Connectionists: Doctoral and postdoctoral positions in multimodal processing and robotics at Idiap Research Institute

[Jean-Marc Odobez]

----------------------------------------------------
Doctoral and postdoctoral positions in multimodal
processing and robotics at Idiap Research Institute
----------------------------------------------------

The  IDIAP  Research Institute  (www.idiap.ch),  associated with  EPFL
(Swiss  Federal  Institute of  Technology,  Lausanne) seeks  qualified
candidates for one doctoral  and one postdoctoral research position in
computer vision, audio processing, and machine learning for multimodal
interaction in robots. Both positions are available immediately.

The research will be conducted in  the context of a new project funded
by  the European  Commission (five  partners in  four  countries). The
positions offer the opportunity to collaborate with prominent European
research teams  in robotics,  vision, and multimodal  interaction. The
overall  goal  of  the  project  is  to  endow  humanoid  robots  with
audio-visual  sensing  and interaction  cabilities  for navigation  in
complex     environments,    person    localization,     and    social
interaction. Specific research areas  involve the design of perceptual
algorithms  to recognize  human nonverbal  behavior  from audio-visual
sensors;   new  approaches   to  identify   people   interactions  and
relationships; and  principled methods to exploit  physical and social
context for effective human-robot interaction.

The  ideal Ph.D  student,  who  will be  enrolled  in EPFL's  doctoral
program, will have a master's degree in computer science or electrical
engineering  with  a  strong  mathematical background.  Experience  in
statistical  learning theory,  image processing,  computer  vision, or
audio   processing  is   a  plus.    Strong  programming   skills  are
expected. The position is for four years.

The postdoctoral researcher should have a strong background in machine
learning, computer  vision, audio processing,  or robotics. Experience
in one or several of  the following areas is required: human tracking,
event  recognition and  discovery, and  human-robot  or human-computer
multimodal  interfaces.    The  applicant  should   also  have  strong
programming skills.   The position is for one  year with possibilities
of renewal based on performance. Salaries are competitive.

Idiap is located  in Martigny in Valais, a scenic  region in the south
of Switzerland  surrounded by the  highest mountains of  Europe, which
offers multiple  recreational activities, including  hiking, climbing,
and skiing,  as well as  varied cultural activities, all  within close
proximity  to  Lausanne and  Geneva.  Idiap  is  an equal  opportunity
employer and  offers a young, multicultural  environment where English
is the main working language.

For further details and application please contact:

Jean-Marc Odobez    (odobez at idiap.ch, tel : +41 (0)27 721 77 26)
Daniel Gatica-Perez (gatica at idiap.ch, tel : +41 (0)27 721 77 33)