Postdoctoral Researcher in Cognitive Modeling in Extended Reality

Position description

We are seeking a post-doctoral researcher to develop the next generation of exploratory data analysis tools with eXtended Reality (XR) interfaces. The project will use offline reinforcement learning and cognitive modelling (e.g. visual attention, decision-making, etc.) to understand and assist users performing XR scene manipulation tasks. Reinforcement learning requires substantial user feedback, which is even more challenging in XR settings, where headsets generate massive quantities of data that needs to be processed in real-time (high-definition stereoscopic video, eye-tracking and hand-tracking). We, therefore, want to develop a simulation-based AI approach to model how users perceive the environment presented to them by the headset and provide users with a personalised and contextualised experience.

The project PI will be Prof. Dorota Glowacka, (University of Helsinki, https://glowacka.org/ ). The research will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Xiang Su (University of Oulu and NTU Norway, https://www.ntnu.edu/employees/xiang.su ), Prof. Steven LaValle (University of Oulu, http://lavalle.pl/ ), and Prof. Anind K. Dey (University of Washington, https://ischool.uw.edu/people/faculty/profile/anind ). The position provides multiple opportunities for collaboration, including a lab visit to the University of Washington.

The position is full-time and funded for two years in the first instance. The starting date is 1 August 2022 but an earlier or later date can be negotiated.

Salary and benefits

For a post-doctoral researcher, the starting salary is 3500 - 4000 euros/month, depending on previous qualifications and experience. 

The University of Helsinki offers comprehensive services to its employees, including occupational health care and health insurance, sports facilities, and opportunities for professional development. The University provides support for internationally recruited employees with their transition to work and life in Finland. For more on the University of Helsinki as an employer, please see https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/careers .

Requirements

The post-doctoral applicant should hold a relevant PhD in Computer Science (e.g. Human-Computer Interaction, Games, XR, VR, etc.) or have demonstrated relevant experience in XR/VR from another discipline or in industry. Applicants should have experience developing applications and experiments for XR (preferably using the Unity game engine) and published research in the field. Knowledge of reinforcement learning, cognitive modelling and experience conducting user studies is considered a major plus. The working language is English and therefore good communication skills in English are essential.

How to apply

Please submit as a single pdf file:

• Application letter describing motivation and research interests
• CV
• Contact details of two potential referees who agreed to provide letters of recommendation
• List of publications (and a link to your Google Scholar profile)

Please submit your application using the University of Helsinki Recruitment System.

The deadline for submitting the application is June 30, 2022.

The University of Helsinki welcomes applicants from a variety of gender identities, and linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Additional information

For more information on the position, please contact the leader of the group Dorota Glowacka ([email protected] ).

The University of Helsinki is an international scientific community of 40,000 students and researchers. It is one of the leading multidisciplinary research universities in Europe and ranks among the top 100 international universities in the world.

The Department of Computer Science , which is part of the Faculty of Science , is a leading Computer Science research and teaching unit in Finland. The research themes of the Department cover machine learning and algorithms, computer networks and distributed systems, software systems and bioinformatics.