News and Events: Open Positions

ILLC participates in the Dutch Institute for Emergent Phenomena, DIEP (https://www.d-iep.org/). The line of research within DIEP@UvA focuses on emergence and covers areas such as non-equilibrium systems, causality, collective intelligence, network theory, multiscale modelling, quantum information, phases of mater, etc. ILLC's research in the direction of Logics for interactive rationality, computational social choice, cognition, causality and quantum information theory is mentioned in this context (see https://www.d-iep.org/projectsdiepuva).

Currently DIEP is advertising three-year postdoc fellowships.

The Department of Literary Studies and Linguistics in the Faculty of Humanities is looking for an Assistant professor in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence, specialized in cognitive models of language, reasoning and/or music. The position will be embedded in the Linguistics section of the Department of Literary Studies & Linguistics in the faculty of Humanities. Research will be part of the Institute for Logic Language and Computation (ILLC).

QuSoft is looking for a PhD candidate for developing and analyzing new quantum algorithms for inherently quantum problems. This position is part of Maris Ozols VIDI project 'Mathematics of Quantum Algorithms', funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO). The goal of this project is to develop quantum algorithms for problems where both the input and output are quantum states as opposed to classical bit strings. We will particularly focus on problems with permutational and/or unitary symmetries, and attack them using quantum Schur transform and tools from representation theory.

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) invites applications for a PhD position at the Faculty of Humanities, tenable from 1 September 2020 (4 years, 1 FTE). Deadline for applications is 31 March 2020.

Are you looking for a PhD position where you can use your mathematical skills to improve how AI systems represent and reason with knowledge about the world and other AI systems? Are you excited about doing this kind of research in an interdisciplinary environment, with smart and friendly colleagues? And are you interested in an academic career in Artificial Intelligence?

Then you may want to join us. We are looking for a PhD candidate in the field of knowledge representation and reasoning to join us at the Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) in Amsterdam.

Are you looking for a PhD position where you can use your mathematical skills to improve how we make decisions, arrive at compromises, and aggregate information in a group? Are you excited about doing this kind of research in an interdisciplinary environment, in a team with smart and friendly colleagues? And are you interested in an academic career in Artificial Intelligence?

Then you may want to join us. We are looking for a PhD candidate in the field of computational social choice to join us in the COMSOC Group at the Institute for Logic. Language and Computation (ILLC) in Amsterdam.

The interdisciplinary institute in artificial intelligence of Toulouse (https://aniti.univ-toulouse.fr), named the Artificial and Natural Intelligence Toulouse Institute (ANITI), is one of four institutes spearheading research on AI in France. A program of 24 chairs is funded by ANITI. This includes the chair “Empowering Data-driven AI by Argumentation and Persuasion”. Emiliano Lorini (https://www.irit.fr/~Emiliano.Lorini/), one of the members of the chair, is seeking a PhD student to work on the research project “Explaining Learning Agents”. The PhD thesis will start in September 2020 and will be funded on a three-year contract with net salary of 2600€ per month with some teaching (64 hours per year on average). The application deadline for full consideration is May 30th, 2020.

We offer 9 full scholarships for PhD projects within our research theme Data Science and Systems Complexity (DSSC) (https://www.rug.nl/research/fse/themes/dssc/).

The University of Leeds School of Mathematics invites applications for a Lectureship in Pure Mathematics. This is a permanent academic post (subject to probation), similar to an assistant professorship in the North American system. Applicants whose research will reinforce the School's existing strengths in Mathematical Analysis or Mathematical Logic (both fields broadly interpreted) are particularly sought.

The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (the Netherlands) has an opening for a post-doc position. The position will be embedded in Prof. Catarina Dutilh Novaes' ERC-funded project "The Social Epistemology of Argumentation", which is devoted to investigating the contribution of argumentation to processes of production and circulation of knowledge and other epistemic resources in a number of spheres, in particular in science and public/political discourse. This post-doc position is intended for the investigation of scientific argumentative practices. Minimum FTE: 0.8.The initial employment contract will affect a period of 1 year, with the possibility of extension for up to 3 years in total. The starting date is September 1st 2020 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The candidate should have a PhD degree (or an approved thesis and a set defense date) in Philosophy with specialization in philosophy of science (broadly construed). Outstanding candidates with degrees in relevant fields such as sociology, psychology, cognitive science, communication studies etc. will also be considered, provided they also have some background in philosophy. The candidate should have a strong academic record and demonstrable affinity with social epistemology and argumentation theory. Familiarity with formal methods such as logic, probabilities, computer simulations and/or network theory is desirable. Excellent spoken and written English as well as strong academic writing skills are essential.

