PhD in Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law

 

We are recruiting one full-time PhD student with an interest in applying network theory and agent based modeling for the FWO research project “Interdependencies of Serial and Co-Offending Networks in Space and Time”.
You will be expected to complete a PhD study on the topic of “Interdependencies of Serial and Co-Offending Networks in Space and Time”. The main goal is to develop an understanding of how serial and co-offending behaviors are interdependent in space and time. To do so, you will apply network theory and agent based modeling on an integrated dataset of police recorded crime data and forensic biometric data. You will take primary responsibility for the scientific preparation, follow-up, implementation, and completion of this project. This includes the collection, processing, and analysis of police recorded crime data and forensic biometric data, as well as presenting intermediate results at international conferences and publishing findings in academic journals.

As a PhD student, you will be supervised by Prof. Christophe Vandeviver (Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy, Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law) and Prof. Luis Enrique Correa da Rocha (Complex Systems Institute, Department of Economics and Department of Physics and Astronomy). You will be based at the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law, and will be also member of the Complex Systems Institute. Ultimately, this should allow you to complete an interdisciplinary PhD and obtain the combined degree of Doctor in Criminological Sciences and Doctor in Applied Economics.

Your key tasks as a PhD fellow are:

• To manage and carry through your research project;
• To collect and analyze data for the project;
• To write peer-reviewed articles in English and merge them into a PhD dissertation;
• To disseminate your research results by presenting intermediate results at scientific conferences and publish findings in academic journals;
• To participate in a PhD training program.
  
  

In addition, you will participate in the activities of Prof. Christophe Vandeviver’s research team (see below, About Prof. Vandeviver and the research team). As part of your supporting the research team, you may occasionally be asked to support teaching activities and contribute to commissioned research.

English will be your main working language.

About the project

Serial offending and co-offending are two of the most prevalent offending behaviors in society. Evidence increasingly suggests that serial offending and co-offending are interdependent. However, extant research has generally studied both offending behaviors separately, misrepresenting the nature and extent of serial and co-offending and their potential interdependencies.

To resolve this, we leverage the recent availability of forensic biometric data to crime researchers. This allows us to uniquely distinguish offenders and link offences and co-offenders across space and time, without the need for offenders having been identified by the police.

By integrating police data and forensic biometric data into a single robust crime dataset we are able to study the serial and co-offending behaviors of identified and unidentified offenders—which is not possible when only using police data.

Network theory offers a holistic perspective of offending behavior by representing serial offending and co-offending in a single dynamic network that evolves in space and time. Agent based modeling is a computational method that allows to simulate interactions between offenders and within offender groups via simple behavioral rules that are rooted in real-world observations obtained from our integrated dataset. Combining the outcomes from the network analysis and agent based modeling, we generate a quantitative behavioral framework on serial and co-offending behaviors.

In the project, you will closely collaborate with Prof. Christophe Vandeviver and Prof. Luis Enrique Correa da Rocha, as well as other scholars as appropriate. The project benefits from proximity to ongoing network criminology research supervised by Prof. Vandeviver and Prof. Rocha (see, e.g., here and here).


Conditions of employment

• We offer you a full-time PhD Fellowship (Dehousse-bursaal) of definite duration, consisting of an initial period of 12 months, which—upon positive evaluation—will be extended to a maximum of 48 months.
• Your contract will start on 1 November 2022 at the earliest and 1 January 2023 at the latest. The exact starting date will be determined by mutual agreement.
• Your remuneration will be determined by salary scale WM1 to WM4. Several elements, including prior experience and family situation, will be factored into the calculation of the salary offered. Click here for more information about our salary scales.
• As a reference, the net amount of the scholarship will be approx. € 2,250.00 per month, supplemented with a holiday allowance and an end-of-year bonus. Click here for more information about cost of living in Belgium.
• On top of your salary, Ghent University also offers a number of social benefits, including 36 days of paid holiday leave (on an annual basis, for a full-time job) supplemented by annual fixed bridge days, hospitalization insurance, a wide range of training and education opportunities, access to university restaurants and university sports facilities. Click here for more information about our staff benefits.
• It is possible to make arrangements for remote work and flexible office hours.
• We strive to achieve a healthy work-life balance and nurture a healthy and rewarding work environment in which individual differences are welcomed and valued.

