Master’s thesis position in speech technology and cognitive science

Master’s thesis position in speech technology and cognitive science

Job description:
We are offering a full-time position for a Master’s thesis worker 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 long-term goal is to study and develop universal processing mechanisms that can be applied to the intelligent autonomous analysis of any type of generic sensory data input, and experiments can be also conducted in the context of other data types such as EEG-recordings or mobile phone sensory data.
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.

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 B.Sc. in a relevant field, good MATLAB programming skills, and is a fluent user of English (both written and verbal). We also expect basic level skills and experience in signal processing. Persons with an existing M.Sc. degree are also eligible to apply for a post-graduate researcher position.

Job details:
The job will start 1.2.2012 or immediately after the recruitment has been completed. 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 letters 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