The history of mathematics research group at Utrecht University has an opening for a 2-year postdoc position, within the NWO-funded project "Constructive mathematics in the classical theory of conic sections." Based on a systematic analysis of 17th-century works on conic sections, the project examines the roles that constructions played in early modern mathematics, from foundational philosophy to creative mathematical practice. Candidates with a suitable combination of a background in mathematics as well as history and philosophy are encouraged to apply.

The Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok has 10 postdoctoral research fellowships available in Mathematics, Mathematical Physics, Computer Science, and related fields. Candidates with background in Mathematics/Computer Science/Artificial Intelligence are welcome, which have a strong research record in at least one of the following fields:
* Knowledge Representation
* Automated Reasoning
* Semantic Technologies
* Data Mining & Machine Learning
* Uncertainty in AI
* Automated Planning & Scheduling
* Constraint Satisfaction

Teaching duty is minimal, successful applicants are expected to give lectures on the research topics they specialize in.

The University of Groningen (The Netherlands) has one vacancy in "Theory of Computation" at the level of assistant (tenure-track), associate, or full professor. We seek an outward looking researcher in Computer Science who will perform research on theory of computation, broadly construed.

The position will be embedded in the Fundamental Computing group of the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence. The successful candidate will play a crucial role within the Center "Groningen Cognitive Systems and Materials" (CogniGron). This is a unique research center, where researchers from materials science, physics, chemistry, Gmathematics, computer science and artificial intelligence work together to create self-learning materials that will perform the tasks that are now assigned to thousands of transistors and complex algorithms.

The Individual and Collective Reasoning Group ICR (Department of Computer Science), led by Prof. Leon van der Torre, is looking for two: PhD students (doctoral candidates) in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, with a special interest and background in one or several of the following areas:
- Belief dynamics for AIs
- Causal reasoning, Logic-based Explainable AI
- Deontic logic, AI Ethics
- Formal argumentation, nonmonotonic reasoning
- Reasoning under uncertainty and inconsistency

Starting date: September 1, 2020. Duration: 3 years, extendable by 1 year. Student and employee status. Ref: F1-070075 .

What is the key to good group deliberation? And can we steer deliberative processes towards better outcomes?

In this project we will investigate the mathematical and computational foundations of deliberative processes in groups of autonomous agents.

We are seeking an enthusiastic PhD student, with a keen interest in pursuing fundamental and interdisciplinary research at the interface of computational social choice (COMSOC), game theory, and multi-agent systems.

The PhD project is embedded in the research project Optimal Proofs funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research led by Rosalie Iemhoff at Utrecht University. The project in mathematical and philosophical logic is concerned with formalisation in general and proof systems in particular. Its mathematical aim is to develop methods to describe the possible proof systems of a given logic and establish, given various criteria of optimality, what the optimal proof systems of the logic are. Its philosophical aim is to develop general criteria for faithful formalisation in logic and to thereby distinguish good formalisations from bad ones.

The PhD candidate will be part of a research team consisting of two PhD-candidates, two postdoctoral researchers and Rosalie.  The project is based at the discipline group Theoretical Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies of Utrecht University. The research carried out in the lively group is broad and varied, and part of the humanities as well as the sciences. Utrecht University currently has a Focus Area Artificial Intelligence that the department is involved in. All this provides a stimulating and internationally oriented research environment.

Qualifications: we are looking for a talented and dedicated student with a master's degree or equivalent degree in mathematics, computer science, or philosophy, specializing in logic or a related area.

