Funded PhD Position on Large non-verbal Language Model (LnvLM), Tilburg, Netherlands

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Murat KIRTAY

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Jun 10, 2023, 4:11:09 AM6/10/23

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Dear colleagues,

We have an opening for a fully-funded Ph.D. researcher position (flexible start date, but ideally September-November 2023).

The successful candidate will work on a project to build the first Large non-verbal Language Model (LnvLM). The project will combine ideas and methods from robotics, human-robot interaction, and deep learning, and in particular deep reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and reinforcement learning from human feedback.

The ideal applicant should have a strong interest in robotics and artificial intelligence (e.g, deep reinforcement learning). Requirements include strong algorithmic and programming skills (in particular a high proficiency in Python), and a master’s degree in computer science, robotics, artificial intelligence, or related fields.
Prior experience with deep reinforcement learning / robotics / human-robot interaction is preferred but not required.

The PhD student will join the AI for Robotics Lab (AIR-Lab; https://airlab-tilburg.github.io ) at the Department of Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence of Tilburg University (Tilburg, The Netherlands). AIR-Lab is a newly established research lab, co-directed by Murat Kirtay (https://www.crossvalidate.me) and Giacomo Spigler (http://spigler.net/giacomo), with a focus on recent advances in AI for robotics to endow robots with advanced cognitive capabilities and state-of-the-art performance. AIR-Lab members have access to a wide range of state-of-the-art robot platforms, including a Franka Robot Arm, Humanoid Robots (Pepper and Nao), Unitree Robot dogs, and in-house built robots.

The position is for a 4-years PhD, adhering to Dutch academic salary scales (full-time monthly gross salary ranging from €2,541 in the first year to €3,247 in the last year). Additional benefits include an 8% vacation allowance and an 8.3% year end bonus. Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary (30% rule), for which the University will apply on their behalf.

Interested candidates should visit https://tiu.nu/21598 for more information and to apply for the position. Please include a motivation letter, full CV, academic transcripts, and names of two academic references. Questions can be directed to Dr. Spigler ( g.spigler <at> tilburguniversity.edu ).

Applications will be evaluated in batches on a rolling basis, with the first deadline set for June 16th. The position will remain open until filled.