Assistant Professor in Model-Based AI

Faculty/Services: Faculteit der Natuurw., Wiskunde en Informatica

Educational level: Promoted

Function type: Academic Staff

Closing date: 22 November 2021

Are you a passionate teacher and ambitious researcher working on fundamental questions in AI? Are you looking for a faculty position in a stimulating academic environment? Then please read on.

Modern applications of AI in high-stakes domains such as health, law, or security call for solutions that can offer adequate levels of safety, accountability, transparency, responsibility, trustworthiness, and explainability. Such applications often are knowledge-intensive and depend on provably correct system behaviour. Requirements such as these necessitate the development of what in recent years have come to be known as model-based approaches to AI.

We are looking for a specialist in an area of model-based AI such as, for example, SAT solving, constraint programming, planning and scheduling, answer set programming, description logics, ontology engineering, or computer-aided verification. We hope that you will be able to connect with the long and proud research tradition in logic at the ILLC, while also reaching out to the broader AI research community in Amsterdam.

What are you going to do

As Assistant Professor, you will be expected to perform the following tasks:

• to develop an independent line of research in your area of expertise, resulting in contributions published in leading international venues;
• to eventually build up and coordinate a research team and supervise PhD candidates;
• to teach in AI and Computer Science, in programmes such as the BSc Computer Science, the BSc Artificial Intelligence, the MSc Artificial Intelligence, and the MSc Logic;
• to supervise Bachelor's and Master's students;
• to initiate and contribute to proposals for raising external funding;
• to contribute to research valorisation and outreach activities;
• to contribute to management tasks in education and research at the institute.

What do we require

We are looking for an individual who is enthusiastic about both research and teaching. Since the position is partly financed from funds ear-marked for improving the quality of university education, it comes with a significant teaching component (a research:teaching ratio of 50:50, rather than the usual 60:40 at the ILLC).

We require:

• a PhD in Computer Science or a related discipline and some research experience at the postdoctoral level;
• excellent research skills, as evidenced by a track record of publications in renowned conference proceedings and journals;
• teaching experience at university level and demonstrable didactic abilities;
• commitment to supervising and mentoring students at all levels;
• willingness to acquire the Dutch Basic Teaching Qualification for academic staff (BKO) within two years of your appointment;
• the ability to communicate research findings to a broad audience;
• willingness and ability to perform relevant administrative and organisational tasks;
• team spirit and a strong affinity with the ILLC’s interdisciplinary environment;
• readiness to participate in interdisciplinary cooperation, within and beyond the institute;
• excellent communication and social skills;
• an excellent command of English and willingness to learn the Dutch language.

Our offer

We offer a temporary employment contract for a period of two years, preferably starting in March 2022, with the intention of converting it into a permanent contract after a positive assessment.

The gross monthly salary will range from €3,746 to €5,127 (scale 11), depending on relevant prior experience (assuming you choose a fulltime contract of 38 hours a week). The annual salary will be supplemented with an 8% holiday allowance and an 8.3% end-of-year bonus. A favourable tax agreement, the so-called ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Dutch Universities applies.

Are you curious about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits like our excellent opportunities for study and development? Then please take a look here.

Questions

Do you have questions about this vacancy? Or do you want to know more about the institute? Please contact:

• Prof. dr. Ulle Endriss

About us

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 7,000, as well as 1,600 members of staff working in education, research, and support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute for Logic, Language and Computation (ILLC) is an interdisciplinary research institute that aims at bringing together insights from various fields concerned with information and information processing, such as computer science, artificial intelligence, computational linguistics, logic, philosophy, mathematics, cognitive science, and musicology. The institute offers a friendly international research environment with world-class faculty in all of its areas of specialisation.

Job application

The ILLC strives for a better gender balance in its staff. We therefore strongly encourage women to apply for this position.

Do you recognise yourself in this job profile? Then we are looking forward to receiving your application!

Your application should include the following information (in one single PDF file):

• a letter of interest, discussing in some detail your past and ongoing research, future research plans and your teaching philosophy (max three pages);
• your curriculum vitae, including a list of (up to ten) publications as well as a listing of your past teaching and supervision activities (please highlight and provide URLs for two publications that are representative of your work);
• names, affiliations, and email addresses of three academic referees who can provide details about your academic profile in relation to this position.

Additional information may be requested from shortlised candidates at a later stage. Interviews are planned for the week of 10-14 January 2022. A trial lecture may be part of the selection procedure.

Please submit your application no later than 22 November 2021, using the link below. Please only complete the fields marked as mandatory and use the CV field to upload the PDF file specified above. We will only consider applications that are complete and that have been submitted in this manner.

We subscribe to the DORA criteria for scientific excellence. Therefore, please limit the number of publications mentioned in your CV to a maximum of 10, and refrain from mentioning your h-index or the impact factor of journals or conferences.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.