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Two PhD positions in formal methods for underwater robots are available in the
REMARO MSCA network. We are looking for excellent candidates with a background
in formal methods, programming, logic and mathematics, who are curious how
their knowledge can contribute to improve the quality of autonomous robots. As
a PhD fellow in REMARO, you will work together with other PhD fellows in a
scientific network with leading researchers from both academia and industry,
with research stays and interaction across the network. The announced positions
are ideal for students with an analytical mindset who enjoyed topics such as
logic, concurrency theory, formal methods, executable models and model checking
and software verification during their studies.
REMARO (https://remaro.eu) is an interdisciplinary training network for PhD
students which combines expertise in submarine AI, software reliability and
formal methods, and marine safety certification to educate 15 PhD fellows in
topics in the area of reliable autonomy for underwater applications. REMARO is
funded by the EU as a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) training network
for PhD fellows 01/12/2020 – 30/11/2024.
*** Position at RWTH Aachen: System-level verification of an autonomous
underwater robot ***
Underwater pipeline inspection robots possess complex behavior involving e.g.
AI-based learning, uncertainties in the environment, and the combination of the
continuous evolution of physical quantities with the discrete nature of digital
controllers. For their safety assessment, algorithms and tools for the analysis
of these aspects in isolation are available, but their combination is
scientifically as well as technically yet an interesting open problem. The goal
of this project is to assess certain aspects of certain components and use
these results to derive conclusions about the robot as a whole at system level,
to be able to analyze complex behavior like autonomous navigation including
obstacle detection and avoidance.
* Prerequisites: Master degree or equivalent in computer science or
informatics; fun with theoretical computer science and math; programming
skills. A good command of spoken and written English is required.
* The applicant must not have lived in Germany more than 12 months in the last
3 years.
* Hiring institution: RWTH Aachen University
* PhD Enrollment: PhD position at the Department of Computer Science at RWTH
Aachen University. The project involves collaboration with DFKI in Bremen,
Ocean Scan in Porto, and ISEP in Porto.
* Duration of the project: 36 months
* Main Academic Supervisor: prof. Erika Abraham, contact:
abra...@informatik.rwth-aachen.de
* Co-supervisors: prof. Ana Maria Madureira (ISEP, Porto), Luis Madureira
(OMST, Porto)
*** Position at University of Oslo: Continuous quality assurance for cognitive
control ***
This PhD project aims to analyze the interaction between a control system and a
dynamically evolving knowledge base for autonomous underwater robots. A
knowledge-based component can be seen as a digital twin (a virtual model of the
robot and its environment, based on perception) for representing and reasoning
about the changing environment under water. The digital twin is used by
controllers to plan, control, and adapt underwater missions. This project will
develop new analysis techniques and tools to study how classes of changes in
the knowledge base affect the robustness of the controllers. These new analysis
techniques will be based on logic, formal methods (process calculi, automata
theory, operational semantics, etc.) and concurrency theory. These techniques
are particularly useful when studying the interactions of complex systems and
analysing worst-case behavior. The focus of the PhD project will be on
techniques to analyze how imprecisions and gaps of knowledge in the
digital-twin may affect the behaviour of cognitive controllers.
* Prerequisites: Master degree or equivalent in computer science or informatics
with background in the following fields: concurrency theory, algorithms and
distributed systems, logic, executable/formal models, formal methods. A good
command of spoken and written English is required and needs to be documented
(see
https://www.mn.uio.no/english/research/phd/regulations/proficiency-requirements.html).
* The applicant must not have lived in Norway more than 12 months in the last 3
years.
* Hiring institution: University of Oslo
* PhD Enrollment: PhD position at the Department of Informatics at University
of Oslo. The project involves collaboration with DNV in Oslo, University of
Bremen and ROSEN in Bremen
* Duration of the project: 36 months
* Main Academic Supervisor: prof. Einar Broch Johnsen (UiO, Norway), contact:
ein...@ifi.uio.no
* Co-supervisors: prof. Michael Beetz (UB, Germany), dr. Erik Stensrud (DNV,
Norway)
*** How to Apply ***
We look forward to your application, containing a motivation letter (1-2
pages), your curriculum vitae and certificates of your studies, including
course transcripts and grades.
In your application, please state if you are interested in one or both
positions.
* Please send your application, including all documents, via email to Erika
Abraham <abra...@cs.rwth-aachen.de>.
* Application deadline: 15.05.2021
* Targeted starting time: between August 1 and September 30, 2021
