Postdoc in Neuromorphic Computing and Adaptive Control

The Department of Electrical Engineering at DTU is seeking a qualified candidate for a postdoc position in neuromorphic computing to work within the neurorobotics team with a start date of May 1, 2022.

Responsibilities
Do you have a passion for cross-disciplinary research spanning the fields of biology and engineering? If so, you might be well-suited to join our neurorobotics team within the Automation and Control (AUT) group. When starting a position, you will become part of AUT spanning a wide range of competences in robotics and autonomous systems. Additionally, you will gain access to state of art facilities allowing you to complete your research in a productive and motivating environment. You will be able to develop your skills as a researcher through close collaborations with colleagues and guidance from senior-level professors.

The neurorobotics team is looking for a postdoc to fill a 2-year position. The project is an LF Experiment grant (granted by the Lundbeck Foundation) and will be under the supervision of Associate Professor Silvia Tolu. In general, our team works to apply biological control concepts in simulation and on physical robots to investigate neuroscientific hypotheses on biological processes related to motor control and learning. Our new project will focus on understanding the motor impairments experienced by people living with Parkinson’s Disease (PD).  The postdoc position will include building spiking neural networks to investigate the breakdown in motor circuitry associated with PD, publishing relevant results, and supervising a research assistant on the project. It is well documented that there is a decrease in dopamine as PD progresses, at the same time walking impairments such as shuffling, and freezing are observed. Together with our team, your goal will be to model the effects of dopamine on the neural circuitry associated with walking to understand the correlation between these two observed phenomena.

Qualifications
As a formal qualification, you must hold a PhD degree (or equivalent) or be in the process of obtaining it (proven documentation). The ideal candidate holds a degree in neuromorphic engineering with a focus on adaptive control and has one or more publications within the field of neurorobotics and/or computational neuroscience.

Active dissemination of your results in high impact scientific articles and through participation in international conferences will be an important part of your job.

The candidate should have strong skills in legged locomotion control, and in particular, experience with working with numerical models of oscillators (central pattern generators) and expertise in spiking neural networks and spiking neuron models (leaky integrate and fire, Izhikevich, and/or adaptive exponential integrate and fire). A background in neuromorphic engineering or similar would be a good basis.

In addition, we look for candidates with:

• Proficiency in Python and/or C++
• Familiarity with Linux and Embedded Linux  
• Thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms of biological locomotion
• Knowledge and implementation experience within mixed neural networks combining spiking and non-spiking neurons
• Excellent methodological skills and an analytical mind-set, ability to work both independently and as a member of a research team
• Outstanding communication skills in English, both oral and written
• Project management experience is a plus

We offer
DTU is a leading technical university globally recognized for the excellence of its research, education, innovation, and scientific advice. We offer a rewarding and challenging job in an international environment. We strive for academic excellence in an environment characterized by collegial respect and academic freedom tempered by responsibility.

Salary and terms of employment
The appointment will be based on the collective agreement with the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The allowance will be agreed upon with the relevant union. Further information on qualification requirements and job content may be found in the Ministerial Order on Job Structure for Academic Staff at Universities . The period of employment is 2 years. The start date will be the 1 May 2022 and end date of 30 April 2024.

You can read more about career paths at DTU here .  

Further information
Further information may be obtained from Associate Professor Silvia Tolu, e-mail: [email protected] , +45 4525 3928.

You can read more about the Department of Automation and Control at www.aut.elektro.dtu.dk and the Department of Electrical Engineering at www.elektro.dtu.dk. You will have access to our cutting-edge labs for experimental activities.

If you are applying from abroad, you may find useful information on working in Denmark and at DTU at DTU – Moving to Denmark .

Application procedure
Your complete online application must be submitted no later than 26 January 2022 (Danish time). Applications must be submitted as one PDF file containing all materials to be given consideration. To apply, please open the link "Apply online", fill out the online application form, and attach all your materials in English in one PDF file. The file must include:

• Application (cover letter)
• CV
• Academic Diplomas (MSc/PhD)
• List of publications

Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion, or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Technology for people
DTU develops technology for people. With our international elite research and study programmes, we are helping to create a better world and to solve the global challenges formulated in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Hans Christian Ørsted founded DTU in 1829 with a clear vision to develop and create value using science and engineering to benefit society. That vision lives on today. DTU has 12,900 students and 6,000 employees. We work in an international atmosphere and have an inclusive, evolving, and informal working environment. DTU has campuses in all parts of Denmark and in Greenland, and we collaborate with the best universities around the world.