2 PhD + 1 postdoc position, KULeuven, "Bio-inspired distributed computing"

KULeuven, Belgium
Dept. Computer Science / Dept. Biology / Dept. Mechanics
Three open positions for computer scientists / biologists

Two PhD researchers
One postdoctoral researcher

In an interdisciplinary research project on

"Bio-inspired computing for coordination and control in large-scale and dynamic systems (BioCo3)"

Keywords

Multi-agent systems
Decentralized software engineering
Discrete optimization
Socio-biological systems
Biologically-inspired computing
Pickup-and-delivery problems

Project

"Biologically-inspired computing for coordination and control in large-scale and dynamic systems (BioCo3)"

This interdisciplinary project (involving computer science, biology, operations research and logistics expertise) studies decentralized approaches for controlling large-scale, dynamic systems - e.g. for controlling a large number of vehicles that need to accomplish transport tasks for clients (package delivery service). Achieving efficient and effective collective behavior is known to be quite a challenge, esp. if the systems are large in scale and submitted to changing operating conditions.

Complex collective behaviour occurs in many socio-biological systems. Social insects, e.g., are able to find the shortest path to food sources without any central control, or can build enormously complex nests with built-in ventilation systems, or divide the work such that the chances of survival are optimal.

Some socio-biological mechanisms for collective behavior have already been studied in the context of computing (e.g. stigmergy and digital pheromones, or in discrete optimization techniques, such as ant colony optimization, artificial immune systems, genetic algorithms). It becomes apparent, however, that (1) large-scale and dynamic systems still hold major challenges, and (2) many socio-biological concepts and techniques have been unexplored.

The project therefore aims to study advanced concepts and mechanisms, known from social biological systems, and their applicability in decentralized control systems. To guide the research, the project will use concrete application scenarios, based on decentralized control in pickup-and-delivery problems (PDPs).

The partners in this project are
Dept. of computer science, DistriNet labs Prof. Tom Holvoet http://distrinet.cs.kuleuven.be/ Dept. of biology, Laboratory of entomology Prof. Tom Wenseleers http://bio.kuleuven.be/ento/ Dept. of mechanics, Center for industrial management Dr. Paul Valckenaers http://www.mech.kuleuven.be/en/cib/
Saint-Lieven College, IT department
Dr. Greet Vanden Berghe
http://ingenieur.kahosl.be/personeel/greet.vandenberghe/

Requirements

For this ambitious project, two PhD positions and one position for a postdoctoral researcher are open. We invite applications from: either people who have a strong computer science background (master degree for PhD positions, PhD degree for the postdoc position) with a strong affinity and interest in biology, or people who have a strong a biological background (master degree for PhD positions, PhD degree for the postdoc position) and strong affinity and interest in computer science.
The positions are available from October 1, 2010 (negotiable). Further requirements for candidates include having a scientific, critical attitude being ambitious having good communication and social skills, team player having an independent working style being proficient in English experience as a researcher is welcome but not mandatory for the PhD positions.

For more information and for applying...

For more information about the project and the positions, and for applying for a position, contact the project coordinator:

Prof. Tom Holvoet
DistriNet Labs - Dept. of Computer Science, KULeuven, Belgium http://people.cs.kuleuven.be/Tom.Holvoet

For more information about the KULeuven:

http://www.kuleuven.be/

http://www.leuven.be/

The deadline for application is

July 15, 2010.

When applying, make sure to include (pdf versions of):

a detailed resume (with publications, if you have any) a motivational letter specifically referring to the open positions copies of marks and degrees/certificates a list of 3 references that we can contact your MSc thesis in English (or a 5-page summary in English).

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Illuminating Colour Constancy: from Physics to Photography

EPSRC project studentship in Vision Science
Newcastle University, UK
Supervisor: Professor Anya Hurlbert

What is it?  a 3.5-year PhD studentship in Vision Science, at the interface between human and computer vision.  To start in autumn 2010.

What’s the aim?  To understand how we see colours, and to make better colour images.  We will study colour appearance of real objects under variable illumination, making use of (a) hyperspectral imaging  (b) novel illumination generation and (c)  behavioural measurements. Ultimately, the project will feed into colour correction  algorithms for digital images. The project involves close collaboration with Professor Graham Finlayson in Computing Sciences at University of East Anglia.

Where? The Institute of Neuroscience at Newcastle University, housed in the award-winning Henry Wellcome Building for Neuroecology, with state-of-the-art labs for colour imaging and image processing, eye tracking,  visual psychophysics, and a range of other techniques in sensory, cognitive, motor and computational neuroscience.

Who can apply?  Interested candidates with backgrounds in psychology, engineering, mathematics or a natural science are encouraged to apply. Candidates must have excellent computing skills, an enthusiasm for understanding human visual perception, and hold the equivalent of  a 2.1 or higher degree class. The student will gain experience in psychophysical experimental design and programming, colour science, and computational modelling. Candidates of any nationality are eligible.