Job profile

In order to be eligible, applicants must:

• Hold a MSc degree (e.g., statistical data analysis, statistics, computational physics, computer science engineering, applied mathematics, criminology, applied economics, experimental psychology), or convincingly demonstrate that they will have this degree in hand by their preferred starting date (Note: other disciplines and final-year students are encouraged to apply as well);
• Be ready to relocate to Belgium as their main residence for the time of their contract;
• Be willing to spend (a) period(s) of time abroad as appropriate and to participate in international conferences;
• Be fluent in English as their primary working language, both passively and actively.

In addition, applicants are expected to demonstrate the following:

• Excellent academic writing and presentation skills;
• Experience in quantitative analysis and/or computational modeling;
• Experience in at least one advanced programming language (R, Python, C/C++, Matlab, etc.);
• An interest in issues related to crime and place;
• Ability to work both independently and as member of a multidisciplinary and international team.
  
  

Preference will be given to candidates who can demonstrate one or more of the following:

• Be fluent in Dutch and/or French (speaking and writing);
• Experience with publishing their research (Note: any publishing experience is valued, although experience with publishing in academic journals with peer review is preferred).

How to apply

Application procedure

To apply, please send:

• A cover letter in English (single spaced, font Calibri 11, max. 2 pages) in which you address the following questions: Why do you wish to pursue a PhD in this area? How you propose to complete your main task? How does your expertise match the research? What is your prior experience (if applicable)?
• A detailed CV, including a list of your publications (if applicable);
• A full transcript of your degrees and grades
  
  • If you your diplomas are in a language other than Belgium’s national languages (Dutch, French or German) or English, please add a translation in one of the afore-mentioned languages.
    
    

Applicants are asked to submit these documents as one pdf labeled “Application_FirstnameLastname_PhD2022” via email to christophe.vandeviver@ugent.be with the email subject line: “Application_FirstnameLastname_PhD2022”.

The deadline for submission is 31 August 2022. The expected starting date is 1 November 2022 at the earliest and 1 January 2023 at the latest.

As Ghent University maintains an equal opportunities and diversity policy, everyone is encouraged to apply for this position.


Evaluation procedure

The submitted documents will be used to shortlist candidates. Shortlisted applicants will be invited for a (video conference) interview on 15 or 16 September 2022.

Prior to the interview, shortlisted applicants will be asked to complete a programming or computational task at home. The interview will consist of a presentation of the results of the programming task followed-up by a Q&A, and a selection interview. During the selection interview, the quality and relevance for this position of the academic and practical experience of the candidates will be assessed.
The selection process will be carried out by Prof. Christophe Vandeviver (selection chair), Prof. Luis Enrique Correa da Rocha, Dr. Laure De Cock, and/or Dr. Kural Arasan. They may invite additional colleagues as appropriate to aid in their assessment. Prior to the interview, a definite list of interview participants will be shared with the candidates.

Any candidate who may require special facilities should indicate this in their application, and we will try to accommodate their request.

We aim to notify all candidates of the results of the selection process no later than the end of September.


Institutional embedding

About Ghent University

Ghent University is a top 100 university. It is one of the major universities in Belgium and one of the largest universities in the Dutch language area. Our 11 faculties and more than 80 departments offer a broad spectrum of high-quality research-based educational programs and conduct in-depth research within a wide range of scientific domains. Several of our research groups, centers and institutes are renowned worldwide and you will find many eminent scientists among our alumni, including multiple Noble prize winners. Ghent university is known for its scientific expertise in life sciences and medicine, materials and agricultural science, veterinary medicine, psychology and history, and many more.