PhD and PostDoc positions are available at the Database and Artificial Intelligence Group at the Institute of Logic and Computation (TU Wien, Austria). We invite highly motivated applicants interested both in the theory and practice of Description Logics, Rule-based Languages, Semantic Web, Reasoning about Actions and Change, Databases, and/or Artificial Intelligence.

PhD students would join the LogiCS doctoral program, which offers top research expertise, and a stimulating and supportive environment.

The Chair of Philosophy of Science at the at the MCMP (LMU Munich), under the direction of Prof. Dr. Stephan Hartmann seeks applications for two 3-year postdoctoral positions. We are especially interested in candidates with research interests in at least one of the following fields: general philosophy of science, philosophy of the social sciences, philosophy of statistics, formal epistemology, formal philosophy of science, social epistemology, philosophy and psychology of reasoning and argumentation, agent-based modeling in philosophy, and decision theory.

The University invites applications for a Full Professorship (W3) for Epistemology and Theory of Science. This professorship is particularly suitable for highly qualified early career researchers. Tenured, fulltime position, Start-date: At the earliest possible date.

The University expects an excellent international academic record in (Historical) Epistemology, Philosophy of Science and/or Theory of Science. More specifically, candidates should demonstrate - in research and teaching - a historical and comparative perspective on epistemology and methodology as well as on the societal and cultural conditions and implications of knowledge and science (understood in the broad sense of "Wissenschaft").

Interdisciplinary research profiles that link to one of the LAS Majors and to empirical research fields at the University will be favored. Particularly desirable are research interests that resonate with the STS professorship at UCF and support the existing cooperation with the Freiburg Institute of Advanced Studies. A research focus that considers interdisciplinarity and/or a broad approach towards 'Reflections on Science and Knowledge' are welcome.

We are looking for a PhD candidate in Logics for Privacy at the Laboratoire d'Informatique Fondamentale d'Orléans (LIFO) in Bourges, France, starting on October 1st, 2020.

The PhD candidate will join the project PRobabilistic Epistemic Logic Applied to Privacy. The aim of this PhD is to develop probabilistic formal methods for privacy. Depending on the interests of the applicant, the PhD could be either oriented mostly toward logic or mostly toward privacy. Logic-based research includes developing epistemic/probabilistic/many-valued logics to formalize reasoning, privacy, algorithms and attacks with logics. Privacy-based research includes studying and modelling privacy issues such as limiting privacy exposure during data collection and privacy policies on social networks.

The Tsinghua University - University of Amsterdam Joint Research Centre for Logic is looking for a postdoc in the field of logic, who can substantially contribute to research and teaching of the logic group in the department of philosophy. In research, the specific research topic will depend on the candidate’s expertise. As regards teaching, the position imposes no obligation of teaching, but a

broad and strong teaching competence will be very helpful.

The candidate needs to apply for the “Shuimu Scholar” Postdoc Program in Tsinghua University. Please read the details of the Program and contact Professor Fenrong Liu fenrong at tsinghua.edu.cn

The University of Mons announces the opening of a full-time tenure-track faculty position in artificial intelligence at the assistant professor level. The position is opened jointly in the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering, with a starting date of September 1, 2020. In a first stage, the person will be appointed for a period of three years, which can be extended with two extra years. The definitive appointment will be decided during or at the end of this period. The appointed person will take the lead of a new research group in the Department of Computer Science in the Faculty of Science.

Qualified candidates must have a doctorate in disciplines related to computer science or computer engineering, and should have an outstanding research record in the field of artificial intelligence, with a specialisation in machine learning. The selected person will develop research and teaching activities in this domain, will collaborate with existing research groups in the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Science, and will be active in fundraising for industrial, governmental, and european projects.

The Department of Computer Science of the University of Liverpool offers four fully funded PhD positions in the research fields pursued in the department. These fields include logic, especially description logic (pursued by Frank Wolter, Boris Konev, Valentina Tamma), dynamic epistemic logic (Louwe Kuijer), temporal logic (Clare Dixon, Michael Fischer, Martin Zimmerman) and automata (Sven Schewe, Patrick Totzke).

The deadline for applications is April 1st, 2020, and the intended start date for the positions is in September or October 2020.

