PhD studentship in neuro-symbolic AI and/or explainability
Deadline: 5 August 2022 (or until position is filled)
One fully funded PhD position to work with Dr Vaishak Belle in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, on a project titled “Neuro-symbolic AI and/or explainability”.
This opportunity is to work on foundational topics at the intersection of logic and learning, including statistical relational learning, probabilistic logics and neuro-symbolic AI. We are also keen on the areas of AI explainability and/or AI ethics if that’s a better fit for the student’s interest.
The University of Edinburgh offers an exciting interdisciplinary, collaborative environment integrating different subfields of computer science and artificial intelligence.
The appointed student will work in the Belle Lab, as part of AIAI - Artificial Intelligence and its Applications Institute.
Candidate’s profile
Essential
- A good Bachelor’s Hons degree (2.1 or above or international equivalent) and/or MSc in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence or a related discipline (e.g., Math, Statistics, Logic).
- Ability to communicate complex information clearly, orally and in writing, in English.
Desirable
- Experience (educational or research) with computational logic, logic programming, explainable AI, or any related sub-field mentioned above.
- If you have papers at conferences, workshops, symposia, or other informal or formal events, please explicitly mention this in your cover letter and CV, and include a link/attachment to the paper.
Studentship and eligibility
The studentship starting in the academic year 2022/23 covers:
- Full time PhD tuition fees for a student with a Home fee status (£4,596 per annum) or overseas fee status (£28,000 per annum)
- A tax free stipend of GBP £16,062 per year for 3.5 years.
- Additional programme costs of £1,000 per year.
Application Information
Applicants should apply via the University’s admissions portal (EUCLID) and apply for the following programme: Informatics: AIAI: Foundations and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, Automated Reasoning, Agents, Data Intensive Research with start date of 01 October 2022 (Home applicants only) or 09 January 2023 (Home and Overseas applicants).
Applicants should state “Neuro-symbolic AI and/or explainability” and the research supervisor (Dr Vaishak Belle) in their application and Research Proposal document.
Complete applications submitted by 05 August 2022 will receive full consideration; after that date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is 01 October 2022 or 09 January 2023 (depending on completion of immigration purposes).
Applicants must submit:
- All degree transcripts and certificates (and certified translations if applicable).
- Evidence of English Language capability (where applicable).
- A short research proposal (max 2 pages).
- A full CV and cover letter describing your background, suitability for the PhD, and research interests (max 2 pages).
- Two references (note that it the applicant’s responsibility to ensure reference letters are received before the deadline).
Only complete applications (i.e. those that are not missing the above documentation) will progress forward to Academic Selectors for further consideration.
Environment
The School of Informatics is one of the largest in Europe and currently the top Informatics institute in the UK for research power, with 40% of its research outputs considered world-leading (top grade), and almost 50% considered top grade for societal impact. The University of Edinburgh is constantly ranked among the world’s top universities and is a highly international environment with several centres of excellence.
Artificial Intelligence and its Applications Institute (AIAI)