PHD STIPENDS IN DATA AND KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING, GRAPH DATA MANAGEMENT, AND MACHINE LEARNING (16-23010)

PHD STIPENDS IN DATA AND KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING, GRAPH DATA MANAGEMENT, AND MACHINE LEARNING (16-23010)

At the Technical Faculty of IT and Design, Department of Computer Science, multiple fully-funded PhD scholarships are available within the Computer Science study program at Aalborg University, commencing between April 1, 2023 and September 1, 2023. The PhD students will be working on topics within the general area of data and knowledge engineering, graph data management, and machine learning. Two of the projects are expected to be funded by a VILLUM SYNERGY project ("DarkScience: Illuminating Microbial Dark Matter through Data Science"). The Department of Computer Science features a broad range of synergistic activities within research and education in the general area of computer science, including curiosity-driven research and targeted research in collaboration with industrial partners, as well as traditional university education, with a unique problem- and project-based focus, and continued education and knowledge dissemination.

Job description

The PhD projects will be concerned with using knowledge graphs, graph technologies, and machine learning models and methods to enable novel perspectives of analysis and make data and results accessible through the integration of heterogeneous data, such as environmental data, genomes, ontologies, publications, and external data. Of particular interest are the scalable support of evolving data, provenance, exploration, analytics, embeddings, clustering, and knowledge sharing. 
Two of these positions are expected to be within the context of the VILLUM SYNERGY project ("DarkScience : Illuminating Microbial Dark Matter through Data Science"), where we will use data extraction, integration, analytics, and probabilistic machine learning to develop new methods and approaches that enable access and analysis of microbial dark matter and their interaction with the environment. 
Depending on research profile, the selected candidates will be part of either the Data, Knowledge, and Web Engineering (DKW) group or the Distributed, Embedded and Intelligent systems (DEIS) group. The DKW group is a leading research collective that focuses on data and knowledge engineering, data science, and advanced machine learning methods with the joint ambition to bring meaning to large amounts of heterogeneous data and exploit it in the best way possible. The DEIS research group covers mathematical foundation, verification tools, validation methodologies, probabilistic graphical models and machine learning focusing on distributed, embedded, and intelligent systems. The group is internationally recognized for its work in formal methods and currently hosts more than 50 researchers. Both groups participate in a number of cross-disciplinary research efforts in different areas and closely collaborates with colleagues in bio science, health, and sustainability assessment. Researchers from the groups are also members of the department’s Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning team. The team gathers researchers from all research groups at the department, all working with different aspects of AI and ML. Currently, more than 40 researchers are affiliated with the team.
Requirements:
Applicants who wish to apply for a PhD Stipend must have a Master’s degree in computer science or a closely related field. Applicants who wish to apply for an integrated PhD stipend must be enrolled in a relevant Master’s programme. Due to the project’s angle, applicants must have a strong background in data and knowledge engineering, graph data management and querying, and machine learning. Additional knowledge and experiences within the following areas are highly appreciated: data integration (data lakes, fabrics), provenance, Bayesian machine learning, deep learning, dynamic knowledge graphs, exploratory analytics, bioinformatics, and data science. Outstanding spoken and written communication skills in English are essential. 
Application: 
An application must contain:
1. A cover letter of max. 1 page, including (i) motivation for applying, (ii) preferred starting date (specifically if other than the projects envisioned starting date of 1 April 2023), and (iii) a brief explanation of the applicant’s background.
2. A research statement (project description) roughly within the frame of "data and Knowledge engineering, graph data management, and machine learning on graphs" of max. 2 pages (excl. references). This description should outline the applicant’s thoughts and ideas on possible research directions within the context of the topics outlined above. 
3. CV
4. Diploma and transcripts of records
5. Other relevant information incl. contacts of referees
Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Professor Katja Hose ([email protected] ) and Professor Thomas Dyhre Nielsen ([email protected] ) regarding the scientific aspects of the position. 

PhD stipends are allocated to individuals who hold a Master's degree. PhD stipends are normally for a period of 3 years. 
There is also an option to allocate integrated PhD stipends to individuals who have not yet completed a Master’s degree and wish to begin the PhD study in connection with the Master study. Hence, a prerequisite for this type of stipend is that the candidate is enrolled in a relevant Master’s programme at AAU. Stipends of this type consist of two parts: A and B. During part A candidates are enrolled simultaneously in the Master’s programme and in the PhD programme. The stipend consists of two SU-PhD Grants per month (SU=The Danish students’ Grants and Loans Scheme). One SU-PhD grant equals DKK 6.589 (2023 level). SU-PhD Grants are paid for a maximum of two years. When the Master’s degree has been obtained, candidates will be employed for two years as a PhD fellow according to the present collective agreement. Part B has a maximum duration of two years. This option only starts on September 1, 2023.
It is a prerequisite for the allocation of the stipends that the candidates will be enrolled as a PhD student at the The Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design, in accordance with the regulations of Ministerial Order No. 1039 of August 27, 2013 on the PhD Programme at the Universities and Certain Higher Artistic Educational Institutions. According to the Ministerial Order, the progress of the PhD student shall be assessed at regular points in time. 
Shortlisting will be applied. This means that subsequent to the deadline for applications the head of department supported by the chair of the assessment committee will select candidates for assessment. All applicants will be informed whether they will be assessed or not. 
For further information about stipends and salary as well as practical issues concerning the application procedure, please contact Ms. Annemarie Davidsen, the Doctoral School at The Technical Faculty of IT and Design, email: [email protected] , phone: +45 9940 2109. 
For more information of The Technical Doctoral School of IT and Design: www.phd.tech.aau.dk . 
The application is only to be submitted online by using the "Apply online" button below.
AAU wishes to reflect the diversity of society and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of personal background or belief.

Agreement

Appointment and salary as a PhD fellow are according to the Ministry of Finance Circular of 15 December 2021 on the Collective Agreement for Academics in Denmark, Appendix 5, regarding PhD fellows, and with the current Circular of 11 December 2019 on the employment structure at Danish universities. Allocation of SU-PhD Grants are according to the Ministerial Order on the State Educational Grant and Loan Scheme part 12, section II.

Vacancy number

16-23010

Deadline

Fri Feb 10 00:00:00 CET 2023

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