School of Informatics

PhD studentship in “Testing AI Tasks within Autonomous Vehicles”

Deadline: 1 October 2023 (or until the position is filled)

One fully funded PhD position to work with Dr. Ajitha Rajan in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh, on a project titled “Testing AI Tasks within Autonomous Vehicles”.

The aim of this project is providing testing capabilities for AI tasks running on different AV platforms and accelerators. Objectives include

  • Testing and quality measurement of AI tasks on accelerators
  • Specifying and testing timing requirements
  • Specifying and testing the error handler

Candidate’s profile

Essential

  • UG or MSc degrees in Computer Science or a similarly named area. Minimum of 2.1 (Merit) in their UG and/or MSc degrees is expected.
  • Strong programming skills, preferably in C++ and Python
  • Good communication and technical writing skills

Desirable

  • Compiler knowledge
  • Deep learning knowledge, particularly in computer vision algorithms like object detection and image segmentation
  • Knowledge of hardware accelerators like GPUs
  • Background in software testing or software engineering

Studentship and eligibility

The studentship starting in the academic year 2023/24 covers:

  • Full-time PhD tuition fees for a student with a Home fee status (£4,712 per annum)
  • A tax-free stipend of GBP £18,622  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: LFCS: Theory and Foundations of Computer Science, Databases, Software and Systems Modelling with a start date of 1 January 2024 or 1 May 2024.

Applicants should state “Testing AI Tasks within Autonomous Vehicles” and the research supervisor (Ajitha Rajan) in their application and Research Proposal document.

Complete applications submitted by 1 October 2023 will receive full consideration; after this date applications will be considered until the position is filled. The successful applicant will be expected to start as soon as possible, 1 January 2024 or 1 May 2024.

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 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.

 

Apply

Dr Ajitha Rajan