<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">
<div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">
<div class="">=== PhD position on Knowledge Representation and Reasoning for Personal Agents ===</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Project: <a href="https://www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl/" class="">Hybrid Intelligence</a></div>
<div class="">Keywords: knowledge representation & reasoning, non-monotonic reasoning, computational logic, user modelling</div>
<div class="">Offer: fully funded 4-year PhD position at University of Twente, The Netherlands</div>
<div class="">Application: <a href="https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/581/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-and-reasoning-for-personal-agents/" class="">https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/581/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-and-reasoning-for-personal-agents/</a></div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class=""><b class="">Deadline for application: June 24th, 2022</b></div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">JOB DESCRIPTION</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Digital information technology is increasingly interwoven with our society and individuals' daily lives. With these digital technologies tracking and influencing our everyday behavior, they should align with the user’s needs and values. To achieve
this, personal agents need to model the user’s informational and motivational attitudes such as goals, values, norms, beliefs, and their interrelations in order to derive support actions that are aligned with the user. This is challenging because 1) user models
need to be understandable to and modifiable by the user, 2) conflicts may occur in the user’s motivations, and 3) the user’s state and motivations may change over time and in different contexts. Techniques from the area of knowledge representation & reasoning
(KRR) and in particular non-monotonic reasoning (NMR) offer a promising approach for addressing these challenges as they are in principle easier to explain, and designed for dealing with conflicting and dynamic information.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">We offer a fully funded 4-year PhD position to investigate how KRR & NMR techniques such as belief revision, argumentation, defeasible reasoning, inconsistency handling, and reasoning about actions can be employed for user modelling in the context
of personal agents. Questions that can be addressed are for example: Which types of update operations on user models are required? Is a new norm in conflict with existing desired behaviors? 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>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The position is associated with the Hybrid Intelligence Centre (<a href="https://www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl/" class="">https://www.hybrid-intelligence-centre.nl</a>), a 10-year Dutch national research program which investigates how we can
create AI that augments, instead of replaces human intelligence.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">REQUIREMENTS</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The prospective candidates are expected to perform and publish high quality and internationally visible research, and be involved in teaching and student supervision to a limited extent. </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">Profile:</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">- You hold or will soon hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in computer science, artificial intelligence, 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, excellent conceptual and analytical skills, and you have an interest in working in a multidisciplinary environment;</div>
<div class="">- You have interest and some experience in one or more of the following, or related topics: knowledge representation and reasoning, non-monotonic reasoning, computational logic, logic-based agents, logic & language, or formal methods.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">WHAT WE OFFER </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The position is embedded in the Human Media Interaction (HMI) department at University of Twente. HMI is a friendly and welcoming research group, with attention to employee wellbeing. The terms of employment are in accordance with the Dutch Collective
Labour Agreement for Universities (CAO) and include: </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">- A fulltime PhD position for four years, with a qualifier in the first year.</div>
<div class="">- Full status as an employee at the UT, including pension and health care benefits.</div>
<div class="">- The salary will range from € 2.434,- (1st year) to € 3.111,- (4th year) per month, plus a holiday allowance of 8% and a year-end bonus of 8.3%;</div>
<div class="">- A solid pension scheme;</div>
<div class="">- a minimum of 29 leave days in case of fulltime employment, based on 38 hours a week. A week schedule of 40 hours would result in 12 extra leave days; </div>
<div class="">- Excellent facilities for professional and personal development.</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">HOW TO APPLY</div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">The deadline for application is June 24th, 2022. The preferred starting date is between October 1st 2022 or earlier. Informal inquiries about this position can be sent to Birna van Riemsdijk (<a href="mailto:m.b.vanriemsdijk@utwente.nl" class="">m.b.vanriemsdijk@utwente.nl</a>). </div>
<div class=""><br class="">
</div>
<div class="">More information about how to apply, and about the HMI research group and the University of Twente can be found via this link:
<a href="https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/581/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-and-reasoning-for-personal-agents/" class="">
https://utwentecareers.nl/en/vacancies/581/phd-position-on-knowledge-representation-and-reasoning-for-personal-agents/</a></div>
<div class="">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class="">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="">
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
------------------------------------------------------<br class="">
------------------------------------------------------<br class="">
Dr. M. Birna van Riemsdijk <br class="">
Associate professor Intimate Computing</div>
<div style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;">
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>
</div>
<br class="">
</body>
</html>