[jobs] PhD position in Adaptation in Cognitive Architectures for Human Robot Interaction @ Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)

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PhD Position in Adaptation in Cognitive Architectures for Human Robot Interaction @ Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)

In the spirit of the doctoral School on Bioengineering and Robotics (https://biorob.phd.unige.it/how-to-apply), the PhD Program for the curriculum “Cognitive Robotics, Interaction and Rehabilitation Technologies” provides interdisciplinary training at the interface between technology and life-sciences. The CONTACT Research Line is coordinated by Alessandra Sciutti, who has extensive experience in Cognitive Architecture for Human Robot Interaction.

 

Description: To live independently, to interact with others and with daily life environments humans rely on their ability to adapt and to tune body and mind to contingent situations and goals. In humans, adaptation manifests both as a conscious change in our behaviors to adapt to changing environmental and social conditions and as an automatic regulation of chemically-mediated bodily reactions to external stimuli (or to maintain homeostatic conditions). Adaptability thus represents one of the desiderata for a cognitive agent, enabling it to fit in easily in changing environmental conditions and providing the foundation for rich, human-like personalized interaction with other agents. The candidate interested in this research project will investigate the cognitive bases of human adaptation abilities by designing, implementing and testing elements of a cognitive architecture for an artificial cognitive agent, such as the iCub humanoid platform. This Ph.D. project advances the topics of the iCog Cognitive Architecture scientific initiative (https://www.icog.eu/scope), at the convergence of many relevant disciplines, such as computer science, artificial intelligence, neuro- & cognitive sciences, robotics, and social sciences. The successful candidate will collaborate with an international network of researchers and partake to the sharing and convergence of multidisciplinary knowledge.

Requirements: Degree in Robotics, Bioengineering, Computer science, Computer engineering, Cognitive Sciences or related disciplines; attitude for problem-solving; C++ programming skills preferable (but not mandatory for candidates from non-CS backgrounds).

 

Contacts: Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact the prospective tutors before they submit their application: France...@iit.it, Alessandr...@iit.it, Giulio....@iit.it

Application’s deadline:  The 2024 Doctorate First Call will close on July 9th 2024 at 12 noon (CET)