Doctoral student position in speech technology and cognitive science

Doctoral student position in speech technology and cognitive science

Job description:

We offer a full-time position for a doctoral student in a research group aiming at the development of a cognitive architecture for unsupervised multimodal sensory data processing. More specifically, the research is focused on computational systems that can sense their environment through multiple sensors, discover statistically significant patterns from the data in an unsupervised manner, and learn dependencies between the patterns in different modalities in order to be able to make sense of the sensory input. Much of the actual work is done in the context of modelling of first language acquisition, i.e., building an artificial agent that learns to understand and produce speech on its own. However, the idea is to study and develop universal processing mechanisms that can be applied to any type of generic sensory data input.

Research topic related to the current position is not fixed, but can cover, e.g., predictive modelling of low-level sensory input, modelling of attention in an artificial computational system, internal representations of cognitive systems or integration of reinforcement learning principles to unsupervised data analysis techniques. Long-term goal of the position is a doctoral degree in science and the current project provides a solid starting point for the work towards a thesis. 

Requirements:

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the work, we are looking for an applicant with a background, knowledge and a burning interest in one or more of the following fields:

- speech or signal processing, - machine learning, - pattern recognition, - cognitive science,         - cognitive psychology, - computational linguistics, or - artificial intelligence.

Also, a successful applicant will have a M.Sc. or an equivalent degree in a relevant field, good MATLAB programming skills, and is a fluent user of Finnish and English (both written and verbal). We also expect basic level skills and experience in signal processing.

Job details:

The current work will take place in a project From Data to Intelligence (D2I) funded by TEKES. The contract will last 12 months (with a 3 month trial period) for the period of 1.2.2012- 31.1.2013. Extension up to a total of three years may be possible in case of successful progress and continuation of project funding. The work will take place in the Department of Signal Processing and Acoustics at School of Electrical Engineering.

Salary:

Salary will be based on the agency-level agreement of Aalto University.

How to apply:

Please send your application to M.Sc. (tech.) Okko Räsänen (okko.rasanen [at] aalto [dot] fi) by email. The deadline for applying is 15.2.2012. Please include at least the following documents in your application: a cover letter describing your background and motivation for the position, CV, a transcript of study records, and a letter of recommendation (if applicable).

For more information, please contact:

M.Sc. Okko Räsänen,                Prof. Unto K. Laine

okko.rasanen [at] aalto [dot] fi              unto.laine [at] aalto [dot] fi     

+358-09-470-22499                  +358-09-470-22492