The successful applicant will be employed by the Department of Philosophy, Linguistics, and Theory of science (FloV). The department was founded in 2009, and offers teaching and research in theoretical and practical philosophy, linguistics, and theory of science. The department also hosts several big research programs, including The Gothenburg Responsibility Project, the Centre for Linguistic Theory and Studies in Probability (CLASP), and Representation & Reality.

CLASP is devoted to research and advanced training in the application of probabilistic modeling and machine learning methods to core issues in linguistic theory and cognition. It also addresses topics in dialogue and linguistic interaction. The postdoctoral researcher is expected to conduct research in CLASP's core areas of research in cooperation with the research group. Apart from research, duties may include mentoring graduate students, course design, and/or teaching-related activities; such supplementary duties will not exceed 20% of the position?s responsibilities.

A PhD position for a philosopher is open at ICFO, Warsaw University of Technology, within the EU funded project 'Interactive Natural Language Technology for Explainable Artificial Intelligence' (NL4XAI). The student will be based in Warsaw. The work will focus on 'Customized interactive argumentation schemes for XAI', and will be supervised by Kasia Budzynska and co-supervised by Jose M. Alonso from Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (Spain).

While the project as a whole strongly focuses on the computational aspects of AI and NLP, the Warsaw-based part of the project is primarily dedicated to the theoretical foundations for implementations of XAI. This is why we are looking for a candidate who has excellent analytical skills (such as an experience in analytic philosophy or logic) and is interested in argumentation and natural communication. Programming skills are not the requirement as the actual implementation will be done either by the student herself or by collaborators within the NL4XAI project consortium.

The Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Medicine at Indiana University invites applications for one postdoctoral fellowships, available in the academic year 2020-2021, for research to be undertaken in the context of the Sawyer Seminar "Rigor: control, analysis and synthesis in historical and systematic perspectives".

The postdoc will pursue a research project related to the Sawyer Seminar theme, the concept of rigor across the scientific disciplines. The Seminar will bring together scholars from the humanities and the sciences who will trace the emergence of the terms "rigor", "control", "analysis" and "synthesis" in experimental contexts. Focusing on two key historical periods, the dawn of modern experimental sciences in the 17th century and the period of professionalization and disciplinary specification of experimentation in the 19th century, the seminar participants will study what constitutes rigor in different fields; how the concept of rigor emerged; and when it became the requirement for experimentation that it is today. Qualification: PhD in History of Science, Philosophy of Science, or a related field.

The Hybrid Intelligence Center is funded by a 10 year Zwaartekracht grant from the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The center is a collaboration of AI researchers from the VU Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam, the TU Delft, and the Universities of Groningen, Leiden, and Utrecht.

The first round of 27 PhD students will be hired by mid 2020. The 27 projects cover various areas of AI including: computational social choice, logic & cognition, language & computation.

In the Theoretical Computer Science group (Chair Computer Science 8) at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universiẗat Erlangen-N̈urnberg, we have a *one-year* postdoc position available in the DFG-Project "A High Level Language for Programming and Specifying Multi-Effect Algorithms", which is concerned with monad-based semantics and program logics for side-effecting (guarded) iteration and recursion. The technical part of the project proposal can be made available on request.

The project is supervised by Sergey Goncharov and Lutz Schr̈oder. The positions are in the TV-L E13 or E14 pay scale depending on qualification of the applicant. The position is available immediately but can also be filled later.

The Department of Mathematical Sciences of New Mexico State University is seeking applications for graduate student positions in our department. Students interested in Logic and Foundations will have an opportunity to work with faculty who conduct research in modal logic, algebraic logic, and duality theory. Our department is one of the few in the US conducting research in these areas. Thanks to a recent large donation, we offer very competitive packages. Applicants should be highly motivated and have a strong background in mathematics.

The UCLA Department of Philosophy is offering a one year (with the possibility of a one-year renewal) post-doctoral research fellowship to a recent Ph.D. in philosophy whose primary area of research lies in logic, language, or mind.  One or two postdoctoral fellowships will be available depending on funding, and the post-docs are for one-year with the possibility of a one-year renewal. The position will coincide with a research cycle of workshops, conferences, and visitors in these areas made possible by a recent gift to the department.