Connectionists: postdoc in learning/vision at UBC

[Kevin Murphy]

CIFAR’s Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception Program is seeking
an exceptional postdoctoral researcher to fill a two-year Junior
Fellow position to begin in the summer or fall of 2010.

The Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) is a catalyst for
discovery, incubating ideas that revolutionize the international
research community. The Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception
(NCAP) Program has two main goals: to make major advances in
understanding how the brain processes information (or learns) and to
find out how to translate that understanding into the development of
better artificial visual systems. The program is approaching these
challenges through the study of vision, and more specifically, the
ability to recognize and make distinctions among three-dimensional
objects.

The Junior Fellow will be based at the University of British Columbia
(UBC) in Vancouver, and will work with one or more of the following
NCAP members: Kevin Murphy, Nando de Freitas and David Lowe. The
starting date is flexible, but is expected to be sometime between June
and September 2010. The precise topics of research are still to be
determined, but will be related to using unsupervised, semi-supervised
and ‘deep learning’ to solve interesting vision problems, such as
generic object detection and localization, image segmentation and
labeling, video parsing, feature discovery, active vision, etc.

The ideal candidate will have a strong research track record in
learning and vision, and an interest in neuroscience, as well as
excellent communication skills, and a strong potential to collaborate
with other NCAP program members. He or she will also be interested in
exploring the contributions of research to society in collaboration
with peers from other CIFAR programs.

During his or her tenure, the Junior Fellow will be integrated as a
member of the NCAP Program and will be expected to fully participate
in NCAP meetings (usually two to three per year, typically in
Vancouver or Toronto). He or she will also participate in CIFAR’s
elite Junior Fellow Academy, interacting with peers in the Institute’s
eleven other programs. The Academy’s purpose is to develop a community
of broad thinking young scholars who are open to interdisciplinary
collaboration, outstanding in their quality of research, and poised
for future leadership roles.

Interested candidates may apply by email to Dr. Kevin Murphy:
murphyk at cs.ubc.ca. Applications must include a two-page research
statement and a recent CV. Applicants should also arrange for three or
four letters of reference to be sent to the same address (at least
three must not be from CIFAR members). To receive full consideration,
applications and letters must be received by January 15, 2010. This is
a FIRM DEADLINE.

Feel free to talk to Kevin Murphy or Nando de Freitas at the upcoming
NIPS meeting if you have any questions.

Kevin