Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence

The University of Agder (UiA) invites applications for a full-time permanent position as Associate Professor at the Department of Information and Communication Technology, Faculty of Engineering and Science. The position is located in Grimstad, Norway. The starting date is negotiable.

Women are especially encouraged to apply for the position.

The primary aim of this position is to strengthen the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR), hosted by the Department of ICT. The vision of CAIR is to provide an attractive environment for cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence (AI), focusing particularly on machine learning.

Information about the department

The Department of ICT has several large and active research groups in Information and Communication Technology including 12 Professors, 15 Associate Professors, 10 Assistant Professors and about 15 Research Fellows on the PhD programme in ICT. The department pursues a variety of research interests, focusing especially on Wireless Communications and Embedded Systems, Artificial Intelligence, Data Analytics, Crisis Management, eLearning and eHealth. The department has successfully led a number of large research projects funded by the Research Council of Norway; the EU research programmes FP7 and H2020, as well as national and international industries.

Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR)

The Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research (CAIR) opened on March 2nd, 2017. The centre host 25 researchers, whose most prominent research contributions can be found within: bandit algorithms, Bayesian learning, deep neural networks, probabilistic reasoning, ant colony optimization, pattern recognition, learning automata, natural language processing, and stochastic optimization. We are in an exciting phase of growth and are expanding our team of researchers.

The research centre conducts fundamental machine learning research, including development of novel theory and methods. The emphasis will be on machines that explore, experiment and learn; deep information understanding and reasoning; as well as natural language communication. Within these strategic research areas, CAIR researchers head or contribute to a number of research projects, funded by the Research Council of Norway and EU research programmes.

The responsibilities of the open associate professor position include: a) research and PhD/master's student supervision in the area of machine learning, and b) teaching on artificial intelligence (theory, algorithms and implementation) at the bachelor's, master's and PhD level. Previous experience in teaching English-taught graduate master's programmes in ICT will also be a plus for this position.

More about working at UiA.

Requirements

The successful applicant will need to have:

• A PhD in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering/Computer Science (or similar in the area of ICT). A PhD in Mathematics is also welcome as long as the area of research of the candidate intersects sufficiently with the relevant research areas for this position.

The successful candidate must at least have competence in three of the following areas of research:

• Deep learning, including recurrent- and convolutional neural networks
• Reinforcement learning
• Bandit algorithms, including game theory and decentralized decision making
• Bayesian learning and probabilistic reasoning
• Stochastic optimization
• Natural language processing

In addition, applicants must have:

• Proven successful experience in the supervision of research in ICT-related areas
• A strong record of scientific publications at an international level in the mentioned relevant areas, with special emphasis both on the best Tier-1 journal publications (Level 2 in the Norwegian system) and top international conferences in these areas
• Experience in the participation and cooperation within relevant scientific projects, either national or international projects (e.g. EU FP7 or H2020 projects), or both

Emphasis will also be given to the applicants' proven ability to contribute to the development of external sources of funding in research groups. Further emphasis will be given to applicants' who show both theoretical and practical AI research, including, but not limited to, successfully applying machine learning in collaboration with industry partners.

The applicant must also have personal suitability, proactive attitude, good teamwork skills, scientific ambition, motivation and strong interest in cutting-edge research, good analytical and problem solving skills, and be flexible and willing to participate in multidisciplinary work carried out at some of the research labs within the ICT Department, contributing also to on-going research projects and future research project proposals.

Information about the appointment criteria for a position as associate professor can be found in the Regulations concerning appointment and promotion to teaching and research posts.

All supervision and teaching at the master's level is to be conducted in English, and the appointee must therefore be proficient in this language. Supervision and teaching at bachelor's level is currently given in Norwegian, therefore, applicants who do not speak Norwegian or another Scandinavian language are expected to acquire the necessary proficiency to lecture in Norwegian. To this end, the University of Agder offers Norwegian language courses to international employees with little or no knowledge of Norwegian and facilitates participation in such courses. Permanently employed staff are expected to acquire good command of oral and written Norwegian within a period of two years. This is to be documented by passing the Bergen test with a score of 450 points.

Applicants must document their competence in relevant educational theory and practice developed through education, teaching experience and supervision. Applicants must be able to document teaching qualifications in the form of university-level teaching seminars or other university teacher education. Applicants who lack formal teacher training qualifications will be required to obtain such qualifications, or complete the University of Agder's Foundation Course in Education for University Lecturers within two years of accepting the appointment.

Short-listed applicants will be invited for an interview and a demonstration of their teaching competence, usually in the form of a trial lecture. With the applicant's permission, UiA will also conduct a reference check before appointment, contacting several references that will be provided by the applicants.

The Norwegian public service is committed to reflecting the diversity of society in its workforce, and the personnel policy of the University of Agder aims to achieve a balanced workforce. All qualified persons are therefore encouraged to apply for the position(s), irrespective of cultural background, gender, age or disability.

The successful applicant will have rights and obligations in accordance with the current regulations for the public service, and will be expected to take responsibility for administrative tasks in accordance with current university regulations. Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities of the position must be expected.

Appointment is made by the University of Agder's Appointments Committee for Teaching and Research Positions.

Remuneration

The position is remunerated according to the State salary scale, salary plan 17.510, Associate Professor code 1011, salary NOK 544 400-658 300 gross per year. Higher salary grades may be offered to applicants with superior qualifications. A compulsory pension contribution to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund is deducted from the pay according to current statutory provisions.

Application

Applicants are asked to submit their application and CV online. Please use the link ?Apply for this job".

The following documentation should be submitted as attachments to the electronic application:

• diplomas
• CV including also the complete list of scientific publications, research and teaching experience (if any)
• doctoral thesis as pdf or link
• selected scientific publications (no more than 10) that the applicant would like to be reviewed during the assessment process. This might be done as link to publications
• list of references

The applicants are fully responsible for submitting complete documentation within the closing date. Without complete documentation we cannot, unfortunately, include you in the assessment process. The application and all documentation must be in English.

Closing date: 30.04.19

For further information please contact Head of Department Folke Haugland, tel.: +47 37 23 31 12, e-mail: folke.haugland@uia.no, or Professor Ole-Christoffer Granmo, tel.: +47 37 23 33 57, e-mail: ole.granmo@uia.no

In accordance with §25(2) of the Freedom of Information Act, applicants may request that they are not identified in the open list of applicants. The University, however, reserves the right to publish the name of applicants. The applicants will be advised of the University's intention to exercise this right.