Post-doc in Interpretable Methods in Machine Learning (E13 TV-L, 100%)
The Chair for Explainable Machine Learning (Prof. Dr. Zeynep Akata) in the Cluster of Excellence „Machine Learning – New Perspectives for Science“ and in the Department of Computer Science at Eberhard Karls University Tübingen are currently looking for a Post-doc in Interpretable Methods in Machine Learning (E13 TV-L, 100%) starting as soon as possible. The initial contract will be for two years.
About the position
We are looking for a postdoc to join our new lab working on explainable machine learning in the intersection between machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing. The ideal candidate should hold a PhD in computer science, mathematics, cognitive science, neuroscience, statistics, or any other related discipline. Experience with machine learning and vision-based deep learning and a record of publishing in top-tier peer-reviewed conferences (ICML, NeurIPS, ICLR, CVPR, ICCV, ECCV, EMNLP etc.) and/or journals are required. This position will start as soon as possible.
About the group
Our group conducts research on explainable multimodal machine learning. We study the challenging problem of large-scale representation learning using conditional generative models and weakly supervised learning that combine vision and language. We use image labels when they are available or side information in the form of attributes, descriptive sentences, keypoint locations, human gaze fixations or rough sketches when image labels are not provided. We combine several Computer Vision, Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing methods in a single framework that is generalizable across different tasks. Our aim is to improve the transparency of existing automatic decision makers and building interpretable AI systems while maintaining a high accuracy using minimal supervision. More information about our group.
About the institute
We are a part of the Cluster of Excellence Machine Learning at the University of Tübingen. Clusters of Excellence are, arguably, the most influential line of funding by the German Research Foundation (DFG). With its goal to sharpen the research profile of German universities the idea is to support internationally competitive disciplines at selected sites. In the current funding round, 57 such clusters were established or received an extension, each with a funding of up to 50 million Euros for 7 years, starting in 2019. With the funding provided by the Excellence Strategy and the existing research environment in Tübingen, our cluster has the best starting conditions to pursue interesting research directions and try new ideas and structures. Our institute is multidisciplinary, has excellent facilities and outstanding infrastructure, is closely linked to the Max Planck Institutes and offers a superb international research environment operating in the English language.
About Tübingen
Tübingen is a scenic medieval university town. The quality of life is exceptionally high and the atmosphere is both tolerant and inclusive. The old town is a sight in itself, with marvellous old buildings dating back to the 15th century, an old botanical garden, many churches and cobblestone alleys. Numerous sidewalk cafes, wine taverns, pubs, restaurants and parks add to the atmosphere. Here you can find out more about Tübingen.
Tübingen offers excellent research opportunities due to four Max Planck institutions, the University as well as the Tübingen AI Center. Similarly, the Cyber Valley initiative hosts several industrial research centers such as the Bosch Center for AI, Amazon Research etc. focusing on machine learning research. The University of Tübingen hosts around 4900 researchers and 27200 students studying in 200 programs. Here you can learn more about the University and the Cyber Valley initiative.
How to apply
Please email a cover letter, CV and research proposal (up to 4 pages including references), as well as the names and email addresses of 2 referees to zeynep.akata@uni-tuebingen.de, please use the following subject line in your email: Postdoc Application - Interpretable Methods in ML. If you have any questions about the position, the research group, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. Applications will be reviewed starting from 15 May 2020 and until the position is filled. The university seeks to raise the number of women in research and teaching and therefore urges qualified women academics to apply for these positions. Equally qualified applicants with disabilities will be given preference. The employment will be carried out by the central administration of the University of Tübingen.