alternative choice for writing web applications that is scalable and fast. Both projects are also Open Source and developed as part of a wider community. Working on them has been both challenging and exciting!
What key skills have you gained from your time at Google?
Technically, I’ve become a better programmer and gained practical experience with languages and tools, some new and some already known to me. On a higher level, I’ve gained experience working in the industry and with a large team.
You recently converted into a new grad SWE role. Did your internship experience impact your thoughts about a future career?
Yes. Specifically, it provided me with an accurate picture of what it would be like to work at Google. During my internship I worked with a great team on projects that are actively changing the landscape of the web. Based on my internship experience, I decided to apply for a full-time position and started straight after finishing my dissertation.
Why should a PhD student apply for an internship at Google? Did your internship experience impact your thoughts about a future career? Any advice to offer?
I strongly recommend applying for an internship. It’s a great way to learn about how programming technology is actively being used. Learning what it’s like to work in the industry and in a large team will also help to plan your career. My internship provided me with an accurate picture of what it would be like to work at Google. I worked with a great team on projects that are actively changing the landscape of the web. Based on my internship experience, I decided to apply for a full-time position and started straight after finishing my dissertation.
Try it out. You’ll learn a lot and it’s fun too!
Google is currently accepting applications for internships for PhDs. For more information, please visit our
Google Students Job site
.
Posted by Beate List, Research Programs Specialist, EMEA
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