Third Issue of the International Journal of Machine Consciousness Available

The third issue of the IJMC (volume 2, issue 1, June 2010) is now available online! This issue is centered around the target paper "An Alternative to Working on Machine Consciousness" written by Aaron Sloman, and commented by leading Machine Consciousness researchers (see Table of Contents below).

Sloman's paper abstract:

This paper extends three decades of work arguing that researchers who discuss consciousness should not restrict themselves only to (adult) human minds, but should study (and attempt to model) many kinds of minds, natural and artificial, thereby contributing to our understanding of the space containing all of them. We need to study what they do or can do, how they can do it, and how the natural ones can be emulated in synthetic minds. That requires: (a) understanding sets of requirements that are met by different sorts of minds, i.e. the niches that they occupy, (b) understanding the space of possible designs, and (c) understanding complex and varied relationships between requirements and designs. Attempts to model or explain any particular phenomenon, such as vision, emotion, learning, language use, or consciousness lead to muddle and confusion unless they are placed in that broader context. A methodology for making progress is summarised and a novel requirement proposed for a theory of how human minds work: the theory should support a single generic design for a learning, developing system that, in addition to meeting familiar requirements, should be capable of developing different and opposed philosophical viewpoints about consciousness, and the so-called hard problem. In other words, we need a common explanation for the mental machinations of mysterians, materialists, functionalists, identity theorists, and those who regard all such theories as attempting to answer incoherent questions. No designs proposed so far come close.

Additionally, the background paper 'Phenomenal and Access Consciousness and the "Hard" Problem: A View from the Designer Stance' by Sloman is freely available online.

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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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