Connectionists: Three research associate positions in machine learning / deep learning: generative models; curiosity-driven learning; program synthesis

[Răzvan Florian]

Three research associate positions in machine learning / deep learning 
are available within a EU-funded project. The positions are offered for 
about 2 years (until December 2020). Applications will be assessed on a 
rolling basis and the starting date may be as soon as the selected 
candidates are available.

The positions correspond to one or more of the following topics:

1. Studying generative models, autoencoders or compressors for data with 
long-range or hierarchical structure, in particular: a) web pages (HTML 
/ CSS code), and b) sensorimotor data – vectors of perceptions and 
actions recorded over extended timeframes.

2. Studying curiosity-driven learning, deep reinforcement learning, 
hierarchical reinforcement learning and meta-learning for: a) tasks 
typically used as benchmarks in the field, such simulators or games; or 
b) artificial intelligent agents that interact directly with a computer, 
for example generating HTML / CSS code, or more general software.

3. Studying new approaches to program synthesis that may integrate 
machine learning / deep learning, reinforcement learning, evolutionary 
methods, and classical approaches.

4. Applied research on machine learning systems that are trained on 
large repositories of web pages and learn to generate HTML / CSS or 
similar code. This should lead to systems that automatically upgrade 
websites or to systems that learn to generate web pages with a 
state-of-the-art design conditioned on mockups drawn by clients.

We are looking for self-motivated, independent, creative scientists, 
with strong analytical and computational modeling skills. A PhD is 
preferred but we also accept candidates with a Master degree and 
research experience proven by scientific publications or relevant 
completed projects. Candidates could have a background in machine 
learning, physics, computer science, robotics, engineering, 
computational neuroscience or related fields. We welcome candidates with 
no prior experience in machine learning but with a strong publication 
record. Programming skills are required.

The positions are part of the Deep Computational Intelligence group, led 
by Răzvan Valentin Florian, at the Romanian Institute of Science and 
Technology (RIST) in Cluj, Romania.

The gross salary is about 2,700-3,600 euros per month (net salary: 
1,800-2,300 euros) for PhDs and 2,000-2,700 euros per month (net salary: 
1,300-1,800 euros) for persons with no PhD, depending on experience. The 
cost of living in Cluj is significantly lower than in Western Europe or 
the USA. The working language is English.

Cluj, the main city of Transylvania, hosts Romania’s largest university 
and boasts a strong, rapidly developing IT industry. Cluj is Europe’s 
friendliest city for foreigners, according to a study by the UK Office 
of National Statistics. Romania ranks higher than Switzerland, Sweden 
and USA in the Internations top expat destinations of 2018. About 1100 
French citizens, 800 Italian citizens and 500 German citizens live in 
Cluj. People living in Cluj are more satisfied with their city than 
those living in London, Paris, Berlin, Amsterdam, Madrid, Barcelona or 
Rome, according to a survey of the European Commission. Cluj has an 
international airport with flights to more than 30 European destinations.

To apply, send to dci at rist.ro your CV, including a list of publications 
(indicating your 3 most representative publications, if you have more 
than this) and the names and contact details of at least two references. 
Please mention the topics you are interested in.

For more information, please see 
https://rist.ro/research-associate-positions-machine-learning-deep-learning/