Why build AI systems that replace people if we can build AI systems that collaborate with people? Hybrid Intelligence is the combination of human and machine intelligence, expanding human intellect instead of replacing it. Our goal is to design Hybrid Intelligent systems, an approach to Artificial Intelligence that puts humans at the centre, changing the course of the ongoing AI revolution.

We are looking for a PhD student to design Hybrid Intelligent systems using Bayesian principles.  Bayesian modeling is an appealing paradigm from which to build such systems. Firstly, priors allow existing information and human expertise to be given primacy in model specification.  Secondly, Bayesian inference remains coherent in sequential, online environments. Lastly, maintaining a distribution over parameters allows the model to juggle multiple competing hypotheses of the data, thereby mitigating overfitting in small-data scenarios.  Agents designed from these principles should be able to quickly adapt to new scenarios, possibly with the help of human guidance. Special attention will be given to applications in bioinformatics and healthcare. In such domains, learning with humans in-the-loop is crucial for leveraging expertise as well as ensuring the system’s safety and integrity.

This position is sponsored by the Hybrid Intelligence Centre, a collaboration of AI researchers from across the Netherlands.  The position is also affiliated with the Amsterdam Machine Learning Lab at UvA and the ADA Research Group at Leiden University.

The Hybrid Intelligence Centre will be recruiting 15 PhD or postdoc positions in total.  If you also want to be considered for one of the Hybrid Intelligence Centre’s other PhD positions, then upload your documents to the HIC Talentpool. Your information will then be shared among the researchers in the consortium.

What are you going to do?

• Invent and evaluate novel methodologies at the intersection of probabilistic modeling and artificial intelligence;
• apply these methods in impactful domains such as bioinformatics and healthcare---with an emphasis on learning under human guidance and cooperation;
• present your research by contributing to international conferences, workshops, and journals;
• actively participate in local research communities (e.g. Hybrid Intelligence Centre, Amsterdam Machine Learning Lab, ADA Research Group);
• complete a PhD thesis within the appointed duration of four years;
• assist in teaching activities: teaching labs and tutorials or supervising bachelor and master students.

What do we require?

• A Master’s degree in Machine Learning, Statistics, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related field;
• experience in statistical or mathematical modeling;
• experience in programming and software development.  Familiarity with Python and scientific computing libraries (e.g. NumPy, Stan, TensorFlow, PyTorch) is preferred;
• enthusiasm for the scientific process: formulating and conducting experiments, data collection and analysis, disseminating findings via writing and oral presentations;
• ability to cooperate and work effectively within a team;
• fluency in English, both written and spoken.

Our offer

A temporary contract for 38 hours per week for the duration of 4 years (initial contract will be for a period of 18 months and after satisfactory evaluation it will be extended for a total duration of 4 years) that should lead to a dissertation (PhD thesis). We will draft an educational plan that includes attendance of courses and (international) meetings. We also expect you to assist in teaching undergraduates and master students. 

The salary, depending on relevant experience before the beginning of the employment contract, will be €2,395 to €3,061 (scale P) gross per month, based on a full-time contract (38 hours a week). These amounts are exclusive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities is applicable.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Take a look here.

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.

Faculty of Science - Informatics Institute

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.