Rank-Open Position (from technical assistant to postdoc) in Robotic Engineering
Research Unit for Robophilosophy, School of Culture and Society, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University
The Research Unit for Robophilosophy at the Department of Philosophy, School of Culture and Society, Aarhus University invites applications for a three-year, full-time open position in robotic engineering, available from 1 March 2017. The position is associated with the project “What Social Robots Can and Should Do—Towards Integrative Social Robotics”, supported by the Carlsberg Foundation (Semper Ardens Grant). Junior researchers at postdoc level will be preferred, but candidates without a PhD will also be considered, provided they have suitable expertise in software and hardware development.
RESEARCH CONTEXT:
The research project “What Social Robots Can and Should Do—Towards Integrative Social Robotics” will define and implement a new paradigm for developing social robotics applications. “Integrative Social Robotics” (ISR) tightly integrates robotics research with a wide scope of research disciplines that investigate human social interactions, including empirical, conceptual and value-theoretical research in the humanities. To investigate the performance of the new method, the team will design and test several innovative social robotics applications that promote socio-cultural values and norms of personal well-being, such as fairness, authenticity, autonomy and creative self-realisation.
The successful candidate will be a member of a project team of 25 international researchers from 11 disciplines (philosophy, robotics, anthropology, psychology, linguistics, education, communication, management, cognitive science, computer science and sociology). The project is coordinated by Professor MSO Johanna Seibt at the Department of Philosophy and the History of Ideas, and will run from 2016 until 2021. For more information see:
COMPETENCE PROFILE:
The tasks of this position are pre-defined by the work packages of the project. Applicants should be able to provide documentation of their level of expertise in task area (1) and, preferably, also in task areas (2) and (3):
- Task area 1: Technical assistance for, and adaptation of, equipment used in empirical research on human-robot interaction involving the Telenoid robot (produced by the ATR/Hiroshi Ishiguro Robotics Laboratory, Japan).
- Task area 2: Hardware and software development to alter the physical appearance, kinematic design and interactive capabilities of (e.g. commercially available) robotic platforms.
- Task area 3: Natural language processing, sentiment analysis, or knowledge representation.
Task areas 1 and 2 require the following competences:
- Experience of building or maintaining multiple servo-motor equipment
- Ability to design and build simple electric circuits
- Experience of UNIX-based systems, especially with OpenEmbedded-based Linux
- Good programming skill in C++ and Python with TCP/UDP networking
- Knowledge of libav (ffmpeg), Qt or Gtk, and SIP (Python/C++ binding) would be preferred
Applicants with a broad scope of competences and previous experience of work in highly interdisciplinary teams will be preferred. A high level of proficiency in English is a prerequisite.
For further information about the position, please contact the project manager, Professor MSO Johanna Seibt, e-mail filseibt@cas.au.dk
Applicants should submit:
- A CV, including a list of relevant publications (if applicable)
- PDFs of up to five relevant publications (if applicable)
- Documentation of their competences and any academic degrees received in relation to the kind of employment sought (for instance, applicants seeking employment as a postdoc must provide documentary evidence of a PhD degree or similar qualifications)
- A concise description of their research and/or work profile, including a description of how their competences will match the requirements of the task areas (max. three pages)
The application must be submitted in English.
For more information about the application, please contact HR supporter Marianne Birn, e-mail mbb@au.dk
INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT:
The Faculty of Arts at Aarhus University is one of the largest environments for research and education in Northern Europe. We investigate human cultural and social forms of expression and practice. For more information on the research activities of the School of Culture and Society at AU / Arts, see:
http://cas.au.dk/en/about-the-school/school-profile/
Leave a Reply