Under the supervision of Magnus Madsen, Ry's PhD project will explore new programming language technologies that make software systems aware of the physical locations where data is stored and processed. The goal is to prevent subtle but costly errors in globally distributed applications.

Modern software systems rely on infrastructure spread across multiple regions and data centres around the world. While this distribution improves resilience against outages, natural disasters, and cyberattacks, it also introduces new challenges. Software must ensure that operations are performed in the correct location, particularly when handling sensitive or regulated data.

The project proposes extending programming languages with novel type and effect systems that explicitly model the location of data. This would allow developers to reason about where operations take place and prevent a class of bugs described as “the right effect, but the wrong location” – situations where a system performs the intended operation but in the wrong geographical region.

Such errors can have serious consequences, including corrupted data, privacy violations, or failures to comply with regulations such as the GDPR. By making location-awareness a built-in part of programming languages, the project aims to provide stronger safety guarantees for the next generation of distributed systems.

The fellowship is awarded by the Danish Advanced Research Academy (DARA), a national PhD academy funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation. DARA supports outstanding early-career researchers through competitive fellowships, interdisciplinary training, international collaboration, and professional development opportunities.