How much is it worth?  The student stipend will be greater than £13,290/year (minimum for 2009-2010). All fees are paid at the UK level.  In the long term, the PhD itself is worth much, much more.

How’s the environment? Newcastle upon Tyne is a lively city, named by Newsweek in 2002 as one of the world’s eight top creative cities. Home to the Baltic (Europe’s largest contemporary art museum), the new Sage Gateshead music centre,  Newcastle United Football Team, and a vigorous  night life loved by its large student population, it is also a welcoming place to live.

How do I apply? To apply, please send a statement of interest, CV, and the names of two referees directly  to anya .dot. hurlbert -at. ncl.ac.uk. Also, please complete the university application form online at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/. Quote REF IN033.

The timeline?  The studentship will start in September 2010 (with some flexibility). Deadline for applications is 28 May 2010.

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The Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science (SCCS) at the University of Sussex has been recently founded

SCCS web site: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/sackler/index 

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Microsoft Robotics have recently announced the release of Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R3, which is now available for download free of charge

More information and direct download is available at RDS official website: http://www.microsoft.com/robotics/ 

Details about this new 2008 R3 version are:

- Microsoft RDS is now offered free of charge.
- Microsoft RDS is now available as a single edition -- containing all of the functionality of the previous Standard Edition at no cost.
- New features in Microsoft RDS 2008 R3 include added support for Visual Studio 2010 and two additional simulation environments (Multi-level House and Factory).
- Additional samples have been made available on CodePlex, including Sumo and Soccer simulations. By making source code available on CodePlex, the community can modify and extend the Microsoft RDS platform.

Other new updates/changes include:

- The CCR & DSS Toolkit has been merged into RDS 2008 R3.
    - CCR & DSS will remain a core component of RDS.
    - CCR & DSS can be obtained by installing the full RDS package.
- R3 is no longer compatible with Compact Framework (CF) development.
- Samples for languages other than C# have been moved to CodePlex.

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A PhD position is available in the research group of Aldo Faisal at Imperial College.

Group page: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/people/a.faisal

Dr Faisal is a Lecturer in Neurotechnology jointly at the Dept. of Bioengineering and the Dept. of Computing at Imperial College London. The Faisal Lab combines cross-disciplinary computational and experimental approaches to investigate how the brain and its neural circuits make decisions, learns and controls movements.

Note from the site:

Open PhD position in Computational Neuroscience of Sensorimotor learning (Theory + Experiments).

We are currently looking for an exceptional and intellectually curious PhD candidate for a position we have available.  The ideal candidate would have an interest in combining experiments with theory in their research. Prior knowledge of neuroscience is not essential, but a desire to learn is. The academic background can range from biology to physics. Programming skills are welcome, mathematical aptitude essential. 
Interested? Contact us via email with a CV and a brief statement of your interest to conduct research in this area of neuroscience: aldo X faisal Y imperial X ac X uk  , where X = “dot” and Y= “at”.

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Tutorial on AI and Machine Consciousness at AAAI Conference by Antonio Chella.

July 11 2010. Atlanta. Twenty-Fourth Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI-10).

Tutorial SA-1. AI and Machine Consciousness

By Antonio Chella.

Machine consciousness is an emerging field that addresses the problems of designing and implementing computational models of consciousness in an agent. The target of machine consciousness research is twofold: the possibility of building phenomenally conscious machines (that is, facing the hard problem of qualia) and the analysis of the active role of consciousness in controlling and planning the behaviour of an agent.

Machine consciousness is placed at the crossing between technical disciplines (AI, robotics, computer science and engineering), theoretical disciplines (philosophy of mind, linguistics, logic), and empirical disciplines (psychology and neuroscience). It focuses on attempts to apply the methods of AI, robotics and computer science to understand consciousness and to examine the possible role of consciousness in AI systems. On the one hand there is the hope that facing the problem of consciousness would be a decisive move to design better AI systems; on the other hand the implementations of AI systems could be helpful for understanding natural consciousness.

The tutorial will present the current state of research in machine consciousness and it will discuss the theoretical foundations and the experimental results of the field and their importance for the AI community.

The tutorial will be divided in four parts: i) theoretical and philosophical issues of consciousness, ii) models of machine consciousness, iii) case studies and implemented systems, and iv) discussions and perspectives of machine consciousness.

Prerequisite knowledge: No specific prior knowledge is required.

Antonio Chella is a professor of robotics in the Computer Engineering Department of the University of Palermo, Italy, where he leads the robotics laboratory. He is an associate editor of the Artificial Intelligence Journal. In 2007 he organized and cochaired the AAAI Fall Symposium on AI and Consciousness. He is cofounder and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Machine Consciousness started in 2009. His recent research interests address the implementation of machine consciousness models in autonomous robots.

More information: AAAI-10 Tutorial Forum page.

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