Ghent University occupies a specific position among the Flemish universities. We are a socially committed and pluralistic university that is open to all students and staff, regardless of their ideological, political, cultural or social background. Our credo is ‘Dare to Think’, challenging everyone to question conventional views and to dare to take a nuanced point of view.

About the Faculty of Law and Criminology

The Faculty of Law and Criminology provides academic teaching and services based on innovative scientific research. The education within these programs is supported by the innovative scientific research performed within the 3 faculty departments encompassing all possible disciplines within the fields of law and criminological sciences. The Faculty is housed in the historic center of Ghent.

About the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy

The Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP) has a decades-long tradition of conducting high-quality independent scientific research. It provides advice to policy and practice and participates in societal debates. The Institute is integrated into the Department of Criminology, Criminal Law and Social Law of the Faculty of Law and Criminology at Ghent University and consists of 12 professors, 2 visiting professors, 10 post-doctoral researchers, and many pre-doctoral researchers and teaching assistants. The IRCP has grown out of a group of lawyers and criminologists, but now houses scientists with a very diverse scientific background and education.

About Prof. Vandeviver and the research team

Prof. Christophe Vandeviver is a Research Professor of Criminology at the Institute for International Research on Criminal Policy (IRCP), Ghent University, Belgium. He is an International Research Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement (NSCR), and an elected Fellow and Co-President of the Young Academy of Belgium. Prof. Vandeviver holds a PhD and Master's degree in Criminology and a Master of Science degree in Quantitative Analysis in the Social Sciences.

Within the IRCP, Prof. Vandeviver supervises an international and multidisciplinary team of postdoctoral and pre-doctoral researchers, with backgrounds in a variety of disciplines, including criminology, geography, psychology, sexology, and law. The research of Prof. Vandeviver’s team focuses on multiple themes, including spatial and temporal dimensions of crime and crime control, violence against police officers, and sexual violence victimization. The team members are passionate about applying cutting-edge technologies and quantitative methodologies in their research. The research of Christophe and his team is supported by multiple competitive grants awarded by e.g., Research Foundation Flanders, Ghent University Research Council, and Belgian Science Policy Office.

About the Complex Systems Institute

The Complex Systems Institute is an interdisciplinary research group for the study of critical events in complex social and economic systems (www.csi.ugent.be). The Complex Systems Institute brings together scholars from various areas with a joint interest in the dynamics of complex social and economic systems and find common concepts, methodology and interests to tackle complicated and usually interdisciplinary challenges together. The team consists of specialists in the study of dynamic networks and experts in the analysis of very large datasets interested in applying their expertise outside their own field, scholars in search of new methodology for reconceptualising their own field and reinterpreting the data to which they have access, e.g. stability of financial systems, systemic risk in interbanking networks, paradigm shifts in collaborative citation networks, emergence of epidemic outbreaks, and social networks.


More information

For informal inquiries, contact Prof. Christophe Vandeviver (christophe.vandeviver@ugent.be) and/or Prof. Luis Enrique Correa da Rocha (luis.rocha@ugent.be).

Should you wish to talk to one our current PhD students, you are welcome to contact Joke Geeraert (joke.geeraert@ugent.be).

PhD position Machine Learning for Biomedical Engineering

 

Vacancy: PhD position Machine Learning for Biomedical Engineering

SUMOLab – IDLab (Ghent University, Belgium)

IDLab is a core research group of imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics and digital technologies, with research activities at Ghent University. IDLab performs fundamental and applied research on data science and internet technology, and is, with over 300 researchers, one of the larger research groups at imec. Our major research areas are machine learning and data mining; semantic intelligence; multimedia processing; distributed intelligence for IoT; cloud and big data infrastructures; wireless and fixed networking; electromagnetics, RF & high-speed circuits and systems.
The activities of SUMO Lab are embedded in this stimulating environment and include predictive analytics, hybrid AI, machine learning, time series analysis, anomaly/event detection, etc., with applications in the health care and biomedical engineering sector.

