With about 17,500 students, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the largest higher education institutions in Norway. A broad range of academic programmes are offered at Bachelor, Master and PhD levels, spread out on five campuses Førde, Sogndal, Bergen, Stord og Haugesund.
Our ambition is to build stronger and more solid academic and research environments that will interact nationally and internationally. The aim is to become a recognized actor on the international higher education arena. Increased international cooperation and engagement in externally funded projects will work towards this goal.
The Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences has approximately 300 employees and approximately 3,200 students. The faculty has a broad educational offer at both bachelor's and master's level in engineering and science, as well as PhD education in computer technology. The Mohns Center for Innovation and Regional Development researches innovation and offers master's education in innovation and entrepreneurship. The diving education offers a one-year vocational school education.
The main part of the faculty's activities are in Haugesund, Bergen, Sogndal and Førde. The faculty's activities are internationally based and take place in close collaboration with regional companies, clusters, health trusts and the public sector, including other institutions in the university and college sector. This applies to research, development, innovation and not least education with student projects at all levels.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Technology, Environmental and Social Sciences has as a vacancy for a research fellow (PhD position) in data science.
About the position:
The Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and Mathematical Sciences at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, has a vacancy for a research fellow (PhD position) in data science for a period of 3 years with a possible extension to 4 years.The PhD research fellow will be part of the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing. The research programme in Computer Science currently includes 20 professors and associate professors, more than 30 PhD and post-doctoral fellows, and a large number of master’s students.
The place of employment is campus Bergen
About the PhD project/ work tasks:
The last decade has seen enormous advances in practical methods for machine learning, providing us with data analysis techniques that are, in many cases, much more efficient than the techniques which have traditionally been employed. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly ingrained in the society, it is crucial to ensure that the machine learning algorithms not only make correct inferences, but are also developed in a manner that garners public confidence in their applications. To achieve this confidence, we need to prove that the conclusions drawn from machine learning algorithms are robust and not subject to significant changes due to irrelevant alterations in input data. A vital part in ascertaining this robustness is to have good methods for quantifying the uncertainty associated with the machine learning algorithm’s inference.
The candidate selected for this project will explore and develop methods for uncertainty quantification in machine learning algorithms, thereby contributing to more trustworthy and robust inferences.
In specific, the candidate will:
Combine formal Bayesian theoretical connections with quantitative experiments to develop methods for quantifying the uncertainty of machine learning inferences.
Investigate ways to improve the calibration of machine learning outputs to accurately reflect the true probability of classification or regression results.
Utilize uncertainty quantification to explore and develop methods for anomaly detection using semi-supervised learning. Anomalies will be considered out-of-distribution data points from the perspective of the training dataset, and such points are expected to be associated with high uncertainty, thereby tagging them as anomalies.
Research environment
The ATLAS research group at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences performs high quality particle physics research with a strong focus on adaptation and application of machine learning methods. Current research includes anomaly searches, evaluation of robustness of machine learning approaches, and uncertainty quantification in ML algorithms. The ATLAS group has four staff members, in addition to two PhD students and one postdoctoral researcher.
For this project we have invited in an additional staff member, Ass. Prof. Porta Mana, from outside the ATLAS group. He is a theoretical physicist with long experience in use of Bayesian analysis and decision theory applied to machine learning, ocean modelling, neuroscience, drug discovery and medicine.
The prospective PhD candidate will work in close cooperation with the researchers of the ATLAS group as well as Porta Mana on topics in fundamental data science inspired by the needs of data analysis in high energy physics.
PhD research fellows receive an annual work expense funding which can be used for conference participation, research visits, and equipment.
Qualifications:
The PhD research fellow must hold a master's degree in data science, statistics or in a closely related field. Candidates who have submitted a master’s thesis (but who has not yet been awarded a master’s degree) may also qualify for the position provided that the master’s degree is awarded within 4 weeks after the application deadline. Background from decision theory or analysis of large-scale datasets will be considered an advantage when candidates are ranked. Candidates already holding a PhD within this field are not eligible for this position.
In addition to the required educational and scientific background, the following criteria will be evaluated: competence and grades on completed course work, quality of the master's thesis (excellent grade, equivalent of grade B or better on the ECTS grading system), publications (if any), research and teaching experience, practical software engineering skills and experience. A possible outline of a research plan for a potential PhD project will also be taken into account.
The candidate must be diligent and display the ability to work independently, supplemented with regular guidance, and is expected to carry out high-quality research and to publish the results in national seminars, international workshops, conferences, and journals.
The PhD research fellow must enroll in the PhD programme in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, and must meet the formal admission requirements for admission into the PhD programme. The position is announced for a period of 3 years. During the first year of appointment, it will be possible to apply for an extension to 4 years, with 25% of the 4-year period to be designated to duties such as teaching, development and administrative tasks. The employment period may be reduced if the successful applicant has held previous employment as a research fellow
The PhD candidate will be assigned two academic supervisors at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. An application for enrolment should first be submitted after an appointment is made and the supervisor(s) will help with this procedure. Normally the candidate apply for enrolment within three (3) months after the start of the employment according to Regulations relating to programmes of study and examinations at Western Norway University of Applied SciencesHVL § 2-4.
Applicants who cannot document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 upon employment, must complete Norwegian language training equivalent to at least 15 ECTS credits by the end of the term of appointment. For terms shorter than four years, the term can be extended accordingly
Applicants who cannot document proficiency in Norwegian, Swedish, or Danish at level A2 upon employment, must complete Norwegian language training equivalent to at least 15 ECTS credits by the end of the term of appointment. For terms shorter than four years, the term can be extended accordingly.
Application procedure:
Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members.
Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link “Apply for this job” (“Søk stillingen”).
The following documentation should be uploaded as an attachment to the online application:
Master Thesis
Copies of selected academic publications (no more than 5)
A CV with a complete list of academic publications
Diplomas and certificates
Applicants should indicate which publications or parts of publications should be given special consideration in the evaluation. If the documents submitted are not in a Scandinavian language or in English, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. The transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor`s and master`s degree levels.
Applicants with a degree from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcripts of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, in addition to the original documents, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant encloses a recognition document showing that their degree is equivalent to a Norwegian bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or PhD. You can read more about applying for recognition of foreign higher education here.
The Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir) offers an automatic recognition document for certain degrees from selected countries. If the applicant’s degree is covered by the automatic recognition, it will be sufficient to attach this document. Read more about automatic recognition here.
As the HK-dir application process may take some time it is recommended to apply to HK-dir as soon as possible. If you have not received a recognition document from HK- dir within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from HK-dir showing that they have received your application.
Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college.
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to the regulation for export control system. The regulation might be applied in the processing of the applications.
Salary:
Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development
Opportunities for training within the working hours
The Research Fellow position is compensated according to position code 1017 Research Fellow.
There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.
General information:
The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.
State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds.
Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.
Short-listed applicants will be called in for an interview.
Employed on condition that you are granted a work and residence permit
Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is subjected to The Export Control Regulation. The regulation will be applied in the processing of the applications.
