PhD position at Computer Vision Center funded by the TOUCH COFUND project

14 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Computer Vision Center (CVC)

Research Field

Computer science

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Spain

Application Deadline

30 Jun 2024 - 23:59 (Europe/Madrid)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

H2020 / Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions COFUND

Reference Number

101126533

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Topic: A deeper understanding of human cognition and mental health through AI and Data Science.

A PhD position is available at the Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Research Group from the Computer Vision Center and Cognitive and Affective Science Laboratory- Dept. of Clinical and Health Psychology-Institute of Neurosciences from Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona under the supervision of Diana Ramírez (Data Science), Lorena Chanes , (Clinical and Health Psychology-Neuroscience) and Jordi Gonzalez (Artificial Intelligence).

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate that will investigate our understanding of human cognition and affective experience in health and disease through the lens of predictive processing, particularly in the field of emotion, social perception, and creativity, which are heavily related to mental health. Utilizing AI and data science, we aim to provide deeper analyses and novel methodologies, bridging cognitive science and technology for mental health research.

Research Goals:

• AI-Driven Analysis of Behavioral Data: Using a comprehensive behavioral database from healthy individuals and individuals with different mental-health related conditions, the project employs AI algorithms to explore patterns of predictive processing and their relation to psychological well-being. This involves data exploration, machine learning, model development, and hypothesis testing in cognitive science.
• Innovative Study of Creativity and Mental Health: AI-Powered Creativity Assessment: Developing an AI platform for scenario-based prompts to measure human creativity.
• NLP Techniques in Creativity Analysis: Applying NLP methods to evaluate the originality and depth of creative responses, combining cognitive science and computational linguistics.
• Exploring Creativity-Mental Health Links: Investigating the connections between creativity metrics and mental health conditions to uncover new insights into cognitive foundations.

Impact: This project proposes a transformative approach to mental health research by integrating AI and data science. It offers a multidimensional and transdiagnostic understanding of mental health, providing an exceptional opportunity for computer scientists to apply and advance AI and data science in a pioneering field. The expertise gained will be valuable in academic and industry settings, opening diverse career paths in technology, healthcare, and more.

The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Computer Science doctoral program at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the framework of the TOUCH project. TOUCH (“Towards the next generatiOn of excellent yoUng doctoral researchers on mental health by developing an intersectoral & transdisciplinary approaCH”) is a new excellent doctoral programme co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Actions of the European Commission and led by the UAB for the recruitment and training of 24 doctoral candidates in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

The present PhD project is a truly transdisciplinary proposal involving two groups of research:

1)         The AI and Data Science Research Group is a multidisciplinary team of experts at the Computer Vision Center (UAB) and the University of Barcelona united to harness tech for societal benefit. The team includes specialists in artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analysis, and mental health. They specialize in creating AI solutions for predictive tasks, text analysis, and tailored treatment approaches, seeking to enhance mental health care using AI- driven methods.

2)         The Cognitive and Affective Science Laboratory , led by Lorena Chanes, is a research group at the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology-Institute of Neurosciences. Their research focuses on cognitive and affective processes that ultimately lead to conscious experience and how they relate to mental health. They have a multidisciplinary approach including behavior, non-invasive brain stimulation and neuroimaging.

We are looking for candidates with an excellent CV, ahigh degree of ambition and motivation, and with good personal qualities to work in our Team. We offer a 3-year full-time contract (37,5 hours/week) and a gross salary of 2.375 €/month (the salary will be the same for the 3 years).

The candidates must fulfil the following eligibility criteria from the EC: Mobility rule: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the deadline for the programme call. Experience rule: researchers must be doctoral candidates at the date of recruitment, i.e. not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the open calls. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.

Additional requirements for a stronger application are:

Academic Requirements:

• Master’s degree in Data Science, Mathematics, AI, or Computer Science.
• Background in Mental Health, Medicine, or Psychology is a plus.

Preferred Skills and Learning Opportunities:

• Coding abilities, especially in languages relevant to data analysis and AI, like Python and R.
• Experience with machine learning frameworks like Scikit-learn, PyTorch, or Keras is highly valued.
• Familiarity with NLP techniques and tools. Experience in fine-tuning and applying Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT or LLAMA, is highly valued.
• Competence in handling, analyzing, and visualizing large datasets.
• A foundation in probability and statistics is helpful for data analysis and AI modeling.
• Collaborative team spirit.
• Understanding of ethical standards in AI research, with particular attention to handling confidential health-related data.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact the investigators for further information ([email protected] , [email protected] , [email protected] )

Interested applicants should apply through the TOUCH online platform by submitting a full CV, a motivation letter, two letters of recommendation and academic and English level certificates. The call will be open from the 1st of April to the 30th of June 2024. More information about the TOUCH project, the recruitment process, and the application platform are available on the TOUCH website .

 

Requirements

Research Field

Computer science

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Excellent

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Computer Vision Center (CVC)

Country

Spain

City

Bellaterra (Barcelona)

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://webs.uab.cat/touch/

Contact

State/Province

Barcelona

City

Cerdanyola del Vallés

Website

http://www.cvc.uab.es/

Street

Campus Bellaterra, Edifici Rectorat

Postal Code

08193

E-Mail

[email protected]

STATUS: EXPIRED