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<div class=""> === PhD/Postdoc positions on Logic-based Agents, Conversational AI and Knowledge graphs ===</div>
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<div class="">Group: Human Media Interaction (HMI), University of Twente, The Netherlands</div>
<div class="">Project leader: Dr. M. Birna van Riemsdijk and Dr. Shenghui Wang</div>
<div class="">Deadline for application: August 31st, 2021</div>
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<div class="">JOB DESCRIPTION</div>
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<div class="">Digital information technology is increasingly interwoven with our society and individuals' daily lives. On one hand, a tremendous amount of data becomes available in machine-interoperable formats while how humans can intuitively access and learn
from such large-scale knowledge is becoming an urgent question. On the other hand, with these digital technologies tracking and influencing our everyday behaviour, they need to align with the user’s needs and values to become truly extensions of our “selves”.
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<div class="">Addressing these challenges requires both research on how to shape knowledge-centred human-machine conversations and meaning-making in an engaging and intuitive manner, as well as fundamental research regarding the formal specification and run-time
revision of knowledge structures for modelling users’ norms and values in a personal agent. We have fully funded PhD/Postdoc positions available on the topics described in more detail below. </div>
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<div class="">* Conversational access of large-scale knowledge graphs *</div>
<div class="">The aim is to investigate conversational AI technologies to achieve a meaningful, engaging and enjoyable interaction between individual persons and large-scale knowledge graphs. This includes selecting and packaging relevant information into narratives,
choosing suitable strategies to convey knowledge. Such interaction needs to take into account the individuals' cognitive and information processing capabilities as well as their personal norms and values. </div>
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<div class="">* Knowledge representation & reasoning for value-aligned personal agents *</div>
<div class="">The aim is to develop formal knowledge representation and reasoning techniques that allow a personal agent to model the user’s (inter)personal norms, habits and underlying values, and revise these “personal knowledge structures” at run-time based
on user input. Questions that can be addressed are for example: How to model temporal aspects of daily routines? Which types of update operations on personal knowledge structures are required? Is a new norm in conflict with existing desired behaviours? Can
belief revision techniques be adapted for run-time norm revision? With this we lay the foundations for flexible and value-aligned personal agents that give people agency over their lives with digital technology.</div>
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<div class="">REQUIREMENTS</div>
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<div class="">We are seeking motivated candidates to work on these research topics for 4 years (PhD) or 3 years (Postdoc) within the Human Media Interaction group at University of Twente. The prospective candidates are expected to perform high quality and internationally
visible research that gets published at top tier conferences and journals, and be involved in teaching and student supervision to a limited extent. </div>
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<div class="">Profile:</div>
<div class="">- You hold or will soon hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) or PhD in computer science, artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, human computer interaction or a related field</div>
<div class="">- You have excellent proficiency in English in speaking and writing (C1; above IELTS 7 or equivalent);</div>
<div class="">- You have good communication skills, take initiative, and have a strong interest in working in a multidisciplinary team;</div>
<div class="">- For the first topic, your interest and experience in natural language processing, conversational agents or knowledge graph is desirable. </div>
<div class="">- For the second topic, you have interest and experience in logic-based agents, knowledge representation and reasoning, or formal methods.</div>
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<div class="">WHAT WE OFFER </div>
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<div class="">The university offers a dynamic ecosystem with enthusiastic colleagues. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO) and include: </div>
<div class="">- A PhD position for four years or a Postdoc position for three years</div>
<div class="">- Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension and health care benefits.</div>
<div class="">- The salary for a PhD position will range from € 2.395 (1st year) to € 3.061 (4th year) per month</div>
<div class="">- The gross salary for a Postdoc position is between € 3.353 and €4.402 per month depending on experience and qualifications</div>
<div class="">- Excellent benefits including a holiday allowance of 8% of the gross annual salary, a year-end bonus of 8.3% and a solid pension scheme</div>
<div class="">- Excellent facilities for professional and personal development.</div>
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<div class="">We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. 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 people from underrepresented groups to apply. </div>
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<div class="">HOW TO APPLY</div>
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<div class="">Applications will be accepted until all positions have been filled. The first round of interviews will be conducted based on applications received up to and including
<b class="">August 31, 2021</b>. The earliest starting date is November 1st, 2021. Informal inquiries about these positions can be sent to Birna van Riemsdijk (<a href="mailto:m.b.vanriemsdijk@tudelft.nl" class="">m.b.vanriemsdijk@tudelft.nl</a>) or Shenghui
Wang (<a href="mailto:shenghui.wang@utwente.nl" class="">shenghui.wang@utwente.nl</a>). More information about the HMI research group and the University of Twente can be found via the links below.</div>
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<div class="">PhD position: <a href="https://www.utwente.nl/en/organisation/careers/!/104/" class="">
https://www.utwente.nl/en/organisation/careers/!/104/</a></div>
<div class="">Postdoc position: <a href="https://www.utwente.nl/en/organisation/careers/!/105/" class="">
https://www.utwente.nl/en/organisation/careers/!/105/</a></div>
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<div class="">To apply, please follow the corresponding link and submit the following application material: </div>
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<div class="">- A letter of application in which you explain both your motivation and the relevance of your skills and experience for one or both of these research projects. The motivational letter should be on-topic, generic letters will cause your application
to be rejected immediately.</div>
<div class="">- A full Curriculum Vitae including your publications (if any), awards, and working experience. Your CV should demonstrate the scope of your work and education and indicate a good fit with the stated requirements for the position.</div>
<div class="">- An academic transcript of BSc and MSc education, including grades.</div>
<div class="">- When applying for a PhD position: 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). When applying for the postdoc position: your PhD thesis (or a draft thereof). </div>
<div class="">- References (contact information) of two scientific staff members (one of whom should be the supervisor of your MSc/PhD thesis) who are willing to be contacted by us.</div>
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Dr. M. Birna van Riemsdijk <br class="">
Associate professor Intimate Computing</div>
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University of Twente<br class="">
Website: <a href="https://intimate-computing.net/" class="">https://intimate-computing.net</a><br class="">
Twitter: @mbirna<br class="">
Skype: mbirna</div>
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