Assistant/Associate/Full Professorship in Machine Learning

Updated: over 2 years ago
Deadline: 12 Sep 2021

Assistant/Associate/Full Professorship in Machine Learning
Department of Computer Science
Faculty of Science
University of Copenhagen

The Department of Computer Science at the University of Copenhagen invites applications for a position as Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Full Professor in Machine Learning. The position is to be filled by 1 March 2022 or as soon as possible thereafter, subject to negotiation. Only one of the positions will be filled.

The researcher will join a rapidly growing department, with strong research sections in the areas of Algorithms and Complexity, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, Human-Centered Computing, Software Engineering and Data Management, Programming Languages, and Image Analysis. The department is heading 2 centers within Artificial Intelligence: the SCIENCE AI Center (https://ai.ku.dk/) and the Pioneer Center within Artificial Intelligence (https://di.ku.dk/ai-centre).

The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479 and is the oldest and largest university in Denmark. It is often ranked as the best university in Scandinavia and consistently as one of the top places in Europe. Within computer science, it is ranked number 1 in the European Union according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) 2020.

The Department of Computer Science offers a friendly and thriving international research and working environment with opportunities to build up internationally competitive research groups. There are good opportunities available to apply for research funding in order to establish oneself in Denmark. The Department of Computer Science has an experienced research support unit that offers mentoring and assistance when applying for funding. Further information on start packages and recruitment grants offered by Danish private and public foundations is available at https://www.science.ku.dk/english/research/recruitment-grants-and-start-packages/experienced-researchers/ .

Copenhagen is one of the 10 most livable cities in the world with a rich culture within music, theater and associations (https://www.visitcopenhagen.com). Life for families is made easy by a publicly supported daycare and health care system, dual career opportunities, maternity/parental leave and six weeks of annual vacation. International candidates may find information on living and working in Denmark at www.workindenmark.dk . Useful information is also available at The International Staff Mobility office (ISM) at the University of Copenhagen (https://ism.ku.dk ). ISM offers a variety of services to international researchers coming to and working at the University of Copenhagen.

Description of the position
We are looking for an outstanding, experienced researcher with an innovative mindset and intellectual curiosity to strengthen and complement the research profile of the department within machine learning. Research areas of interest include all aspects of machine learning, considered in the broadest sense. They include, but are not limited to: machine learning theory; applied machine learning to a specialized domain; scalable and efficient machine learning; and human issues surrounding the use of machine learning, such as fairness or ethics. Candidates are expected to publish in premier venues within Machine Learning including but not limited to ICLR, AISTATS, NEURIPS, COLT, ICML, AAAI, IJCAI, KDD.

A priori, the researcher will join the Machine Learning section but the section affiliation will be decided in the hiring process. Research at the Machine Learning section spans from purely theoretical machine learning, over to algorithm development and solving concrete problems for science, industry, and society within a number of application areas, such as medical image analysis; bioinformatics and molecular biology; information retrieval and web data mining; multimodal processing; digital education and teaching technology. For further information, please visit https://di.ku.dk/english/research/machine-learning/ .

Duties include furthering the applicant’s own research, development of the scientific field, research assessment tasks, research grant applications, and research management such as supervision and training of research fellows and other staff. The successful applicant must also teach, supervise, prepare and participate in examinations, and fulfill other tasks requested by the Department.

The department values interdisciplinary research and teaching, and is actively involved in several cross-faculty research projects and educational programmes. Thus, the successful candidate must be capable of and interested in facilitating cross-disciplinary interactions both within the Department of Computer Science and across the university, as well as internationally. The candidate is expected to be open to conducting interdisciplinary teaching, including courses for students with a non-technical background, e.g., health sciences.

Qualifications
Needed qualifications at the Tenure-track Assistant Professor level: The position requires an increasing publication trajectory in high-level, international, peer-reviewed venues in the area of specialization, as well as some personal research grants or a designated (by name) part of major grants. Research plans and publication record should delineate a clear potential for attracting external funding. An active network of international collaborations will be considered a very important asset. The tenure-track assistant professor must have an academic standing showing internationally competitive research, and/or have high potential to make a future scientific impact at the international level. Documented university level experience in delivering high-quality undergraduate/graduate teaching is not mandatory but will be an advantage. If not already holding formal pedagogical qualifications, candidates are required to obtain pedagogical training equivalent to the University of Copenhagen Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme for Assistant Professors.

Needed qualifications at the Associate Professor level: The position requires a track-record of successful external research funding as well as a strong publication record in high-level, international, peer-reviewed venues in the area of specialization. Candidates are also required to have documented university level competencies in delivering high-quality undergraduate/graduate teaching and must be able to explain and reflect upon own teaching practice and portfolio. Formal pedagogical training or supervision equivalent to the University of Copenhagen teacher training programme is expected. Candidates are also expected to have managerial qualifications, for instance in managing their own research group, and out-reach experience.

Needed qualifications at the Full Professor level: Applicants are expected to have a solid track-record of attracting significant external research funding ,as well as a significant publication record in high-level, international, peer- reviewed venues in the area of specialization. Candidates are also required to have documented university level competencies in delivering high-quality undergraduate/graduate teaching and must be able to explain and reflect upon own teaching practice and portfolio, as well as participate in strategic teaching planning. Formal pedagogical training or supervision equivalent to the University of Copenhagen Teaching and Learning in Higher Education programme is necessary. Candidates are expected to have significant managerial qualifications, for instance in positions of service to their institution or to the community, and experience in leading a competitive research group, as well as out-reach experience.

Terms of employment
The position is covered by the Memorandum on Job Structure for Academic Staff. Terms of appointment and payment accord to the agreement between the Ministry of Finance and The Danish Confederation of Professional Associations on Academics in the State.

