Connectionists: 2 PhD Positions @ Tübingen University - Tübingen AI Center - ML Cluster of Excellence

[Martin Butz]

The “Neuro-Cognitive Modeling 
<https://uni-tuebingen.de/fakultaeten/mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche-fakultaet/fachbereiche/informatik/lehrstuehle/cognitive-modeling/>” 
Group led by Prof. Dr. Martin Butz at the University of Tübingen, 
Germany, partially

in collaboration with the “Human and Machine Cognition 
<https://hmc-lab.com/>” lab led by Dr. Charley M. Wu (University of 
Tübingen, Cluster of Excellence "Machine Learning") as well as 
partiallyin collaboration with the Prof. Dr. Pablo Lanillos Pradas, part 
of the Artificial Cognitive Systems group 
<https://www.ru.nl/donders/research/theme-4-neural-computation-neurotechnology/research-groups-theme-4/artificial-cognitive-systems/> 
at the Donders Institute, Radboud University, Nijmegen,

invites applications for *two* open

*PhD position (m/f/d; E13 TV-L, 65%, 3 years)*

on the study and modeling of both *compositional reasoning* and the 
emergence of *event-predictive agency* in robots.

Humans are able to re-instantiate previously learned structures and 
generalize them to novel contexts in meaningful, goal-directed manners. 
Our aim is to build computational (particularly Bayesian and artificial 
neural network) models that capture the human ability to (i) acquire 
compositional structures from experience and (ii) apply these structures 
to novel situations in a one-shot, or few-shot, goal-directed manner. 
Potential topics include:

  * The role of inductive biases in inferring hidden conceptual
    structure from few examples;
  * Adapting behavior context-dependently and in an anticipatory manner
    through event-predictive cognition;
  * Inferring causal structures and agency-induced forces via active,
    epistemic interactions with – and observations of – the environment;
  * Inferring goals of other agents, including apparent subgoals as well
    as potential intentions;

*About the position:*

The candidate should hold a MSc degree in cognitive science, computer 
science, psychology, computational neuroscience, statistics, or a 
related discipline. Sufficient experience in computer programming is 
mandatory (ideally Python and Pytorch, but also other programming 
languages such as Java, C++, R, TensorFlow, are a good start). The ideal 
candidate should be interested and eager to invest their time into 
unraveling cognition, how the mind works, and how AI may be developed 
towards supporting environmental, social, and cultural sustainability.

Note: the position in collaboration with Charley Wu has also been posted 
separately.

*What we offer:*

The position is funded either via the Cluster of Excellence “Machine 
Learning: New Perspectives for Science 
<https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/research/core-research/cluster-of-excellence-machine-learning>” 
or a DFG project (German research foundation) on the Emergence of 
Event-Predictive Agency in Robots. The position will be embedded in the 
Tübingen AI Center <https://tuebingen.ai/>, the Cognitive Science 
program and the Cognitive Science Center 
<https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/csc> at the University of Tübingen. The 
candidate will be given the opportunity to apply to join the 
International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Intelligent Systems 
(IS) <https://imprs.is.mpg.de/>. Further interactions with experts from 
the MPI Biological Cybernetics <https://www.kyb.tuebingen.mpg.de/> and 
MPI Intelligence Systems <https://is.mpg.de/> will be encouraged and 
initiated. Moreover, the DFG-funded project will also interact directly 
with the Donders Institute at Radboud University 
<https://www.ru.nl/donders/>, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

*About Tübingen:*

Tübingen is a scenic university town on the Neckar river in 
South-Western Germany. The quality of life is exceptionally high and the 
atmosphere is diverse, inclusive, and international. Nearly everybody 
speaks English. Tübingen offers excellent research opportunities due to 
the University, three Max Planck institutes, the University Hospital, 
and Europe’s largest AI research consortium. You can find out more about 
Tübingen here: https://www.tuebingen.de/en/

*How to apply: *

Please send a cover letter, a research statement describing your 
relevant interests (max 1 page), your CV, the names and email addresses 
of 2-3 referees, and unofficial copies of your University degrees /as a 
single PDF/ to Martin Butz (martin.butz at uni-tuebingen.de). Please 
explicitly indicate your prior experience with conducting experiments, 
computational modeling, machine learning, and/or neuroimaging 
(EEG/fMRI). Skills and experience in computer programming languages 
(e.g., Python, R, Matlab, Javascript, Java, etc.), possibly publically 
available code examples (e.g., github, OSF, etc…), writing (in English), 
and the ability to independently manage a project (of any type) should 
also be mentioned.

We are committed to increase diversity in our groups – thus, minority 
groups and female candidates are particularly encouraged to apply. 
Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference. 
The employment will be carried out by the central administration of the 
University of Tübingen. Please submit your application by *August 15^th 
, 2022*.

-- 
Prof. Dr. Martin V. Butz
Computer Science, Cognitive Modeling
Office: Raum S411 - Hölderlinstr. 12
--
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Mail: Sand 14 • 72076 Tübingen • Germany
Phone +49 7071 29-70429 • Fax +49 7071 29-5719
martin.butz at uni-tuebingen.de
http://cm.inf.uni-tuebingen.de/

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