Umeå University, Computing Science

Umeå University is one of Sweden’s largest higher education institutions with over 37,000 students and about 4,700 employees. The University offers a diversity of high-quality education and world-leading research in several fields. Notably, the groundbreaking discovery of the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing tool, which was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, was made here. At Umeå University, everything is close. Our cohesive campuses make it easy to meet, work together and exchange knowledge, which promotes a dynamic and open culture.

The ongoing societal transformation and large green investments in northern Sweden create enormous opportunities and complex challenges. For Umeå University, conducting research about – and in the middle of – a society in transition is key. We also take pride in delivering education to enable regions to expand quickly and sustainably. In fact, the future is made here.

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Research topic: Creating Socially Aware Dialogues


Umeå University, the Department of Computing Science, is seeking candidates for a position as project assistant in a project with focus on socially aware AI. Deadline for application is October 19, 2020.


The Department of Computing Science is a dynamic environment with around 130 employees representing more than 20 countries worldwide. The Socially Aware Artificial Intelligence group (led by prof. Frank Dignum) conducts research into AI systems that start from the premise that AI is used in social contexts and should be aware of the social consequences of its behaviour. For this purpose the group investigates (formal) models of social concepts and their implementation in AI systems ranging from social robots to social simulations and multi-agent systems. The group collaborates with several national and international research groups, and has active links with industry and policy organisations For more information on Frank Dignum see http://people.cs.umu.se/dignum


Research project

The aim of this project is to develop a dialogue system that can interact with ophthalmology students in order to train them in diagnosis dialogues with patients. We will start from dialogue systems already developed by members of the group and incorporate specific social concepts such as social practices, conventions and norms to achieve the desired interactivity without the problems of scalability of completely free natural language dialogues.
Note that machine learning techniques in Natural Language Processing (NLP) is not the focus of this project.

About the position
The successful applicant will be employed by Umeå University for a period of ten months for 25% of the time. Expected starting date is as soon as possible or as otherwise agreed.

Admission requirements
Completed university courses of at least 60 ECTS credits in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence or any other subject relevant for the position.

Candidates are expected to have very good programming skills. Knowledge of computational linguistics and AI techniques is an advantage.

Since research is conducted in an international environment, the ability to collaborate and contribute to teamwork, and a very good command of the English language, both written and spoken, are key requirements. Because the content of the dialogue management system will be Swedish, knowledge of Swedish is an advantage.

Application
A complete application should contain the following documents:
• A cover letter including a description of your interests, your reasons to apply for the position, and your contact information
• A curriculum vitae
• If applicable, copy of completed BSc and/or MSc thesis and other original publications
• Copies of degree certificates, including documentation of completed academic courses and obtained grades
• Contact information for two persons willing to act as references
• Any other relevant information, e.g., software development or previous industry experiences

The application must be written in English or Swedish, and attached documents must be written in or translated to English or Swedish. Documents must be in Word or pdf format. Applications must be submitted electronically using the e-recruitment system of Umeå University, and be received no later than October 19, 2020. Reference number: AN 2.2.1-1209-20

The recruitment aims at a balanced gender distribution, and in particular women are encouraged to apply.

For additional information, please contact Prof. Frank Dignum dignum@cs.umu.se.

We look forward to receiving your application!

 

Type of employment Temporary position
Contract type Part-time
First day of employment As soon as possible
Salary Monthly
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 25%
City Umeå
County Västerbottens län
Country Sweden
Reference number AN 2.2.1-1209-20
Contact
  • Frank Dignum, 0907869101
Union representative
  • SACO, 090-786 53 65
  • SEKO, 090-786 52 96
  • ST, 090-786 54 31
Published 28.Sep.2020
Last application date 19.Oct.2020 11:59 PM CEST

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