University of Agder

The University of Agder has more than 1500 employees and almost 14 000 students. This makes us one of the largest workplaces in Southern Norway. Our staff research, teach and disseminate knowledge from a variety of academic fields. Co-creation of knowledge is our common vision.

We offer a broad range of study programmes in many fields. We are situated at two modern campuses in Kristiansand and Grimstad respectively.

We are an open and inclusive university marked by a culture of cooperation. The aim of the university is to further develop education and research at a high international level.

About the position

A 100 % position is available at the University of Agder, Faculty of Engineering and Science as a PhD Research Fellow in ICT, affiliated to the Department of Information and Technology. The position is located, at the present, at Campus Grimstad. The starting date is as soon as possible or to be negotiated with the faculty.

The successful applicant will become part of Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) at University of Agder, in collaboration with SINTEF, Nkom and AVINOR.

Research topic

Position, navigation, timing and communication signals are vulnerable to cyber‐physical threats (signal jamming, spoofing, meaconing, and legal but misconfigured communications equipment). Nowadays, most of the enforcement response is still based on essentially coincidence or time-consuming investigation. Developing and validating the performance of a novel, cost and time effective scalable approach to interference source detection, localization and tracking is of great interests.

The focus of this position is to develop a labour‐saving AI‐based algorithm in the time frequency power domain for interference/malicious signal detection, classification and fingerprinting (i.e., uniquely identify the source of interference), which can be further utilized for interference source localization and tracking.

The successful candidate will contribute with novel research in AI based interference/malicious signal detection and classification in the traditional time-frequency-power domain, with the main focus on pre-classification of events and signal characteristics identification. Additionally, the candidate will apply the pre-classification and the identified characteristics within the time-difference correlation domain, as well as combining these approaches to operate on data produced by a heterogeneous network of data sources, each with potentially different signal capture capabilities.

Required qualifications

• Masters degree in a related field (e.g., signal processing, machine learning, AI) or have already submitted their Master’s thesis by the closing date of the announcement.
• The ideal candidate will have experience in at least three of the following domains:
  • Communication signal processing
  • Deep neural network for time series analysis
  • Statistical signal analysis
  • Anomaly detection for time series
• In addition, the successful candidate will have excellent general working knowledge of algorithms for signal processing and expert level programming skills.
• Willingness to work in a collaborative research project is essential
• English proficiency, both written and oral. International candidates that are not exempt from the English language requirements pursuant to the guidelines of the Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education (NOKUT), must document this through one of the following tests with the stated results or better:
  • TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language with a minimum score of 600 for the Paperbased Test (PBT), or 92 for the Internet-based Test (iBT)
  • IELTS - International English Language Testing System, with the result of 6.5

A prerequisite for employment is that the candidate is to be admitted to UiA’s PhD programme in Engineering and Science, specialisation in Information and Communication Technology.

Further provisions relating to the positions as PhD Research Fellows can be found in the Regulations Concerning Terms and Conditions of Employment for the post of Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, Research Fellow, Research Assistant and Resident.

Personal qualities

Personal suitability, good teamwork and communication skills, inventiveness, and a proactive approach, will be emphasized in the evaluation as well as relevant practical experience. The PhD Research Fellow will be expected to contribute to an active research community that promotes the personal and professional growth of the doctoral candidate. The position places great demands on the applicant’s capacity for independent goal-oriented work, ability to concentrate and attention to detail.

We offer

• Professional development in a large, exciting and socially influential organisation
• A positive, inclusive and diverse working environment
• Modern facilities and a comprehensive set of welfare offers
• Membership of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund

More about working at UiA.

The position is remunerated according to the State Salary Scale, salary plan 17.515, code 1017 PhD Research Fellow, NOK 491 200 gross salary per year. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.

General information

UiA is an open and inclusive university. We believe that diversity enriches the workplace and makes us better. We, therefore, encourage qualified candidates to apply for the position independent of gender, age, cultural background, disability or an incomplete CV.

Women are strongly encouraged to apply for the position.

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the position, and organisational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected. The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Appointment is made by the University of Agder’s Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for interview. With the applicant’s permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment. Read more about the employment process.

In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act § 25 (2), applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the names of applicants. Applicants will be advised of the University’s intention to exercise this right.

Application

The application and any necessary information about education and experience (including diplomas and certificates) are to be sent electronically. Use the link "Apply for this job".

The following documentation must be uploaded electronically:

• CV with a complete list of scientific publications.
• Transcripts for Master and Bachelor study. When attaching a non-Norwegian academic transcript that does not include a description of the grading system (e.g. maximum grade and minimum passing grade) used by the issuing institution, a (preferably official) description should also be attached. The description may simply contain a link to an official website where the grading system is explained.
• Master thesis or link.
• Up to five representative publications or links.
• A description of the applicant’s research interests, the relevance of his/her expertise to the advertised position and a preliminary work plan.

The applicant is fully responsible for submitting complete digital documentation before the closing date. All documentation must be available in a Scandinavian language or English.

Application deadline: 17.06.22

Contact

For questions about the position:

• Associate Professor Lei Jiao tel +47 37 23 34 28, email [email protected]
• Head of Department Folke Haugland, tel. +47 37 23 32 20, e-mail [email protected].

For questions about the application process:

• Higher Executive Officer Lise Askbo Fylkesnes, tel. +47 37 23 31 25, e-mail: [email protected]

Apply for this job