PhD Position Automated Activity Detection from Multiple Sensors

Challenge: Designing ML algorithms for detecting activities and potential security risks.

Change: Harnessing data from multiple cameras and sensors.

Impact: Driving efficiency in surveillance and investigations.

In the security domain, one of the greatest challenges is analysing and interpreting a torrent of data, including the videos produced by multiple surveillance cameras. Suffice to say that the manual process is very time-consuming and error-prone. To help drive efficiency, computer vision is crucial, yet so far the focus has been on single-camera data analysis. As a PhD at TU Delft you will conduct unique research and design machine learning algorithms for detecting relevant activities from multiple cameras, and possibly other sensors as well. Would you like to work closely with the Netherlands Police and help drive efficiency in the security domain?

In this five-year project, you will review literature on computer vision methods for multiple cameras, possibly extended to combinations with other sensors, such as radar or microphones. In addition, you will develop and test machine learning algorithms that can track people and objects, such as cars, using the input from cameras and sensors at different locations and at different times. The end-goal is ML-driven detection of complex activities, by designing neural networks for evolving spatio-temporal graphs to integrate multi-source on-the-fly information. As your research progresses, you will assist the police force with implementing and using your algorithms, for which you will also coach and train police users.

As part of your role, you will disseminate your findings and knowledge, speaking at conferences and writing scientific articles. Your project is part of the Model-Driven Decisions Lab, a Netherlands Police-TU Delft initiative, where you will join an interdisciplinary community of four fellow PhD students. Together, you will share knowledge to tackle model-based decision-making from different perspectives. To cultivate collaboration with the stakeholders and embed solutions in their processes, you will spend 20% of your time at the Netherlands Police. At TU Delft, you will join the driven and internationally diverse team of academic staff and PhD students of the Signal Processing Systems section. We foster a welcoming, collegial and collaborative atmosphere, in which we share knowledge and spend time socially too. We will give you all the support and training you need to evolve both personally and professionally.

Learn more about your project at the Model-Driven Decisions Lab

• You hold an MSc in computer science, data science, physics, electrical engineering or another relevant subject.
• You have experience and knowledge of machine learning and, preferably, computer vision.
• You thrive on conducting research geared to real-world application in the security domain and are intrinsically motivated to collaborate with the Netherlands Police.
• You harness your communication skills to work with different scientific and non-scientific stakeholders in different work cultures.
• You have a good command of written and spoken English, as you will be working in an international environment. Since you will be working with the Netherlands police, it is an advantage if you also have a good command of the Dutch language.

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that the candidate is able to communicate and interact well, participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses, and write scientific articles and a final thesis. For more details please check the Graduate Schools Admission Requirements .

Doctoral candidates will be offered a 5-year period of employment in principle, but in the form of two employment contracts. An initial 1,5 year contract with an official go/no go progress assessment within 15 months. Followed by an additional contract for the remaining 3,5 years assuming everything goes well and performance requirements are met. The additional fifth year (compared to a standard 4 year PhD program) accommodates for the extra activities to get to know the police organisation and to secure the results in the police organisation.

Salary and benefits are in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities, increasing from € 2770 per month in the first year to € 3539 in the fourth year. In the 5th year, you will receive a temporary monthly allowance based on the gross difference between salary scale P, step 3 and salary scale 10, step 3.

As a PhD candidate you will be enrolled in the TU Delft Graduate School. The TU Delft Graduate School provides an inspiring research environment with an excellent team of supervisors, academic staff and a mentor. The Doctoral Education Programme is aimed at developing your transferable, discipline-related and research skills.

The TU Delft offers a customisable compensation package, discounts on health insurance, and a monthly work costs contribution. Flexible work schedules can be arranged.

For international applicants, TU Delft has the Coming to Delft Service. This service provides information for new international employees to help you prepare the relocation and to settle in the Netherlands. The Coming to Delft Service offers a Dual Career Programme for partners and they organise events to expand your (social) network.

Delft University of Technology is built on strong foundations. As creators of the world-famous Dutch waterworks and pioneers in biotech, TU Delft is a top international university combining science, engineering and design. It delivers world class results in education, research and innovation to address challenges in the areas of energy, climate, mobility, health and digital society. For generations, our engineers have proven to be entrepreneurial problem-solvers, both in business and in a social context.

At TU Delft we embrace diversity as one of our core values  and we actively engage  to be a university where you feel at home and can flourish. We value different perspectives and qualities. We believe this makes our work more innovative, the TU Delft community more vibrant and the world more just. Together, we imagine, invent and create solutions using technology to have a positive impact on a global scale. That is why we invite you to apply. Your application will receive fair consideration.

Challenge. Change. Impact!

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) brings together three scientific disciplines. Combined, they reinforce each other and are the driving force behind the technology we all use in our daily lives. Technology such as the electricity grid, which our faculty is helping to make completely sustainable and future-proof. At the same time, we are developing the chips and sensors of the future, whilst also setting the foundations for the software technologies to run on this new generation of equipment – which of course includes AI. Meanwhile we are pushing the limits of applied mathematics, for example mapping out disease processes using single cell data, and using mathematics to simulate gigantic ash plumes after a volcanic eruption. In other words: there is plenty of room at the faculty for ground-breaking research. We educate innovative engineers and have excellent labs and facilities that underline our strong international position. In total, more than 1000 employees and 4,000 students work and study in this innovative environment.

Click here  to go to the website of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science.

As you will be working in the security domain, you must undergo a security screening executed by the Dutch government before starting this position. This screening will take on average 2 to 3 months and could be up to 6 months. A positive outcome of the screening is a prerequisite for the contract for this PhD position to come into effect. At least a BO screening is needed for this PhD position.

Pending the screening result, a temporary employment contract as a researcher can be offered for up to 4 months, if requested by the candidate. This contract will be converted to a PhD contract upon a positive screening result.

If you would like more information about this vacancy, please contact Dr. Justin Dauwels, Associate Professor, [email protected], or Jan van Gemert, Associate Professor, [email protected].

If you would like more information about the selection procedure, please contact Helma Dokkum: AI Innovatiemanager, [email protected]

Are you interested in this vacancy? Please apply no later than June 2, 2024 via the application button and upload your:

• Motivation;
• Transcripts;
• CV;
• Reference letters.

Please note:

• A screening will be part of the selection procedure.
• You can apply online. We will not process applications sent by email and/or post.
• Please do not contact us for unsolicited services.