Job Description

The omnipresence of sensors causes an explosive growth of data that offers the potential for a revolutionary transformation in the health care sector. As biomedical monitoring devices are becoming more widespread, continuous measurements of critical biomarkers can be collected for the purpose of screening, medical diagnosis and prediction of disease progression. The availability of this time series data makes it possible to develop new systems, such as wearables, that can extract insights from data and transform them into actionable knowledge.
Furthermore, hybrid AI will be considered to bridge the gap between purely data-driven machine learning models (such as artificial neural networks, or deep learning models) and physics-based mechanistic models that describe complex underlying disease processes. Possible examples of illnesses that will be considered in the PhD project are either respiratory related (such as COPD, sleep apnea, asthma,…) and/or heart conditions (such as heart failure, atrial fibrillation,…).
The proposed PhD research is defined within the context of several national and international collaborations on the application of machine learning to biomedical data. You are expected to actively work and significantly contribute to research projects in this area.

Job profile

Your profile

• Highly creative and motivated PhD student with the following qualifications:
• You have (or will obtain in the next months) a master degree in Computer Science, or a master degree in Biomedical Engineering with excellent ('honors'-level) grades.
• You have strong computer science skills (python, C++, etc.)
• You have a strong interest in machine learning and biomedical engineering, and are eager to advance the state-of-the-art.
• Experience with machine learning algorithmic approaches or frameworks (such as PyTorch, Tensorflow, GPFlow, etc.) is considered a significant plus.
• Experience with analysis of biomedical data (e.g. ECG, MMG, EEG,…) is a significant plus.
• You are a team player and have strong communication skills.
• Your English is fluent, both speaking and writing.
  
  

Our offer

We offer the opportunity to do full-time research in an international (with over 17 nationalities at IDLab, part of imec and Ghent University) and friendly working environment, with a competitive salary at Ghent University. While grounded in fundamental academic research, as a PhD candidate you will also participate in collaborative research with industrial and/or academic partners in Flanders and/or on a wider geographic scale (e.g., EU H2020 projects), in the framework of new/ongoing projects. Furthermore, you will publish your research results at major international conferences and in journal papers, as part of meeting the requirements for your PhD. The PhD position is available starting May 2022.

How to apply

Interested?

Send your application by email or any questions concerning this vacancy to prof. Dirk Deschrijver (dirk.deschrijver@ugent.be) and Prof. Tom Dhaene (tom.dhaene@ugent.be), indicating “Job Application: Machine learning for biomedical engineering” in the subject. Applications should include (1) an academic / professional resume, (2) a personal motivation letter, and (3) transcripts of study results, and (4) at least two reference contacts. After a first screening, selected candidates will be invited for an interview as a first contact in a multi-stage selection process.

• Application deadline: August 31th 2022 or until the vacancy is filled.
• Type of contract: Full-time
• Employment: Temporary (4 years), with yearly progress evaluation
• Earliest starting date: May 2022

PhD vacancies on social robots, consciousness and value-aware AI

 Ghent University is an international top 100 university in Belgium situated in the historical and trendy city of Ghent. With 41,000 students and 9,000 staff, the university is one of the largest universities in the wide region. Ghent University’s mission is to combine high-quality education with internationally leading research and a pluralistic social responsibility. You will join the AIRO group, a group of 25 PhD students exploring the edges of AI and robotics, supervised by Tony Belpaeme, Francis wyffels and Joni Dambre.

