Two Full-time PhD positions in Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods (TV-L E13) bei Ruhr Universität Bochum

Ruhr Universität Bochum

The Chair of Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods at the Faculty of Computer Science is looking for two

PhD positions (m,f,x) for 3 years with 39,83 hours per week, TV-L E13

The newly founded chair of Artificial Intelligence and Formal Methods (headed by Prof. Dr. Nils Jansen) has a mission: Increasing the trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We conduct broad foundational and application-driven research. Our vision of neurosymbolic AI brings together the areas of machine learning and formal methods, in particular, formal verification. We tackle problems that are inspired by autonomous systems, industrial projects, and planning problems in robotics.

The following goals are central to our efforts:

Increase the dependability of AI in safety-critical environments.
Render AI models robust against uncertain knowledge about their environment.
Enhance the capabilities of formal verification to handle real-world problems using learning techniques.

We are interested in various aspects of dependability and safety in AI, intelligent decision-making under uncertainty, and safe reinforcement Learning. A key aspect of our research is a thorough understanding of the (epistemic or aleatoric) uncertainty that may occur when AI systems operate in the real world.

Another main focal point is research within the chair’s ERC Starting Grant Project "DEUCE: Data-Driven Verification and Learning Under Uncertainty". There will be freedom to shape the chair in an excellent research environment in close collaboration with Radboud University, Nijmegen, RWTH Aachen University, The University of Oxford, and The University of Texas at Austin. We publish regularly in the top venues and journals of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI, IJCAI, ICLR, NeurIPS, JAIR), Formal Methods (CAV, TACAS) and Control Theory (Transactions on Automatic Control). Our latest results can be found at https://nilsjansen.org/publications/.

extent:

full-time

duration:

temporary

beginning:

as soon as possible

application deadline:

01.01.2024

Your tasks:

Research within the chair’s key research areas (listed above), working on publications, and shaping a strong research profile.
Support of the chair’s teaching program in the form of conducting exercises and the organization of seminars and practical courses (esp. in the areas of artificial intelligence, formal verification, and programming languages).
Lots of opportunities to shape the future direction of the new chair.

Your profile:

Master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills in English.
Background in one or more of the following areas is beneficial, but not necessary: Formal Methods, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Control Theory, and Robotics.
Experience in software development including experience with programming languages, such as Python, Java, or C/C++ is a plus.

Our offerings:

challenging and varied tasks with a high level of personal responsibility
team-oriented cooperation in a committed, international and appreciative team
a friendly and collegial environment
a dynamic environment
employment at one of the largest universities in Germany within the University Alliance Ruhr

Additional information:

At the request of the applicant (m,f,x), the staff council may be involved in selection interviews. https://www.wpr.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/

The load of teaching will be calculated according to § 3 of Lehrverpflichtungsverordnung (state of North Rhine-Westphalia).

German language courses are offered by the University Language Center (ZfA) in the field of German as a Foreign Language (DaF).
https://www.zfa.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/

Your application should include the following:
CV, letter of motivation, and two email addresses of references (if possible)

The Ruhr-Universität Bochum is one of Germany’s leading research universities, addressing the whole range of academic disciplines. A highly dynamic setting enables researchers and students to work across the traditional boundaries of academic subjects and faculties. To create knowledge networks within and beyond the university is RUB’s declared aim.