3 years PostDoc: Visual AutoML for Autonomous Driving

Motivation: Automated machine learning (AutoML) is the process of automating the tasks of applying machine learning to real-world problems. AutoML covers the complete pipeline from the raw dataset to the deployable machine learning model. Perception for autonomous driving is heavily data-driven and requires constant updating the learning strategy to cope with new conditions. Thus, learning automatically is highly desired.

Objectives: This project aims to develop a full state-of-the-art autoML architecture that particularly adopted to perception for autonomous driving. In detail, the system contains 1. Automatic collect and label new data for network training. 2. Automatic configuration of the network structure. 3. Automatic multi-tasking.

Approach: You will be joining the Computer Vision Research Group (CVRG) of University of Amsterdam (UvA) https://ivi.fnwi.uva.nl/cv/, and collaborate with the research and development team of autonomous driving company Zongmu. www.zongmutech.com/en/. The project aims to develop the new state-of-the-art on this topic over the three years and aim to publish three or papers in topic-tier conferences and journals.　

What are you going to do?

First priorities, you will be required to deliver cutting edge research and products in this topic:

• You will be joining the Computer Vision Research Group (CVRG) of University of Amsterdam (UvA) https://ivi.fnwi.uva.nl/cv/, and collaborate with the research and development team of autonomous driving company Zongmu. www.zongmutech.com/en/. 
• The project will aim to develop reasonable solutions so that the company can implement it in real autonomous driving products.
• The project aims to develop the new state-of-the-art on this topic over the three years and aims to publish three or papers in topic-tier conferences and journals.
• You will be supervised by project’s PI dr. Shaodi You and the group leader prof. dr. Theo Gevers.

Career development, through this position, you will have opportunities to develop your academic career through opportunities including but not limited to:

• You will be encouraged to actively pursuing external funding for research, notably funding from research councils, national as well as European.
• Co-supervising PhD and master students if possible.
• Actively contributing to and developing national and international research networks and other forms of cooperation.
• Developing and teaching courses in the bachelor and master programmes.
• Actively contributing to the development and improvement of the broader teaching programmes in the department.
• Actively contributing to the research activities of Institute of Informatics.

What do you have to offer?

Your experience and profile:

• A PhD degree in computer vision, machine learning or related area.
• A good research track record that is demonstrated by peer reviewed publications.
• Good communicate skill and good teamwork. 
• Professional command of English
• Experience in research & development is a plus;
• Experience in vision and learning for autonomous driving is a plus;

Our offer

We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 12 months. The preferred starting date is June 2023 or earlier. If we assess your performance positive, your contract will be extended with 24 months.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 2,960 to € 4,670 (scale 10). This does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8,3% year-end allowance the UvA offers. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment at Science Park we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• Multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• Multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• Multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• Partly paid parental leave;
• The possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• A pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• Help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

About us

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain. 

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

You will be working within the Computer Vision (CV) research group which focuses on studying core computer vision technologies and in particular colour processing, 3D reconstruction, object recognition, and human-behaviour analysis. The aim is to provide theories, representation models and computational methods which are essential for image and video understanding. Research ranges from image processing (filtering, feature extraction, reflection modeling, and photometry), invariants (color, descriptors, scene), image understanding (physics‐based, probabilistic), object recognition (classification and detection) to activity recognition with a focus on human‐behavior (eye tracking, facial expression, head pose, age and gender).

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Any questions?

Do you have any questions or do you require additional information? Please contact:

• E: dr. Shaodi You, Assistant Professor, s.you@uva.nl

Job application

If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. Application review will start immediately, and will stay open until a suitable candidate has been found, even if this is prior to the final date of the application window on 31 December 2023. For full consideration apply on or before 1 April 2023.  You can apply online via the button below.

Applications should include the following information (all files besides your CV should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• A detailed CV including the months (not just years) when referring to your education and work experience;
• A letter of motivation (no more than 2 pages);
• A research statement (no more than 2 pages);
• A research proposal (no more than 4 pages);
• A list of publications;
• The names and email addresses of two references who can provide letters of recommendation (please do not include any reference letters in your application).

Please make sure to provide ALL requested documents mentioned above.

You can use the CV field to upload your resume as a separate pdf document. Use the Cover Letter field to upload the other requested documents, including the motivation letter, as one single pdf file.

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered. Please don’t send any applications by email.

We will invite potential candidates for interviews.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

If you encounter Error GBB451/ GBC451, please try using a VPN connection when outside of the European Union. You can reach out to our HR Department if the error continues. They will gladly help you with your application.

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