The AIRO group (Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, airo.ugent.be) of IDLab-imec (idlab.technology) at Ghent University is excited to be offering two fully-funded PhD scholarships to help with our research on social robotics under the supervision of Tony Belpaeme.
Social robots are robots that interact with people in a natural manner by, for example, using speech, gestures, facial expressions and language. By using natural communication, these robots are easier to interact with and have many applications in entertainment, services, education, collaborative robotics and therapy [1].
You will join an international project called VALAWAI (short for Value-Aware AI) studying consciousness, values and AI. “Value-aware AI” is AI that includes a component performing the same function as human moral consciousness: a system that helps decide whether or not certain actions are morally acceptable. This system will be based on the Global Neuronal Workspace model developed on the basis of neurophysiological evidence and psychological data [2]. At Ghent University we will look at how social robots can become value-aware and how people respond to social robots that have have some level of consciousness.
You will be supervised by Prof. Tony Belpaeme (www.tonybelpaeme.me) and will be part of a vibrant and interdisciplinary research team, focusing on human-robot interaction, unconventional robotics, cognitive systems and machine learning. You will have access to the full facilities of IDLab, including high-performance computing/GPU clusters and the robot labs.
Additional reading
[1] Introduction to HRI at https://www.human-robot-interaction.org/
[2] Dehaene, S., Changeux, J. P., & Naccache, L. (2011). The global neuronal workspace model of conscious access: from neuronal architectures to clinical applications. Characterizing consciousness: From cognition to the clinic?, 55-84.

Job profile

Profile of the candidate

• A MSc in computer science, electrical engineering, (technical) cognitive science, Human-Computer Interaction, psychology or areas relevant to the research topic (for example, computational linguistics with a keen interest in robotics and AI).
• Good programming skills are required (C++, Python, or other) as you will programming robots and equipment and will be running data analyses.
• Very good English language skills (spoken as well as written).
• As the PhD position is highly interdisciplinary, an interest or understanding in (neuro)psychology and social sciences and other themes related to consciousness is desirable.

Further details
The position start date can be negotiated, but is tentatively set for 1/10/2022 and runs until 30/9/2026 (you will start with a one year scholarship which can be extended to 4 years).
The net amount of the scholarship will be approximately €2250 per month. You will also receive a holiday allowance, an end-of-year bonus and –if you cycle, the preferred way of getting around in Ghent- a bicycle bonus. Additional financial support is available for attending conferences and workshops.
You will be affiliated with the Artificial Intelligence and Robotics group of the IDLab.

While the research will be based in Ghent, occasional travel to international conferences will be required.
You will be enrolled in the doctoral training programme offered by the Doctoral School of Engineering.
Ghent University and AIRO lab encourages equal opportunities. We will consider applications based only on your potential as an early career researcher and your fit to the research programme.

How to apply

For informal queries, do not hesitate to contact Tony Belpaeme (tony.belpaeme@ugent.be).
Your application should include

• A letter motivating your application. Why do you wish to pursue a PhD in this area? How does your expertise match the research? What is your -if any- prior experience?
• A full curriculum vitae. If appropriate, copies of relevant exams, grades, MSc thesis or publications.
• The names and contact details of at least 2 referees. Recommendation letters can be included with your application, but are not needed at the time of application.

Applicants should send their application to tony.belpaeme@ugent.be with subject “PhD application VALAWAI”. Applications will be considered on an ongoing basis, the application deadline however is 31 August 2022. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview, which can be online if necessary.

PhD position in the CANOPI project – Upscaling/Remote-Sensing work package

 

PhD position in the CANOPI project – Upscaling/Remote-Sensing work package

Employer : Liege University
Location : Gembloux, Belgium

Given the rapid changes in climate, immense shifts in forest composition, functioning and carbon balance are expected in tropical forests in central Africa. However, no studies have confirmed this worrisome trend using ground-based data, keeping central Africa a particularly understudied region despite its overwhelming size. Whether tropical forests in central Africa will be sensitive to drier conditions –because they are already limited by water availability– or resistant –because they are adapted to seasonal drought– is the ambitious challenge CANOPI aims to tackle (https://www.canopi.uliege.be/).

Your position

The CANOPI project is transdisciplinary and divided in five complementary work packages, each supported by one doctoral work. This position is relative to the fifth work package, whose main objective is to map central African forest functional properties, and in particular to upscale our understanding of canopy functioning built in the other WPs.

