Job Overview

PhD Position Deep Visual Learning with Hyperbolic Geometry and Prior Knowledge

Are you interested in performing high-end research in deep learning and computer vision, with a focus on the medical domain? We are looking for a PhD candidate to research deep learning for visual data with prior knowledge. Deep learning still requires many training examples. Particularly in the medical and dental domain, visual examples and corresponding labels are hard to obtain, whereas AI supported diagnostics is likely to make an impact on health. On the other hand, domain knowledge is typically available in abundance. Can such domain knowledge be used to accelerate deep learning, e.g., for dental radiology [1]?

Addressing this open question requires novel insights and contributions to deep learning. Specifically, we will focus on hyperbolic manifolds to jointly embed visual data and prior knowledge [2,3]. This PhD position is fully-funded and a collaboration between Dr Pascal Mettes at the Informatics Institute (Faculty of Science) and Dr Erwin Berkhout at ACTA (Faculty of Dentistry). The PhD position is part of the Data Science Centre (DSC) and includes weekly visits to the DSC together with other PhD students funded by the DSC.

What will you be doing

• Invent and implement novel algorithms for deep learning with hyperbolic geometry.
• Actively collaborate with researchers from two faculties.
• Pursue and complete a PhD thesis within the appointed duration of four years.
• Present research results at international conferences and journals.
• Assist in teaching activities such as lab assistance and student supervision.

What do we require of you

• A Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a closely related field.
• A strong scientific and mathematical background in deep learning and computer vision.
• An interest in applying deep learning models in the medical and dental domains.
• Good programming skills, experience with Python and deep learning toolkits is preferred.
• A collaborative mindset.
• A good academic record and eagerness to tackle core scientific problems.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Our offer

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of four years (the initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of four years). This should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and Master students.

Your salary ranges between €2,434 to €3,111 gross per month on the basis of a full working week of 38 hours. This sum does not include the 8% holiday allowance and the 8.3% year-end allowance. The Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities (CAO NU) is applicable.

About us

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the largest university in the Netherlands, with the broadest spectrum of degree programmes. It is an intellectual hub with 39,000 students, 6,000 employees and 3,000 doctoral students who are all committed to a culture of inquiring minds.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 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

Want to know more about our organisation? Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

Questions

If you have any questions about the position, please contact:

• Dr Pascal Mettes, Assistant Professor

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

Job application

If you feel the profile suits you, we look forward to receiving your letter and CV.

Applications in .pdf should include:

• a motivation letter explaining the reasons for applying;
• a CV, including a list of publications if applicable;
• a link to your Master’s thesis;
• a complete record of your Bachelor and Master courses, including grades and explanation of grading system;
• the names and mail addresses of two academic references (please do not include reference letters).

Please mention the months (not just years) in your CV when referring to your education and work experience.

We will accept applications until 15 January 2022.

We will invite potential candidates for interviews within two weeks after the closing date

[1] Kuofeng Hung et al. “The use and performance of artificial intelligence applications in dental and maxillofacial radiology: A systematic review.” Dentomaxillofacial Radiology 49.1 (2020): 20190107.

[2] T. Long, P. Mettes, H.T. Shen, and C.G.M. Snoek. “Searching for Actions on the Hyperbole.” CVPR. 2020.

[3] Mina Ghadimi Atigh, Martin Keller-Ressel, and Pascal Mettes. “Hyperbolic Busemann Learning with Ideal Prototypes.” NeurIPS. 2021.

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