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At the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), we are looking for one Marie Skłodowska–Curie Doctoral Candidate Researcher (PhD student) in human-robot interaction.

Project: TRAIL: TRAnsparent InterpretabLe robots (Doctoral Network, EU MSCA Project)

Start date: 1 September 2023, for 3 years

Salary level: salary in accordance with the attractive EU MSCA Doctoral Network regulations for doctoral candidates

Application deadline: 30 April 2023

The Doctoral Network TRAIL consists of 15 institutions including universities, research institutions and industry partners. The research area of TRAIL is neural network technology, intelligent robotics and transparency in artificial intelligence.

The successful candidate will receive an attractive salary (around 3K) in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Early-Stage Researchers. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations and on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). The salary includes a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if applicable). Furthermore, TRAIL will offer to take advantage of joint scientific research trainings, transferable skills workshops, and international conferences. For more information about the project and consortium contact us (email below).

The researcher will focus on the following topics:

Researcher position: Using movements and emotions to express hidden intention

The focus of the project is to investigate how body movements and emotions can be used as a natural mechanism to express the robot’s intentions, beliefs and understanding of the situational context (i.e., theory of mind), and how such effective behavioural cues can be learned through the interaction. The resulting behavioural and emotional model should be able to adapt with respect to the user preferences, making the approach platform-independent and in a domain including both interaction and autonomous task.

Requirements:

MSc or equivalent in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science or Engineering with a focus on Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Robotics, Machine Learning and Human-Robot Interaction is required. Excellent programming skills (Python, C++, Machine Learning Frameworks, ROS etc.) are needed. The posts involve substantial travelling within Europe. Each PhD student will be expected to spend secondments at other partner sites and travel to international conferences. According to EU mobility rules, the doctoral researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for longer than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Applicants who already have a doctoral degree are not eligible. Excellent English communication skills are an important requirement.

Application:

Send your complete application documents to s**********i@unina.it :

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A 2-page motivation letter including a description of previous research experience (1page) and current research interest, outlining the fit to the desired ESR (1 page),

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A full curriculum vitae with details about where you resided or carried out your main activity [work, studies, etc.], -

Copies of degree certificate[s], including transcripts of grades obtained for B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees. In case, MSc is to be completed before the starting of this position, please provide expected final grade and completion date, -

Names and email contacts for two referees who would be willing to write a letter of support for your application, -

List of publications (if any), -

Any English language and other relevant certificates.

Shortlisted candidate will be invited for an interview in May.

The successful candidate will be working in Naples, Italy.

Naples (Italian: Napoli) is the third-largest city in Italy and is the capital of the Campania region. World-known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music, and gastronomy, Naples is a lively, exciting and bustling city situated on the southwest coast in a gorgeous gulf, and is surrounded by attractive tourist and archaeological sites such as Capri, Ischia, Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Ercolano, Mount Vesuvius. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples for further information.

For more details on how to apply, please email Prof. Silvia Rossi at s**********i@unina.it.