PhD position in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence (1.0 fte) – VR training in Maintenance

The position is part of an externally funded initiative that covers five projects as part of MindLabs, (http://www.mind-labs.eu) a multi-party research and development initiative involving cognitive science and artificial intelligence. MindLabs is a collaboration between Tilburg University, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Intermediate Vocational Education (ROC) Tilburg, and industry. In the MindLabs initiative, human and artificial minds meet in virtual and mixed reality, serious games and learning, robotics and avatars, and language and data technologies.

There are five PhD positions available as part of this MindLabs initiative. These include 1) predicting behavior using data science; 2) measuring neurophysiology in VR simulations, 3) developing virtual reality agents for education, 4) investigating decision making using serious games, 5) measuring learning and performance in simulations. The five PhD-projects cover areas ranging from maintenance, logistics, aerospace prevention to education. All five scientific projects involve strong collaborations between knowledge institutions and industry. For information on the other four projects, please see the relevant websites (https://www.academictransfer.com/en/?vacancy_type=scientific&q=&organisation=677&order=).

Your tasks/responsibilities:

• Work with industry partners to evaluate and advise in the development of VR simulations and assess learning 
• Collect data from students and professionals, in VR environments and on-site
• Perform scientific research at the intersection of behavioral sciences and virtual reality;
• Be the central communication hub within the project, in close contact with all partners;
• Present results at (international) conferences;
• Publish results in scientific journals;
• Participate in all activities of the research project group, and collaborate with all other project partners.

The successful candidates should:

• Have a (research) Master’s degree in a relevant area such as Cognitive Science, Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Cognitive Psychology, Cognitive Neuroscience, Human-Computer Interaction or a related discipline;
• Have strong programming skills in Python, C, C++, or otherwise (experience programming for VR a definite plus);
• Have excellent analytical skills and be highly motivated and rigorous;
• Have good technical understanding (or ability to learn) advanced statistics;
• Be a fast learner, autonomous and creative, show dedication and be hard working;
• Be enthusiastic about collaborating and participating in groups of academic and non-academic partners;
• Possess good communication skills and be an efficient team worker;
• Be fluent in English, both spoken and written.

The PhD candidate will be employed at Tilburg University. We offer:

• A full-time position.
• The selected candidate will start with a contract for one year. Upon a positive outcome of the first-year evaluation, the candidate will be offered an employment contract for the remaining three years.
• A minimum gross salary of  € 2.325 per month up to a maximum of € 2.972 in the fourth year;
• A holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8.3% (annually);
• Researchers from outside the Netherlands may qualify for a tax-free allowance equal to 30% of their taxable salary (the 30% tax regulation). The University will apply for such an allowance on their behalf;
• Assistance in finding accommodation (for foreign employees);
• The opportunity to perform cutting edge research in a large-scale science project involving TiU and several commercial partners bringing together expertise of several senior researchers;
• Support for your personal development and career planning including participation in courses, summer schools, conference visits, research visits to other institutes (both academic and industrial), etc.;
• A broad package of fringe benefits (including excellent technical infrastructure, savings schemes and excellent sport facilities).
• The collective labor agreement of Dutch University applies.

The school and the department
The Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence department (https://csai.nl/) at Tilburg University is part of the Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences. The department emphasizes innovative cutting-edge research in those areas of cognitive science that bring together psychological and computational theories and methodologies. The group is responsible for the Bachelor and the Master program Cognitive Science & Artificial Intelligence, is co-responsible for the university-wide data science Master program Data Science & Society, and is affiliated with the Jheronimus Academy of Data Science (http://www.jads.nl). Researchers in the Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence track have access to computer clusters, experimental lab facilities, and the virtual and mixed reality DAF Technology Lab and its sensing technologies (https://www.tilburguniversity.edu/campus/experiencing-virtual-reality/). Moreover, researchers play an important role in Mind Labs (https://www.mind-labs.nl/), an initiative that fosters collaborations between knowledge institutions and corporations in the field of interactive technologies and behavior.
 

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences