The goal of the PhD is to study the problem of reasoning over different types of common-sense knowledge sources in order to support embodied agents to achieve everyday activities. We will work on developing new methods to allow robots to achieve knowledge-intensive tasks through combining existing structured data (knowledge graphs) and data-driven (machine l earning) approaches. The main idea is to exploit the large amount of common-sense knowledge graphs as background knowledge that embodied agents can use to better perform their tasks. Challenges such as identifying knowledge about contexts and the situations, extracting and reasoning over multiple types of knowledge, and integrating human feedback in the understanding loop will be tackled.

The research will be carried out across the Department of Computer Science and the
Department of Language, Literature and Communication. Your supervisors will be Dr. Stefan Schlobach and Dr. Ilaria Tiddi from the Knowledge Representation and Reasoning group and Prof. Piek Vossen from the Computational Lexicology & Terminology Lab. Both groups have extensive expertise in knowledge representation, large-scale semantic technologies and speech and language processing.

Your duties

• Get experienced with techniques to manipulate large-scale knowledge graphs
• Familiarise with off-the-shelf tools for robotic applications
• Master research activities including framing research problems, proposing/implementing solutions, evaluating and presenting results

• Candidates are expected to have completed (or about to complete) their Master degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence or a closely related field
• Interest around knowledge graphs and semantic technologies is required, knowledge of machine learning or natural language processing is also a plus
• Proactivity, creativity and good communication and presentation skills are desirable, as well as the ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team

Fixed-term contract: 1 year.

A challenging position in a socially involved organization. The salary will be in accordance with university regulations for academic personnel and amounts €2,395 (PhD) per month during the first year and increases to €3,061 (PhD) per month during the fourth year, based on a full-time employment. The job profile: is based on the university job ranking system and is vacant for at least 1 FTE.

The appointment will initially be for 1 year. After a satisfactory evaluation of the initial appointment, the contract will be extended for a duration of 4 years in total.
Additionally, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam offers excellent fringe benefits and various schemes and regulations to promote a good work/life balance, such as:

• a maximum of 41 days of annual leave based on full-time employment
• 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus
• solid pension scheme (ABP)
• contribution to commuting expenses
• optional model for designing a personalized benefits package

The ambition of Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is clear: to contribute to a better world through outstanding education and ground-breaking research. We strive to be a university where personal development and commitment to society play a leading role. A university where people from different disciplines and backgrounds collaborate to achieve innovations and to generate new knowledge. Our teaching and research encompass the entire spectrum of academic endeavor – from the humanities, the social sciences and the natural sciences through to the life sciences and the medical sciences.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is home to more than 26,000 students. We employ over 4,600 individuals. The VU campus is easily accessible and located in the heart of Amsterdam’s Zuidas district, a truly inspiring environment for teaching and research.

Diversity
We are an inclusive university community. Diversity is one of our most important values. We believe that engaging in international activities and welcoming students and staff from a wide variety of backgrounds enhances the quality of our education and research. We are always looking for people who can enrich our world with their own unique perspectives and experiences.

The Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science inspires researchers and students to find sustainable solutions for complex societal issues. From forest fires to big data, from obesity to medicines and from molecules to the moon: our teaching and research programmes cover the full spectrum of the natural sciences. We share knowledge and experience with leading research institutes and industries, both here in the Netherlands and abroad.

Working at the Faculty of Science means working with students, PhD candidates and researchers, all with a clear focus on their field and a broad view of the world. We employ more than 1,250 staff members, and we are home to around 6,000 students.
 
About the department
The VU Department of Computer Science has approximately 180 staff members, including 90  PhD students. Lecturers form a critical and essential basis for the functioning of the department, providing foundational education that helps determine the future of our students. Our research and our students are diverse, covering disciplines such as Social sciences, Humanities, Economics, and Bioinformatics. Currently, we offer programs in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Information Sciences (BSc and MSc), and Bioinformatics and Systems Biology (MSc), with a total of around 1000 new students each year.