The Parallel Computing Systems (PCS) group at the Informatics Institute (IvI) of the University of Amsterdam and the Leiden Embedded Research Center (LERC) at the Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science (LIACS) of Leiden University are looking for a joint PhD candidate in the area of embedded systems design for deep learning applications.

Deep Learning (DL) algorithms are an extremely promising instrument in artificial intelligence, achieving very high performance in numerous recognition, identification, and classification tasks. Even though DL has gained significant importance, it is still very challenging to implement these algorithms on resource-constrained embedded devices, thereby preventing their pervasive adoption in a vast scope of new Internet of Things (IoT) applications and markets. Thus, a step forward is needed towards implementation of the on-line execution of DL algorithms (called inference) in a distributed manner on several resource-constrained embedded devices in order to enable a shift to the edge computing paradigm which is an integral part of the IoT concept. More specifically, when DL is moved at the edge of IoT, severe performance requirements must coexist with tight constraints in terms of power/energy consumption, available processing and memory resources on small embedded devices (sensor nodes, microcontrollers, small single-board computers like ODROID and Raspberry Pi, etc.), posing the need for a distributed and heterogeneous computing platform interconnecting several of these small embedded devices. Unfortunately, designing DL algorithms such that they can be executed on this kind of distributed platforms would require advanced skills and significant manual effort, also considering that DL algorithms are primarily designed to improve only precision, without considering the aforementioned limitations of the devices that will execute the inference and the communication costs due to data exchange among the interconnected devices. The research of the PhD candidate will therefore focus on methods and techniques for automated analysis and design of distributed DL algorithms when targeting efficient implementation of their inference tasks on the aforementioned type of distributed platforms.

The PhD candidate is expected to:

• perform research on analysis, modeling, and optimization techniques for designing embedded and distributed DL algorithms;
• complete and defend a PhD thesis within the official appointment duration of four years;
• collaborate with other PCS and LERC researchers;
• regularly present intermediate research results at international conferences and workshops, and publish them in proceedings and journals;
• assist in relevant teaching activities at IvI and LIACS.

• M.Sc. in computer science or computer engineering;
• prior expertise in embedded systems design and AI/deep learning;
• preferably some expertise in (distributed) computer architectures, and modelling and simulation;
• fluency in oral and written English is required as well as good presentation skills;
• strong analytical as well as programming skills (C/C++, Python, Shell scripting, etc.).

 The candidate should be able to work in a research team.

The PhD candidate will be formally appointed at the University of Amsterdam. The appointment will be on a temporary basis for a period of 4 years (initial appointment will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it can be extended for a total duration of 4 years) and should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). An educational plan will be drafted that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. The PhD student is also expected to assist in teaching of undergraduates.

Based on a full-time appointment (38 hours per week) the gross monthly salary will range from €2,325 in the first year to €2,972 in the last year. The annual salary will be increased by 8% holiday allowance and 8,3% end-of-year bonus. A favorable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement (Cao) of Dutch Universities is applicable.

University of Amsterdam

With over 5,000 employees, 30,000 students and a budget of more than 600 million euros, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is an intellectual hub within the Netherlands. Teaching and research at the UvA are conducted within seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Law, Science, Medicine and Dentistry. Housed on four city campuses in or near the heart of Amsterdam, where disciplines come together and interact, the faculties have close links with thousands of researchers and hundreds of institutions at home and abroad.  

The UvA’s students and employees are independent thinkers, competent rebels who dare to question dogmas and aren’t satisfied with easy answers and standard solutions. To work at the UvA is to work in an independent, creative, innovative and international climate characterised by an open atmosphere and a genuine engagement with the city of Amsterdam and society.

http://www.uva.nl/en/home

Informatics Institute

The Parallel Computing Systems (PCS) group, headed by Dr Andy Pimentel, performs research on the design, programming and run-time management of multi-core and multi-processor (embedded) computer systems. The modeling, analysis and optimization of the extra-functional aspects of these systems, such as performance, power/energy consumption but also the degree of productivity to design and program these systems, play a pivotal role in this work. The main mission of LERC, headed by Dr Todor Stefanov, is to provide highly innovative contributions to the system-level design of embedded and cyber-physical systems and software – conceptually (theory), methodologically (design methods and tools), and structurally (platforms/architectures). To this end, LERC investigates fundamental methods and model-based techniques for the specification, analysis, development, programming, verification, and implementation of Embedded (Cyber-Physical) Systems-on-Chip (SoC).

The aim is to work towards a joint doctorate degree from both the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University. This means that the PhD candidate will be jointly supervised by Dr Pimentel and Dr Stefanov and is expected to spend roughly half of his/her working time at either location (Amsterdam and Leiden).

https://ivi.uva.nl/