PhD Position in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, IRIT, Toulouse (France)

We are looking for a PhD candidate in Knowledge Representation and Reasoning at the Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT) in Toulouse, France, with earliest starting date on 1st December 2018. The deadline for applications is 5 November 2018.

Job Description

The PhD candidate will work under the supervision of Laurent Perrussel and Umberto Grandi, as part of the recently funded ANR project on “Auction Description Language and General Auction Player”.

This project aims at designing and implementing a General Auction Player (GAP) that can interpret and reason about the
rules governing an auction-based market. To reach this scope, the project aims to define a general Auction Description Language (ADL), a logic-based language for representing the rules of an auction market, which will then allow a player to reason strategically in different environments. This project will provide insights on the practical feasibility of the logic-based approach to strategic reasoning.

The successful candidate will be enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Toulouse Capitole, located in the city center of Toulouse, and will become part of the LILaC research group. The main focus of the research group is the study of formal models of agents and their interaction, from logical models to game-theoretic ones to collective decision-making.

The PhD scholarship will last for three years with a net salary of around 1700€/month (including teaching duties). Tasks of the PhD candidate will include writing a PhD thesis, attending regular research seminars and meetings of the research group, publish and present her or his work regularly at international conferences and workshop, and participate to the organisation of scientific meetings and events. Teaching duties can be included up to a maximum of 64 hours per year.

Requirements

Applicants should hold a Master degree in Computer Science or a close discipline. Further requirements are an excellent track record, a strong drive towards fundamental research and academic work, and full proficiency in English.

Previous knowledge of topics related to Knowledge Representation, Algorithmic Game Theory, and Multiagent Systems in general is an advantage.

Knowledge of French language is not required. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to learn French during their stay.

Application procedure

Prospective candidates are encouraged to make contact with Laurent Perrussel (laurent.perrussel at irit.fr). Applications, consisting of a single PDF file including a detailed CV, a motivation letter of at most 2 pages including a description of the candidate’s research interests, 2 recommendation letters, a copy of the official transcript of grades at Master level, and a link to a Master thesis, should be submitted before 5 November 2018.