Stilling:
PhD Candidate in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality
Deadline: January 25, 2019
The Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology has a PhD position in Computer Science: Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality vacant for a candidate committed to take the degree of Philosophy Doctor (PhD).
The position is organized under the Department of Computer Science and Computational Engineering.
The appointment is for a period of four years for a candidate with knowledge, skills and will to successfully complete the PhD study within and limited to the time frame.
The PhD position is for a fixed term, with the objective of completion of research training to the level of a doctoral degree. Admission to the PhD program is a condition for employment, and the program period starts on commencement of the position. The PhD candidate shall participate in the faculty’s organized research training, and the PhD project shall be completed during the period of employment. Information about the application process for admission to the PhD program, application form and regulations for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) is available here.
For further information contact:
- Prof. Bernt Bremdal, +4776966280, bernt.bremdal@uit.no or
- Prof. Arne Lakså, +4776966221, arne.laksa@uit.no
The position’s affiliation
Department of Computer Science and Computational Engineering has ongoing research activity related to artificial intelligence, simulation, and computational geometry, image processing and analysis.
Faculty of Engineering Science and Technology (IVT) provides an international research environment with ongoing research projects in material technology, simulations, and mathematical physics. The faculty has a student environment consisting of about 20 PhD students.
The position’s field of research/research project
The complete title is Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality - Autonomous multi-agent system models for operation in complex and adverse environments.
This position in computer science is assigned to research in artificial intelligence and will be dedicated to work within the field of multi-agent systems (MAS) and hyper-distributed processing models. Work will take place within the realm of the faculty’s AI group, but will be related to ongoing work in robotics/drone technology, virtual world and geometric modelling. Knowledge of deep learning in machine learning is essential. Much of the work will be dedicated to autonomous relief operations, advanced logistics and critical smart city applications. Cooperative models and robust communication must support MAS-applications of such types. The position will target software models that can organize and coordinate actions between agents of different origin and that belong to different parties. Direct peer-to-peer operations in the realm of Internet of Things technologies. Both tasks and information need to be shared and processed without a central unit, to drive learning and to home in on critical issues.
Qualification requirements
The successful applicant must fulfil the requirements for admission to the faculty’s PhD programme, cf. Regulation for the degree of Philosophiae Doctor (PhD) at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. The candidate is also expected to be able to document proficiency in English equivalent to Norwegian Higher Education Entrance Qualification, refer to the website about PhD regulations at UiT.
Applicants should pursue a PhD pertinent to the topic specified here.
A MSc in computer science/engineering with an emphasis on computational intelligence is required. The average grade on the master’s degree must be equivalent to B or better. Knowledge of computer vision, geometric modelling and/or VR is considered an asset.
The following background is mandatory:
- Artificial intelligence at MSc level
- Documented studies in multi-agent systems and deep learning techniques
- Documented work in geometrical modelling or VR
- Strong knowledge in programming languages like C++, Python, Java
Candidates with the following additional qualifications will be preferred:
- Game development
- Game theory
- Drone operations
- Computer vision
Working conditions
The period of employment is four years. The nominal length of the PhD programme is three years. The fourth year, distributed as 25 % of each year, shall be used for teaching or other duties for the university, cf. Guidelines for the research fellow’s duties.
The position will especially be assigned teaching duties in Power Electronics and Drives.
A shorter period of appointment may be decided when the research fellow has already completed parts of his/her research training programme or when the appointment is based on a previous qualifying position (PhD Candidate, research assistant, or the like) in such a way that the total time used for research training amounts to three years.
Remuneration for the position of PhD Candidate is in accordance with the State salary scale code 1017 (or code 1378) (or both codes depending on qualifications). A compulsory contribution of 2 % to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund will be deducted.
Assessment
The applicants will be assessed by an expert committee. During this assessment process, emphasis will be attached to the applicant’s potential for research as shown by:
- Master’s theses or
- equivalent, any other
- academic works.
In addition, consideration may be given to work experience or other activities of significance for the implementation of the PhD studies, and to any teaching qualifications. This includes teaching education, teaching experience, experience from popularization and experience/education from other types of dissemination. Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.
The applicants who are assessed as the best qualified will be called to an interview. The interview shall among other things aim to clarify the applicant’s personal suitability for the position.
Application
The application must be submitted electronically via the application form available on www.jobbnorge.no. The application must include
- Letter of application
- CV (containing a complete overview of education, supervised professional training and professional work)
- copies of:
- diploma and transcript from your Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- diploma and transcript from your Master’s degree or equivalent
- diploma supplement for completed degrees
- documentation of English language proficiency
- List of works and description of these (see below)The list of works shall contain the following information:
- author(s), the work’s title,
- for articles: the journal’s name and volume, the first and last page of the article, year of publication,
- for publications: publisher, printer, year of publication, number of pages.
- The works (published or unpublished) which the applicant wishes to be taken into consideration during the assessment process must be submitted.
- List of references with contact information.
All documentation that is to be evaluated must be certified and translated into English or a Scandinavian language.
Information and material to be considered during the assessment must be submitted by the stipulated deadline.
Applicants shall also refer to the Supplementary regulations for appointment to postdoktor (Postdoctoral Fellow), stipendiat (PhD) and vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) positions at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and to the Regulations concerning terms and conditions of employment for posts of postdoktor (Postdoctoral Fellow), stipendiat (PhD), vitenskapelig assistent (Research Assistant) and spesialistkandidat (Resident). (In Norwegian only)
Questions concerning the organization of the working environment, such as the physical state of the place of employment, health service, possibility for flexible working hours, part time, etc. as well as questions about the PhD programme may be directed to the telephone reference in this announcement.
UiT has HR policy objectives that emphasize diversity, and encourages all qualified applicants to apply regardless of their gender, functional ability and national or ethnic background.
UiT is an IW (Inclusive Workplace) enterprise, and will emphasize making the necessary adaptations to the working conditions for employees with reduced functional ability.
Personal data given in an application or CV will be processed in accordance with the Act relating to the processing of personal data (the Personal Data Act). In accordance with Section 25 subsection 2 of the Freedom of Information Act, the applicant may request not to be registered on the public list of applicants.
However, the University may nevertheless decide that the name of the applicant will be made public. The applicant will receive advance notification in the event of such publication.
In case of discrepancies between the Norwegian and the English version the Norwegian version takes precedence.