[agents] PhD Position: Interactive Machine Reasoning for Responsible Hybrid Intelligence

Mon Jul 13 11:40:10 EDT 2020

=== PhD Position: Interactive Machine Reasoning for Responsible Hybrid Intelligence ===

https://www.tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/werken-bij-tu-delft/vacatures/details/?jobId=609

Challenge: How can AI interpret and adapt to a human partner in a responsible way? 
Change: You will develop machine reasoning techniques and conversational strategies. 
Impact: AI will be able to constantly align with its human partner via conversation. 

JOB DESCRIPTION

Why build AI systems that replace people if we can build AI systems that collaborate with people? Hybrid Intelligence is the combination of human and machine intelligence, expanding human intellect instead of replacing it. Our goal is to design Hybrid Intelligent systems, an approach to Artificial Intelligence that puts humans at the centre, changing the course of the ongoing AI revolution. The project will be recruiting 15 PhD or postdoc positions in total. For more information on the project see www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl.

At TU Delft in collaboration with University of Twente we are looking for a PhD student on Interactive Machine Reasoning for Responsible Hybrid Intelligence. The project centers around the concept of an Electronic Partner (e-partner), an intelligent agent that can support its user in a variety of daily activities, for example changing habits. In previous research (http://ii.tudelft.nl/coresaep/) we have developed knowledge structures for representing desired habits and underlying personal values, and a conversational agent that elicits this information from the user. The goal of the current project is to develop machine reasoning techniques and conversational strategies that allow the e-partner to interpret and adapt this information at run-time in interaction with the user based on the context. In other words, the e-partner should be able to tune in to the needs of the user as it provides support, and assess whether its support (still) aligns with user needs. With this project we lay the foundations for the novel area of Interactive Machine Reasoning in which meaning-making happens in coaction between human and technology, allowing people to maintain their personal space and agency. With this we go beyond a view of AI that centers autonomous decision making, towards Hybrid Intelligence.

REQUIREMENTS

Do you have a Master's degree (or equivalent) in computer science, artificial intelligence or a related field and a good command of the English language? Are you inspired by shaping the digital society of the future with people at the center? Are you motivated by the prospect of creating the next generation of AI technologies that align with people’s norms and values and adapt to how people want to live their lives? Then send us your application! Expertise in one or more of the following areas is useful, but anyone with a CS, AI or related background that can contribute to addressing the goals of the project is welcome to apply: e.g., multiagent systems, knowledge representation and reasoning, formal methods, conversational agents, user modelling, human-computer interaction, or context-aware systems.

RESEARCH GROUPS

The position is based at TU Delft, The Netherlands, with the Interactive Intelligence section, faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, and is co-supervised with the Human-Media Interaction group at University of Twente.

The Interactive Intelligence group focuses on interaction of users with intelligent systems. In particular we have a strong track record on the development of smart interactive agents. Such agents possess capabilities including learning, reasoning, social skills, emotions, and norms and can interact with humans. These agents typically function as coach, artificial actor, or companion, and are used in a wide variety of applications including therapy, health and entertainment.

The Human Media Interaction (HMI) lab does research into multimodal interaction: from brain computer interfaces to social robots. It is a multidisciplinary group in which computer science meets social science to investigate and design and evaluate novel forms of human-computer interaction.

WHAT WE OFFER

TU Delft offers PhD-candidates a 4-year contract, with an official go/no go progress assessment after one year. Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2395 per month in the first year to € 3061 in the fourth year. As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline related and research skills. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged. For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity in the HI project. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Because of our diversity values we do particularly support women and people from other underrepresented groups to apply.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about this position, please contact Dr. Myrthe Tielman and Dr. Birna van Riemsdijk, email: m.l.tielman at tudelft.nl and m.b.vanriemsdijk at utwente.nl.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please submit the following materials:

(1) Curriculum Vitae (with a list of publications if you have any).
(2) Course lists with grades and degree certificates
(3) A letter of application in which you explain both your motivation and the relevance of your skills and experience for this research project. The motivational letter should be on-topic; generic letters will cause your application to be rejected immediately.
(4) A list of 3 (academic) references that we can contact
(5) Your MSc thesis in English (or alternatively if your MSc thesis is not in English, a 5-page summary of your MSc thesis in English).

Please e-mail your materials by September 1st to Vacancies-EEMCS at tudelft.nl, referring to vacancy number TUD00314. Please note that depending on the number and quality of applications, a first round of interviews may be conducted based on applications received before August 1st. If a suitable candidate is found in this round, the position might be closed before September 1st.

If you want to be also considered for one of our other PhD positions, then also upload your documents to our Hybrid Intelligence talent pool.
Your information will then be shared among the researchers in the consortium, and you may be approached for one of the other positions listed on www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl/jobs.

A pre-employment screening can be part of the application procedure.

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Dr. M. Birna van Riemsdijk 
Associate professor Intimate Computing
University of Twente
Website: https://intimate-computing.net
Twitter: @mbirna
Skype: mbirna