The starting salary at the Tenure-track Assistant professor level is currently up to DKK 440,935 including annual supplement (+ pension up to DKK 5,399). The starting salary at the Associate professor level is up to DKK 485.154 including annual supplement (+ pension up to DKK 82.961).The starting salary at the Full professor level is DKK 636,057 including annual supplement (+ pension DKK 108,765).

Negotiation for salary supplement, and relocation expenses, is possible. Note that Denmark protects the economic, social, and physical well-being of its workers, which includes robust health care, child care, elder care, and other generous benefits. Thus, direct salary comparisons across nations are typically not meaningful. Furthermore, unlike some north American universities, University of Copenhagen appointments are 12 months in duration and thus require no need for faculty to procure summer funding.

Information on tenure-track programme
Candidates hired as tenure-track assistant professor will be assigned a mentor who will provide the candidate with guidance related to career development, other academic topics and administrative procedures.

Performance of the tenure-track assistant professor will be followed via internal yearly evaluations and a mid-term and final international evaluation by an assessment committee. If the ‘final appraisal’ is positive you will be promoted as associate professor. Performance and progression towards the criteria below will be evaluated with due consideration of differences between research fields.

After a 6-year tenure-track period, tenure-track assistant professors are expected to meet the following criteria:

  • A strong publication track record within the specific field of research, including a significant number of corresponding authorships and at least some publications in high-ranked journals based on work carried out during the tenure-track period
  • Strong external network of collaboration, including joint publications
  • A significant track record of successful external research funding
  • Establishment of a strong and internationally competitive research group demonstrating clear independence of former supervisors/mentors, or/and major contributions to the development of an existing research group demonstrating an ability to collaborate within the research group
  • Completed https://www.ind.ku.dk/english/course_overview/up/ and established a teaching portfolio via participation in teaching, including preparation and development of departmental courses
  • Successful supervision/co-supervision of MSc and PhD students

If the criteria are met, the tenure-track assistant professor will be promoted to Associate professor.

Assessment of applicants will primarily consider their level of documented, original scientific production at an international level, including contributions to developments in their field, scientific profile in relation to ongoing research at the section, as well as documented teaching qualifications. Ability to attract external funding will also be considered as will managerial and out-reach qualifications.

Six overall criteria apply for Tenure-track Assistant / Associate/ Full Professor appointments at the University of Copenhagen. The six criteria (research, teaching, societal impact, organisational contribution, external funding and leadership) are considered a framework for an overall assessment of the candidates. Furthermore, each candidate must be assessed according to the specific requirements stated in the job advertisement.

Criteria for Tenure Track Assistant professors: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5a_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Assistant_professors.pdf

Criteria for Associate professors: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5b_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-Associate_professors.pdf .

Criteria for full professors: https://jobportal.ku.dk/videnskabelige-stillinger/kriterier-for-videnskabelige-stillinger/dokumenter-til-meritering/5c_Criteria_for_recognising_merit_-professors.pdf .

Further information
For more information about the Department of Computer Science, please visit our website https://di.ku.dk/english/

Inquiries about the position can be made to Head of Department, Professor Jakob Grue Simonsen ([email protected]) or Head of Machine Learning Section, Professor Anders Krogh ([email protected]).

Filing of application

The position may be applied for at the Tenure-track assistant professor level, at Associate professor level or at Full Professor level. Please note that it is possible to apply at more than one level. If applied at more than one level, separate applications must be submitted (see below).

The application including all attachments must be in English and submitted electronically by clicking APPLY NOW below.

If you are applying for the positions at Tenure Track assistant professor level, please include

  • Curriculum vitae including:

    • Please describe and document international network and relations
    • Please describe and document internationally based activities
    • Positions held at universities/research institutions outside Denmark
    • Outreach activities, i.e. popular lectures or other activities in the media
    • Grants held, personal or in part. Career development grants.
  • Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
  • Research plan - description of current and future research plans
  • If available, description and documentation of teaching and supervision experience and qualifications- please describe and document:
    • Experience with supervision of BSc and MSc students
    • Teaching experience
    • Formal pedagogical training
  • Complete publication list
  • Separate reprints of up to 5 particularly relevant papers

If you are applying for the positions at Associate Professor or Full Professor level, please include

  • Curriculum vitae including information about external funding
  • Diplomas (Master and PhD degree or equivalent)
  • Research plan – description of current and future research plans
  • Description and documentation of teaching experience and qualifications according to university guidelines
  • Complete publication list
  • Separate reprints of 5 particularly relevant papers

Deadline for applications is 12 September 2021 23:59 GMT +2.

After the expiry of the deadline for applications, the authorized recruitment manager selects applicants for assessment at all levels to be assessed by an Assessment Committee. Note that being on the short-list, is not equivalent to being assessed qualified for the position. Short- listed candidate may potentially be deemed “not qualified” by the Assessment Committee.

A sub-set of the qualified short-listed candidates will be selected for a formal interview by the Recruitment Committee.

You can read about the recruitment process at https://employment.ku.dk/faculty/recruitment-process/.

Interviews will be held on 17 January 2022

Please refer to the following numbers in future communication in this case:

  • Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Machine Learning 211-0099/21-2N
  • Associate Professor in Machine Learning 211-0341/21-2E
  • Full Professor in Machine Learning 211-0125/21-2K

Part of the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU), and among Europe’s top-ranking universities, the University of Copenhagen promotes research and teaching of the highest international standard. Rich in tradition and modern in outlook, the University gives students and staff the opportunity to cultivate their talent in an ambitious and informal environment. An effective organisation – with good working conditions and a collaborative work culture – creates the ideal framework for a successful academic career.



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