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PhD Research Fellow in Machine Learning for Irregular Time Series

Employer
NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY - NTNU
Location
Trondheim, Norway
Closing date
10 Oct 2020

About the position

The Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering has a vacancy for 2 PhD Research Fellows in machine learning for irregular time series (one with the Department of Mathematical Sciences and one with the Department of Electronic Systems).

Each successful candidate will be offered a 4-year position with 25% work assignments for the corresponding Department.

The positions report to the Head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences and to Head of the Department of Electronic Systems, respectively. The work place will be Trondheim.

Duties of the position

The positions are linked to the project ML4ITS which is funded by the Research Council of Norway. Time-series data have become pervasive due to the broad diffusion and adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) and major advances in sensor technology. These technologies have applications in several domains, such as healthcare, finance, meteorology and transportation. The main objective of ML4ITS is to overcome the limited availability of (labelled) data for multivariate time-series modelling, where noise and data heterogeneity (e.g. non-stationarity, multi-resolution, irregular sampling) pose critical challenges. ML4ITS builds upon ground-breaking concepts from data augmentation, transfer learning, and graph signal processing and focuses on use cases with real-world data from finance, energy, IoT and telco domains in collaboration with SINTEF Digital, Exabel, Refinitiv, and Telenor. The project is cross-disciplinary in nature and connects resources from three departments at NTNU: the Department of Computer Science, the Department of Mathematical Sciences and the Department of Electronic Systems.

The research plans of the two positions focus on modeling issues and lie within the general area of statistical machine learning. The PhD candidates will have the opportunity to be affiliated with the Norwegian Open AI lab and with the IoT@NTNU, and to collaborate with research scientists from international partner institutions.

PhD Position N.1 (Dept. Mathematical Sciences) – Self-/unsupervised Methods and Data Augmentation  

The activities related to this position include exploring and defining advanced solutions based on self-/unsupervised learning, as well as data augmentation to handle different types of irregularity in time series in order to perform: (i) robust data imputation and denoising, (ii) forecasting and classification, and (iii) anomaly detection and failure prediction.

PhD Position N.2 (Dept. Electronic Systems) – Graph Signal Processing for Irregular Time Series

The activities related to this position include exploring and defining advanced solutions based on graph signal processing to handle different types of irregularity in time series (with focus on space-time processing of sensor data with reliability and scalability) and perform: (i) robust data imputation and denoising, (ii) forecasting and classification, and (iii) anomaly detection and failure prediction.

Required selection criteria

The PhD-position's main objective is to qualify for work in research. The qualification requirement is completion of a master’s degree or second degree (equivalent to 120 credits) with a strong academic background in at least one discipline among Mathematics, Statistics, Machine Learning and Signal Processing with a grade of B or better in terms of NTNU’s grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you are unable to meet these criteria you may be considered only if you can document that you are particularly suitable for education leading to a PhD degree.

We seek two highly-motivated individuals having

  • Master's degree in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or other relevant disciplines;
  • Strong mathematical background and research-oriented master thesis in a related field (e.g., applied mathematics, statistical signal processing, statistical machine learning);
  • Significant experience with programming (preferably Matlab and/or Python).

Publication activity in the aforementioned disciplines will be considered an advantage, but is not a requirement.

Applicants must be qualified for admission to a PhD study program at NTNU.

Applicants who do not master a Scandinavian language should provide evidence of good written and spoken English language skills. The following tests can be used as documentation: TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE), or Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE). Minimum scores are:

  • TOEFL: 600 (paper-based test), 92 (Internet-based test);
  • IELTS: 6.5, with no section lower than 5.5 (only Academic IELTS test accepted);
  • CAE/CPE: grade B or A.

The appointment is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants and national guidelines for appointment as PhD, post doctor and research assistant.

Personal characteristics

The successful candidates should be

  • Creative and innovative;
  • Independent and self-motivated;
  • Excellent with verbal and written communication in English.

We offer

Salary and conditions

PhD candidate:

PhD candidates are remunerated in code 1017, and are normally remunerated at gross from NOK 479 600 per annum before tax, depending on qualifications and seniority. From the salary, 2% is deducted as a contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund.

The period of employment is 4 years with academic duties.

Appointment to a PhD position requires that you are admitted to the PhD programme in Mathematical Sciences  or to the PhD programme in Electronics and Telecommunication within three months of employment, and that you participate in an organized PhD programme during the employment period.

The engagement is to be made in accordance with the regulations in force concerning State Employees and Civil Servants, and the acts relating to Control of the Export of Strategic Goods, Services and Technology. Candidates who by assessment of the application and attachment are seen to conflict with the criteria in the latter law will be prohibited from recruitment to NTNU. After the appointment you must assume that there may be changes in the area of work.

The positions are subject to external funding from the Research Council of Norway.

It is a prerequisite you can be present at and accessible to the institution on a daily basis.

About the application

The application and supporting documentation to be used as the basis for the assessment must be in English.

Publications and other scientific work must follow the application. Please note that applications are only evaluated based on the information available on the application deadline. You should ensure that your application shows clearly how your skills and experience meet the criteria which are set out above. 

The application must include:

  • Application letter describing your motivation, relevant experience, skills and qualifications;
  • CV including information about education background and work experience;
  • Certified copies of relevant transcripts and diplomas (candidates from universities outside Norway are kindly requested to send a Diploma Supplement or similar documentation, which describes in detail the program of study, the grading system, and the rights to further studies associated with the degree obtained);
  • Brief research vision for the position (maximum 2 pages);
  • Contact information for two references; 
  • Documentation of fluency in the English language.

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint works, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

In the evaluation of which candidate is best qualified, emphasis will be placed on education, experience and personal suitability.

NTNU is committed to following evaluation criteria for research quality according to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment - DORA.

General information

Working at NTNU

A good work environment is characterized by diversity. We encourage qualified candidates to apply, regardless of their gender, functional capacity or cultural background. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the innovation capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality.

As an employee at NTNU, you must at all times adhere to the changes that the development in the subject entails and the organizational changes that are adopted.

I accordance with the Information Act (Offentleglova), your name, age, position and municipality may be made public even if you have requested not to have your name entered on the list of applicants.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact Erlend Aune (email: erlend.aune@ntnu.no), Pierluigi Salvo Rossi (email: pierluigi.salvorossi@ntnu.no), or Massimiliano Ruocco (massimiliano.ruocco@ntnu.no).

Please submit your application electronically via jobbnorge.no with your CV, diplomas and certificates. Applications submitted elsewhere will not be considered. Diploma Supplement is required to attach for European Master Diplomas outside Norway. Chinese applicants are required to provide confirmation of Master Diploma from China Credentials Verification (CHSI).

If you are invited for interview you must include certified copies of transcripts and reference letters. Please refer to the application number 2020/27312 when applying.

Application deadline: 10.10.2020

NTNU - knowledge for a better world

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) creates knowledge for a better world and solutions that can change everyday life.

Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering

The Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering is Norway’s largest university environment in ICT, electrical engineering and mathematical sciences. Our aim is to contribute to a smart, secure and sustainable future. We emphasize high international quality in research, education, innovation, dissemination and outreach. The Faculty consists of seven departments and the Faculty Administration.

Deadline 10th October 2020
Employer NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Municipality Trondheim
Scope Fulltime (2 jobs)
Duration Temporary
Place of service Campus Gløshaugen

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