[agents] Two funded PhD positions on Reinforcement Learning in the Real World at TU Delft

[Frans Oliehoek]

(apologies for cross-posting)

Do you have what it takes to push reinforcement learning beyond the 
realm of games?

TU Delft (Netherlands) offers 2 PhD positions focusing on reinforcement 
learning in the recently established Mercury Machine Learning Lab 
(MMLL). In this lab, researchers from the University of Amsterdam and 
Delft University of Technology will be working together with data 
scientists from Booking.com to develop more usable reinforcement 
learning and other machine learning techniques.

Reinforcement learning is a promising approach to learn to control 
decision making problems that extend over time, but so far applications 
have been largely limited to synthetic settings such as games. Motivated 
by real-world problems faced in industry, we will investigate 
fundamental problems in reinforcement learning. For instance, we will 
study effective exploration in non-stationary environments and learning 
using many parallel trials. The candidates will be jointly supervised by 
Dr. M.T.J. Spaan and Dr. F.A. Oliehoek.

The MMLL collaboration provides the unique opportunity to test AI 
techniques in the real world, allowing new machine learning methods to 
be safely developed for wide application, for example in mobility, 
energy or healthcare. In addition to the existing researchers, the 
Mercury Machine Learning Lab will comprise six PhD candidates and two 
postdocs who will work on six different projects related to bias and 
generalisation problems over the course of the next five years.

Further details and an application form can be found via the following 
links.
https://icai.ai/mercury-machine-learning-lab/
https://www.tudelft.nl/over-tu-delft/werken-bij-tu-delft/vacatures/details?jobId=3533&jobTitle=2%20PhD%20Positions%20on%20Reinforcement%20Learning%20in%20the%20Real%20World

Application deadline for full consideration: 23 August 2021

Informal enquiries: Matthijs Spaan (m.t.j.spaan at tudelft.nl) and Frans 
Oliehoek (f.a.oliehoek at tudelft.nl).