Do you want to work in a challenging and innovative environment? Would you like to contribute to spotting, exploring and working on innovations with artificial intelligence, particularly in the field of machine learning? If so, we welcome you to join the SURF innovation team.
We are currently looking for an expert who combines hands-on technical expertise with skills to engage with the AI community in the Netherlands and set-up and participate in (national and international) projects.

What does the job entail?
You will join and help to shape and execute our activities in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This covers mainly scouting, defining, exploring and validating technical opportunities and concepts in applying machine learning to enhance scientific research and education. This will be done in close collaboration with research institutes, groups in universities and universities of applied sciences, and scientific research communities. Setting up those collaborations is part of the job. The main objective of our work is to support Dutch research and education to take advantage of artificial intelligence technology and methods to conduct world-class research and/or deliver world-class education.

Examples of current topics of work:

• Extreme-scale & performance of deep learning
• Federated learning
• Explainable AI
• Data management and workflows for AI
• Enhancement of numerical simulation by deep learning
• Quantum machine learning
• AI-specific hardware

What exactly are you going to do?

• To participate in a number of national and international projects in the field of artificial intelligence.
• Spotting collaboration opportunities, contributing to collaboration proposals and possibly managing and/or contributing to resulting projects in the AI field.
• To enable academia and private parties to benefit from our computing and data infrastructures.
• To contribute to researching new data driven methods for large scale analysis.
• To (co)develop new algorithms with our partners and members.
• To disseminate our acquired expertise to the scientific community and participating in courses, webinars, and public talks.

You will be become member of the Innovation department core team as an advisor/consultant and collaborate with the innovation managers on technology, research and education and with ML advisors who are in the SURF service delivery department on Research Services and Research Development.

• You have an academic level of thinking and working: (MSc/PhD level) in artificial intelligence, computer science, mathematics or other related fields.
• You have a scientific and/or practical background in machine learning, including the ability to apply your in-depth knowledge of the machine learning principles. Deep learning knowledge is an advantage.
• You have hands-on experience on large computing systems.
• You can work well together, are communicative, easy to approach and you are able to write papers and/or proposals.
• You are able to master new concepts and technologies very quickly and are able to look ahead.
• You are analytically strong, pro-active, independent, curious and result-oriented and can work autonomously.
• You have strong interest in the application of artificial intelligence to solve real problems.
• You have knowledge of parallel computer architectures and experience in relevant programming languages (e.g. Linux, Fortran/C, scripting, MPI). Knowledge of Python, (GP)GPU programming, CUDA and/or OpenCL languages is preferred.
• You have excellent communication and presentation skills.
• You have sensitivity for collaboration and business development opportunities.
• Project management skills are preferred.

Fixed-term contract: 1 year with the intention for an indefinite extension.

• A diverse work environment, with many nationalities (working languages are English and Dutch).
• A lot of freedom to take on technical challenges, to acquire and develop new knowledge and to experiment and innovate with new techniques.
• An open environment in which collaboration with technology providers, researchers, (potential) users and with the operational units and community support within SURF is important.
• An environment where own initiative is highly appreciated.
• The opportunity to work with passionate professionals in innovative teams.
• The opportunity to participate in national and international conferences.
• Initially, the contract will be for a period of 1 year with the intention for an indefinite extension.
• The salary range for this vacancy is between 4061,- and 5802,- euro gross, based on full-time employment.
• Extensive training opportunities and excellent secondary employment conditions:
  • 8,33% holiday allowance, a fixed year-end bonus of 8,33%.
  • 36 vacation days per year (based on a 40 hour work week).
  • An NS Businesscard 1st class

SURF

About SURF and the Innovation Team
SURF is the collaboration organisation for ICT for Dutch higher education and research. SURF works with educational and research institutions on ICT facilities and ICT innovation in order to make optimum use of the opportunities offered by digitisation. Within SURF the innovation department is responsible for initiating and conducting innovation projects in research, education and technology with the purpose to develop tools, methods and knowledge to support digital transformation. We collaborate closely with the SURF members, research groups, technology providers and national initiatives in these areas. SURF organizes and brings together stakeholders, investigates both user and scientific community requirements, experiments with new concepts and technologies, makes prototypes and demonstrators and jointly assess opportunities and added value. We are looking as such to solutions for tomorrow and beyond. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are important subjects for SURF members, institutes and research communities, not only for now but also in future.