PhD Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation

About the position:

Faculty of Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences has a vacancy for PhD Research Fellow in Artificial Intelligence for Earth Observation (AI4EO) for a period of 3 years.
Workplace is campus Bergen.

There is a Ph.D. fellow position (3 years duration) in Artificial Intelligence for Satellites Images Analysis. The research is a collaboration between the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norwegian industries, and the European Space Agency.

The research will be focused on, but not limited to, developing deep learning architectures for image segmentation and object detection in satellite imageries using high-resolution and low-resolution images. Exploring context and texture in satellite imagery over a combination of SAR and optical images is particularly important. The research also includes developing new AI solutions for data fusion and analytics to characterize and predict the risk of vegetation, natural disasters, and extreme weather events, specifically on infrastructure networks (e.g., power lines). Following are example research tasks that the Ph.D. student may touch on during their study:

• Analyzing earth observation data (optical, SAR, and LiDAR) using machine learning
• Integration of satellite, aerial/drone, weather, and in situ observation data to model vegetation near infrastructure networks.
• Integration of satellite imagery data with climate and meteorological data to do a risk assessment for infrastructure networks

For more information, please check the GridEyeS project page https://business.esa.int/projects/grideyes (https://business.esa.int/projects/grideyes), Ci2Lab webpage https://www.ci2lab.com/ (https://www.ci2lab.com/), and Prof. Arghadeh Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=tDE4beoAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate (https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=tDE4beoAAAAJ&view_op=list_works&sortby=pubdate) for recent publications.

Research environment

The Ph.D. candidate will be part of the Connectivity, Information & Intelligence Lab (Ci2Lab) led by Prof. Reza Arghandeh and the Data Science Group in the Department of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, and Mathematical Sciences at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL). The research environment at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) strongly focuses on AI as an enabling technology with many international and European collaborations. 

The position is located in Bergen, the university's main campus. Bergen is the Gateway to the Fjords of Norway. As a UNESCO World Heritage City and a European City of Culture, the Bergen region has the ideal combination of nature, culture, and exciting urban life all year round.

• A master's degree in computer science, electrical or civil engineering, physics, applied mathematics, and other related fields*. 
• Practical Python programming skill is a requirement.
• Background in machine learning and data analysis is a requirement.
• Background in signal and image processing and GIS is a plus.
• Knowledge in any areas of remote sensing is a plus. 

Candidates who have submitted a master's thesis (but who have not yet been awarded a master's degree) may also qualify for the position, provided that the master's degree is awarded by four weeks after the application deadline.

In addition to the required educational and technical background, we will consider the following aspects during the evaluation:

• Competence and grades on completed course work, quality of the master's thesis (excellent grade, the equivalent of grade B or better on the ECTS grading system), 
• Publications, research, and industrial experience (if any). 
• Proficiency in both written and oral English.
• Personal and relational qualities, in addition to ambitions and potential.

The candidate must be diligent and display the ability to work independently, supplemented with regular guidance, and is expected to carry out high-quality research and publish the results in international conferences and journals. 

The Ph.D. research fellow must enroll in the Ph.D. program in Computer Science: Software Engineering, Sensor Networks and Engineering Computing program at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences and meet the formal admission requirements for admission into the Ph.D. program. An application for enrolment should first be submitted after an appointment is made and the supervisor(s) will help with this procedure. The candidate must be enrolled as a PhD student within 3 months from the start of the employment.

Applications will be evaluated by an expert panel of three members.

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

The following documentation should be uploaded as an attachment to the online application:

• A CV with a list of related course works plus a list of academic publications,
• BS and MS Transcripts in English,
• MS Thesis only if it is in English (one page abstract for non-English thesis)
• A project plan (maximum 2 pages, describing the topic, data requirements, choice of theory and method, as well as plan for carrying out such a project), 
• Copies of up to 2 selected academic publications (if you have any).

If the documents submitted are not in English or in a Scandinavian language, the applicants must submit certified translations of these. In addition, the transcripts must specify the topics, the course works, and the grades at the bachelor's and master's degree levels.

Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college.

Applicant whose education is from another country than Norway, need to also attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant enclose a review from NOKUT whether the education (bachelor and master's degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master's degree. 
Please see www.nokut.no/en (http://www.nokut.no/en) for more information about NOKUT's general recognition. This may take some time and we recommend you to apply as soon as you know you will apply for this position. If no answer within the application deadline, please enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application.

Applicants should note that the evaluation will be based on the documentation submitted electronically via Jobbnorge within the submission deadline. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that all the documentation is submitted before the closing date. It is of utmost importance that all publications to be considered in the evaluation are uploaded as an attachment with the application, since these are sent electronically to the expert panel. Applications cannot be sent by e-mail or to individuals at the college.

• Good occupational pension, insurance and loan schemes from The Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Exciting academic environment with the possibility of competence enhancement and development
• Opportunities for training within the working hours 

Initial salaries will be offered at grade 54 (code 1017) in the Civil Service pay grade table scale.

There is a compulsory 2 % deduction to the pension fund (see http://www.spk.no (http://www.spk.no) for more information). The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at any time.

The appointment will be made in accordance with the regulations for State employees Law in Norway ("Lov om statens ansatte)". Organizational changes and changes in the duties and responsibilities associated with the position must be expected.

State employment shall reflect the multiplicity of the population at large to the highest possible degree. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences Bergen has therefore adopted a personnel policy objective to ensure that we achieve a balanced age and gender composition and the recruitment of persons of various ethnic backgrounds.

Information about the applicant may be made public even though the applicant has requested not to be named in the list of applicants. The applicant will be notified if his/her request is not respected.

Applicants may be called in for an interview.

Employed on condition that you are granted a work and residence permit (must be considered individually).

1) Professor Reza Arghandeh, phone: +47 55 58 71 95, e-mail: rajo@hvl.no

2) Professor Håvard Helstrup, Coordinator of PhD Program on Computer Science, phone: +47 55 58 75 61, e-mail: Havard.Helstrup@hvl.no

Western Norway University of Applied Sciences shall be a university with a clear professional and working life-oriented profile.

Through education, research and development we create new knowledge and expertise, anchored internationally and with solutions that work locally.

Homepage (http://www.hvl.no)

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_NjRp_Zoyo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_NjRp_Zoyo)