The selected candidate will:

• Build a data library with relevant indicators to characterize tree ecophysiology of key canopy species from spectral properties;
• Collect and build a library of spectral and lidar images from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) to characterize ecosystem canopy phenology;
• Develop innovative methodologies based on the fusion of active and passive remote sensing products to upscale UAVs based understanding of ecosystem phenology.

Job profile

• We are looking for a highly motivated candidate with a self-organized and solution-oriented work attitude.
• Applicants should hold a MSc degree in bio-engineering, geography, biology, environmental science, computational biology or related fields.
• The candidate should have strong affinities with innovative remote sensing technologies and recent development in big data (e.g., drones, cloud computing tools, …) but should also be willing to conduct fieldwork under harsh logistic and climatic conditions.
• The candidate should be able to independently conduct spatial and statistical analyses (in R or other programming language).
• The candidate should be able to speak properly in French for the field and to speak and write properly in English for interactions with colleagues and for scientific communication.

We offer you

A fully-funded PhD position for four years (as of 01/10/2022) in a dynamic research group including professors and other colleagues from Liège and Ghent Universities in Belgium, and from CENAREST in Gabon and from INERA in Democratic Republic of Congo. You will join a supportive, collaborative and cooperative working environment. You will have the opportunity to be integrated in established (inter)national research networks. Salary and social benefits are provided according to the rules of Liege University.

How to apply

Prepare a 1-page CV and a 1-page motivation letter and send this to jfbastin@uliege.be

PhD in Soft and Flexible Technology for Responsive Epileptic Seizure Treatment

 

Project background: Soft and Flexible Technology for Responsive Epileptic Seizure Treatment
The offered PhD position is embedded in the BOF-GOA project SOFTRESET (Soft and Flexible Technology for Responsive Epileptic Seizure Treatment), funded by Ghent University with 1.6 million Euros. This project aims to develop technology for targeted therapy of focal epilepsy based on the therapeutic effects of deep brain stimulation using innovative soft probes for both the recording of the epileptic brain region and its optical stimulation.
You will be part of a multidisciplinary team of 5 PhD students with interconnecting projects, under the guidance of top researchers from several teams at Ghent University at the faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering and Architecture, and Sciences: 4Brain, imec-CMST, imec-Waves, PBM-UGent, and Neural Waves.

PhD Research: Development of implantable soft electrical interfaces for neural interrogation.
You will be in charge of the development of soft electrical neural interfaces consisting of passive electrodes and active bioelectronics, based on internal ion gated organic electrochemical transistors (IGTs) including the read-out circuit. In addition, you will work, with other PhD students, towards the integration of electrical interfaces and optical waveguides into a combined electrical-optical soft probe and the fabrication of a fully implantable system for Responsive Epileptic Seizure Treatment.
- Development of soft and conformable electrical neural interfaces.
- Integration of electrical interfaces and optical waveguides into a combined electro-optical soft probe.
- Multidisciplinary research.
- Material selection
- Design, fabrication, and testing
- Micro-processing in a cleanroom environment
- Implantation experiments under the guidance of a post-doc

Job profile

Applicants should hold an academic university degree (Masters or equivalent) in Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Chemistry or other Engineering fields such
as Electrical, or Biomedical Engineering.
Excellent written and oral English skills are required.
Coding skills (Matlab), cleanroom experience, and experience with writing scientific papers are a plus.

How to apply

Applications should include a CV, motivation letter, copies of higher-education degrees, grade transcripts, and the name and contact details of two persons who are willing to give a reference. All documents should be sent electronically (in pdf) to: georgios.spyropoulos@ugent.be. Please mention “PhD_SOFTRESET” in the subject line. Inquiries about the position can be directed to Prof. Spyropoulos (georgios.spyropoulos@ugent.be).

