Ph.D. student position synthetic modeling/biorobotics

[Ralf Moeller]

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    Position for a Ph.D. student in
   *Synthetic modeling / Biorobotics*
   at the AILab, University of Zurich
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A new Ph.D. student position is open at the Artificial Intelligence
Laboratory, Dept. of Computer Science of the University of Zurich.
Availability: Immediately or at earliest convenience.

Research on this position will focus on "Synthetic modeling" or
"Biorobotics". "Synthetic modeling" is a novel biological methodology to
gain insights in the mechanisms underlying the behavior of biological
agents. Models developed to explain the animal's abilities are
implemented on an artifical agent and validated by observing the
behavior and the internal states of the robot. At the same time, the
method will lead to new solutions for robotics applications.

The specific goal of the project is to improve our understanding of the
impressive visual navigation abilities of insects and to apply this
knowledge to enable robots to safely navigate in complex environments.
This will require scaling-up of previous theoretical and practical work.

If the above challenges capture your interest, and you would like to
become a member of an international research team conducting
interdisciplinary work, submit a curriculum vitae, statement of research
interests, and names of three referees to:

Corinne Maurer
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Zurich
Winterthurerstrasse 190
CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland

E-mail:   maurer at ifi.unizh.ch
Phone:    41-1-63 54331
Fax:      41-1-63 56809

For details on the research subject, contact:

Ralf Moeller
Email:    moeller at ifi.unizh.ch

Profile: Applicants should have an M.Sc., a university Diploma, or a
similar degree, in one of the following areas: computer science,
electrical or mechanical engineering, biology, neurobiology, physics,
mathematics, or related disciplines. He/she should have good programming
skills (C, C++, etc.) and preferably experience with robot control,
image processing, and electronics.

Tasks: The main task for the accepted candidate will be to conduct
research towards his/her Ph.D. Additional tasks include support for
classes organized by the AI-Lab as well as other administrative tasks
required by the computer science department.

Salary: The salary will be according to the specification of the Swiss
National Science Foundation.

Time prospect: The candidate is expected to complete his/her Ph.D. work
within a period of maximum 4 years.