PhD position Trimbot 2020 (1.0 fte) in Groningen

Organisation
University of Groningen



Department
Faculty of Science and Engineering

University of Groningen (Faculty of Science and Engineering)
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen (RUG) has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Balanced study and career paths in a wide variety of disciplines encourage the 30,000 students and researchers to develop their own individual talents. Belonging to the best research universities in Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

The Intelligent Systems group of the RUG comprises 4 faculty members, 1 postdoc and 16 PhD students. The research of the group concerns a variety of interrelated topics from pattern recognition, machine learning and brain-inspired computing. Head of the group is Professor Nicolai Petkov. He is full professor at the University of Groningen since 1991. He was promotor of 26 PhD graduates till now, is author of 2 books, 4 patents and more than 100 research articles. He was coordinator of two EU projects and is associate editor of several journals. The Intelligent Systems group is international, located in a friendly workplace with strong cultural exchange.

Job description
The Intelligent Systems group of Johann Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics and Computer Science of the University of Groningen (RUG) is looking for one PhD candidate who will be part of the TrimBot2020 project which is funded by the EU Horizon 2020 programme. The goal of the project is to develop the first outdoor gardening trimming robot. The overall research requires a combination of computer vision, robotics and machine learning activities.
The research conducted at the Intelligent Systems group in Groningen is mainly focused on computer vision, algorithm parallelization and speed-up.
Your research will be performed in close collaboration with the TrimBot2020 consortium: Bosch, ETH Zürich, University of Amsterdam, University of Edinburgh, University of Freiburg and Wageningen University and Research. Intensive coaching and supervision will be provided by experts in computer vision, image processing, robotics, machine learning.

Project description
The aim of the TrimBot2020 project is to develop a robot which is able to navigate over varying terrains, approaching rose bushes and hedges and to trim them accordingly. The tasks of the PhD candidate will concern research in computer vision, with particular focus to automatic learning of keypoint detectors and descriptors and parallel implementation of algorithms on graphical processing units (GPUs). The candidate will actively engage in periodic meetings organized by the TrimBot2020 consortium.
The PhD candidate will be supervised by Prof. Nicolai Petkov and Dr Nicola Strisciuglio.

Requirements
Candidates should hold a MSc degree in one of the following disciplines: computer science, computer or electrical engineering, statistics, mathematics, physics. We are seeking candidates with a strong background in pattern recognition, machine learning, data analytics, applied statistics. The candidate should have good grades, math and programming skills. We also look for experience with languages and tools such as Matlab, Python, C++, Robot Operating System (ROS).
The candidate is expected to have fluent written and oral communication skills in English.

Conditions of employment
Contract length: 48 months.
The University of Groningen offers a salary for a PhD candidate starts at € 2,191 (salary scale Dutch Universities) gross per month in the first year and extends to a maximum of € 2,801 gross per month in the fourth year. We also offer secondary benefits, such as 8% holiday allowance per year and the end of year allowance of 8.3%. The employment is in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities. As a PhD candidate, you will be offered a full time position (38 hours per week) for 4 years, under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. After 4 years you should have completed your PhD thesis and individual training plan. The start date is required to be as soon as possible (ideally June 2017). Application You may apply for this position until 18 May / before 19 May 2017 Dutch local time by means of the application form (click on "Apply" below on the advertisement on the university website). Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.
Maximum salary: 2801.


Additional information
For additional information, please contact:
Prof. N. Petkov


In your application, please always include the job opening ID 217153
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