PhD in Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology

 

The research team of Prof. van Loo and Prof. Esther. Hoste has a vacancy for a highly motivated PhD student to investigate the role of different cell death modalities in keratinocytes and their implications for injury repair and skin tumour formation.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the study of the impact of cell death on different stem cell niches in the skin, using mouse models of skin inflammation, wound healing and tumour formation in combination with cell-based assays on cells of human and mouse origin. Stem cells are fundamental mediators of tissue biology. In this project, we will make use of advanced confocal microscopy, flow cytometry, mouse transgenesis, CRISPR-Cas9 genome-wide screening approaches and spatial transcriptomics to understand how cell death affects the behaviour of neighbouring stem cells in the skin.

Job profile

• Master in Sciences: Biotechnology, Bioscience Engineering, Biochemistry, Biomedicine, Biology or a related discipline
• Prior hands-on experience with basic molecular biology techniques
• Highly motivated team player, able to work independently
• Desirable but not required:
• FELASA certificate level B or higher
  
  

We offer:

• A 4-year PhD position
• A multidisciplinary and highly stimulating and supporting international research environment
• Access to state-of-the-art technologies and infrastructure
• A multitude of training opportunities organized at Ghent University and VIB to broaden your expertise and skill-set.

How to apply

Motivated candidates are requested to apply online.

The application should consist of:

• Your CV
• Your motivation letter expressing your interest and suitability for the position
• A transcript of your master degree
  
  

A shortlist of applicants will be selected and invited for interviews.

For more information: please contact Esther.Hoste@irc.vib-ugent.be

PhD in Artificial Intelligence for energy applications

 

Vacancy: PhD in Artificial Intelligence for energy applications
The “AI for Energy” team (AI4E), led by prof. Chris Develder and prof. Bert Claessens at the Internet and Data Lab (IDLab) at Ghent University - imec is looking for a qualified and motivated candidate to pursue a Ph.D. in data analytics and machine learning for smart grid applications.
Job offer:

• PhD position to work on fundamental and applied research projects (4 years)
• Focus on data science (analytics, modeling, machine learning) for energy / smart grid related applications, as well as scalable/distributed algorithms to coordinate energy consumption and production (demand response, DR)
• Challenging, creative and constructive environment
• Unique opportunity to participate in European/national research projects and to cooperate with important ICT-oriented companies
• Competitive salary

Function:
Our research group currently is involved in research projects in the energy domain, including mostly smart grid applications. The focus of our AI4E team in these projects is on data analytics, as well as coordination algorithms for, e.g., demand response. A major objective of the applications we want to support is to accommodate large penetration of renewable sources (wind mills, solar panels, etc.) without requiring excessive investments in the power grid infrastructure. This involves characterizing and eventually predicting both power generation (from renewables) and consumption behavior (and its flexibility, e.g., what portion thereof can be shifted in time), using data analytics techniques, constructing generative models, applying machine learning, etc. The next step is to actively control power consumption, e.g., by developing algorithms for energy management systems (to steer power consumption and/or decide what to use local production for, e.g., push into the grid or local storage).

Your role in these projects will be to devise and evaluate cutting edge algorithms, implement them, evaluate them in case studies and report on the results in a well-structured manner. Additionally, depending on the project, this may also involve the design/implementation of software prototypes for simulation and proof-of-concept demonstrations (in lab settings, but also in live field trials). You will perform this work in the context of research projects that will give you the opportunity to interact and collaborate with researchers and engineers from other universities, research institutes and companies, e.g., in the context of European Union funded programmes. As you will be dealing with several aspects of designing and evaluating systems (mathematical models, machine learning, optimization techniques, software development, simulation, etc.), the function is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate and further improve several of your mathematical and engineering skills.

Job profile

Your profile:

• Holder of a M.Sc. degree relevant to the position (i.e., with a focus on computer science) with first class performance as demonstrated through outstanding grades, M.Sc. thesis results and/or publications.
• You have strong analytical skills, you are well organized, you are an excellent communicator, a team player.
• You have a strong sense of responsibility and are also able to autonomously plan and perform research tasks. You respect the predetermined milestones in research projects.
• Your English is fluent, both in speaking and writing.
• Both young graduates and candidates with (industrial) experience are welcome
• Knowledge of data analysis, machine learning, optimization techniques (e.g., ILP, heuristics), basic distributed software concepts.
• A proven experience in software development (e.g., student projects or master thesis with an important software development component), knowledge of Python, Java and/or C/C++. Experience with R is a plus.

