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Location

Bochum | Germany

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Job description

Stellenbeschreibung

The Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods  at the Faculty of Computer Science is looking for two

 

full-time PhD postions (m,f,x) for 3 years with 39,83 hours per week, TV-L E13

 

The newly founded chair of Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods at the Ruhr-University Bochum in Germany (headed by Prof. Dr. Nils Jansen) has a mission:

Increasing the trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We conduct broad foundational and application-driven research on neurosymbolic AI. The following goals are central to our efforts:
- Increase the dependability of AI in safety-critical environments.
- Render AI models robust against uncertain knowledge about their environment.
- Enhance the capabilities of formal verification to handle real-world problems using learning techniques.

We are interested in various aspects of dependability and safety in AI, intelligent decision-making under uncertainty, and safe reinforcement Learning. A key aspect of our research is a thorough understanding of the (epistemic or aleatoric) uncertainty that may occur when AI systems operate in the real world. We publish regularly in the top venues and journals of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI, IJCAI, ICLR, NeurIPS, JAIR), Formal Methods (CAV, TACAS), and Control Theory (Transactions on Automatic Control). You can find our latest results at

These PhD positions are dedicated to Nils Jansen's ERC Starting grant DEUCE: Data-Verification and Learning Under Uncertainty. The project aims to elevate the scalability and expressiveness of formal verification techniques towards the real-world deployment of reinforcement learning. In particular, the aim is to address major challenges in ensuring the safety of reinforcement learning methods: Complex environments with large degrees of freedom and high-dimensional feature spaces, realistic, continuous spaces, and the inherent uncertainty that reinforcement learning agents face in the real world. The project proposes interdisciplinary approaches from the intersection of Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Formal Methods, Robotics, and Control Theory.

 

Your tasks:

• The main task of this position is to conduct research in the broad research area of the chair and the ERC Starting Grant Project "DEUCE: Data-Driven Verification and Learning Under Uncertainty".
• The chair is newly founded and is hiring multiple PhD students and Postdocs. There will be freedom to shape the chair in an excellent research environment in close collaboration with Radboud University, Nijmegen, RWTH Aachen University, The University of Oxford, and The University of Texas at Austin.
• Support of the chair’s teaching program in the form of conducting exercises and the organization of seminars and practical courses (esp. in the areas of artificial intelligence, formal verification, and programming languages).
  
   

 

Anforderungsprofil & Qualifikationen

Your profile:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English.
• Background in one or more of the following areas is beneficial, but not necessary: Formal Methods, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Control Theory, and Robotics.
• Experience in software development including experience with programming languages, such as Python, Java, or C/C++ is a plus.
  
   

Our offerings:

• challenging and varied tasks with a high level of personal responsibility
• team-oriented cooperation in a committed, international and appreciative team
• a friendly and collegial environment
• a dynamic environment
• employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr
  
   

Additional information:

At the request of the applicant (m,f,x), the staff council may be involved in selection interviews. 

If the position is funded by third-party funds the employee has no teaching obligation.

 

German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZfA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF).

 

You can find information about TVL at:

 

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities, addressing the whole range of academic disciplines. A highly dynamic setting enables researchers and students to work across the traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. To create knowledge networks within and beyond the university is RUB’s declared aim.

 

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum stands for diversity and equal opportunities. For this reason, we favour a working environment composed of heterogeneous teams, and seek to promote the careers of individuals who are underrepresented in our respective professional areas. The Ruhr-Universität Bochum expressly requests job applications from women. In areas in which they are underrepresented they will be given preference in the case of equivalent qualifications with male candidates. Applications from individuals with disabilities are most welcome.

 

Contact details for your application:

Öznur Takil, Phone: +49234 32 28579
Nils Jansen, [email protected]

 

Travel expenses for interviews cannot be refunded.

For information on the collection of personal data in the application process see:

 

Please send your complete application documents (recent CV, a cover letter describing why you are a good fit, and a transcript of your records) in the form of a single PDF document (max. 10 MB) with the specification ANR: 3033 until 18/03/2024 by e-mail to the following address: [email protected]

 

 

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