How to apply

Interested?
Send your CV and motivation letter, including contact details for up to 3 references that we may contact, to chris.develder@ugent.be, indicating “Application: PhD in AI for Energy” in the subject.

94 PhD and Academic Positions at Max Planck Institute

94 PhD and Academic Positions at Max Planck Institute

PostDoc - Probabilistic Design of Aerospace Structures with Artificial Intelligence

 

This postdoctoral research aims at exploring data-driven methodologies to establish the structure-process-property link in the context of fiber reinforced polymer composites used in aircraft structures and topology optimization of such structures to ensure minimal defect and thus maximum performance during service. Currently, the defect formation and their impact on the lifetime can only be predicted via computationally expensive simulations in deterministic settings. In this project we aim to create accurate and efficient constitutive materials models to quantify uncertainties. This will ultimately enable the acceleration of the simulations required for obtaining new structural designs through generative design algorithms based on process-property relations integrating product and manufacturing process optimization.

As a postdoc you will work on finite element modeling based predictions and you will accelerate these simulations by creating probabilistic deep learning models that act as surrogates of simulation.

CAELESTIS main objective is to enable the EU aircraft industry to design and manufacture disruptive aircraft structures and engines with enhanced prediction capacities (product performance and manufacturability), to widen the design space and reduce the uncertainties potentially encountered along the product and engineering lifecycle, which are currently limiting their introduction into service.

Requirements

Applicants must have the following qualifications:

- strong computational skills and simulation experience (proficiency in Finite Element Analysis is a plus)

- a background in mechanical/aerospace/civil engineering, materials science, physics or a related area

- coding background and willingness to learn about deep learning, graph neural networks and their applications in physical sciences (past experience is a plus)

- an interest in modeling of mechanics and/or manufacturing of composites (past experience is a plus)

- the ability to work well in a collaborative setting

Conditions of employment

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, a discount on health insurance and sport memberships, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants we offer the Coming to Delft Service and Partner Career Advice to assist you with your relocation. An International Children's Centre offers childcare and there is an international primary school.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context. At TU Delft we embrace diversity and aim to be as inclusive as possible (see our Code of Conduct). Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale.

Challenge. Change. Impact! 

Faculty Aerospace Engineering

The Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology is one of the world’s most highly ranked (and most comprehensive) research, education and innovation communities devoted entirely to aerospace engineering. More than 200 science staff, around 250 PhD candidates and over 2,700 BSc and MSc students apply aerospace engineering disciplines to address the global societal challenges that threaten us today, climate change without doubt being the most important. Our focal subjects: sustainable aerospace, big data and artificial intelligence, bio-inspired engineering and smart instruments and systems. Working at the faculty means working together. With partners in other faculties, knowledge institutes, governments and industry, both aerospace and non-aerospace. Working in field labs and innovation hubs on our university campus and beyond.

Click here to go to the website of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering.

Additional information

For more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Baris Caglar (Faculty of Aerospace Engineering), email: B.Caglar@tudelft.nl or Dr. Miguel Bessa, Associate Professor (Materials Science and Engineering), email: M.A.Bessa@tudelft.nl.

Application procedure

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply before 15 August 2022 via the application button and upload your motivation and CV.

• A pre-employment screening can be part of the selection procedure.
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• Acquisition in response to this vacancy is not appreciated.

FACULTY/DEPARTMENT

Faculty of Aerospace Engineering

JOB TYPE

Postdoc Positions

SCIENTIFIC FIELD

Engineering

HOURS PER WEEK

36-40

SALARY

€ 2.846,00 - € 4.490,00

DESIRED LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Doctorate

VACANCY NUMBER

TUD02376

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