[Job-offers-cs] PhD/Postdoc position, Project TAIGER: Training and Guiding AI Agents with Ethical Rules

[Pekka Orponen]

The Trustworthy Cyber-Physical Systems Group at TU Wien is seeking a 
candidate for a PhD research position (four years, 30hours/week)
or a postdoctoral research position (two years, 40hours/week), starting 
as soon as possible. The successful applicant will carry out his/her 
postdoc/PhD
in the research area of formal methods applied to guide autonomous 
agents based on reinforcement learning. The position is in the context 
of the
research project TAIGER: Training and Guiding AI Agents with Ethical 
Rules, aiming at designing autonomous agents sensitive to (ethical, 
legal and social) norms.

The specific requirements for the PostDoc position are the following:


·      A completed PhD in Computer Science or related fields

·      Experience in developing tools

·      Solid experience in reinforcement learning method and formal methods

·      Knowledge of logic

·      Very good English skills (writing, speaking)

·      A promising publication record


The specific requirements for the PhD position are the following:


·      A completed Master in Computer Science or related fields

·      Solid experience in reinforcement learning methods and preferably 
formal methods

·      Knowledge of logic

·      Very good English skills (writing, speaking)



About TU Wien (https://www.tuwien.at/en/tu-wien/about-tu-wien>
The TU Wien is Austria's largest research and educational institution in 
the field of technology and natural sciences. More than 4,000 scientists 
are researching
"technology for people" in five main research areas at eight faculties. 
The content of the studies offered is derived from the excellent 
research. More than
26,000 students in 62 degree programmes benefit from this. As a driver 
of innovation, TU Wien strengthens the business location, facilitates 
cooperation and
contributes to the prosperity of society.
Doctoral Program in Trustworthy Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems

The PhD student will be affiliated with the new PhD program 
in Trustworthy Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems.


TAIGER Project (https://taiger.logic.at/abstract>
Autonomous agents are increasingly becoming an integral part of our 
world. It is essential that they act in legal, ethically-sensitive, and 
socially acceptable ways;
more broadly, their behavior must be regulated by norms. While the 
crucial importance of this endeavor is well-acknowledged, the question 
of how to implement
such agents is still open.

Two different approaches emerge: one approach uses symbolic Artificial 
Intelligence (AI) techniques (Logic, Knowledge Representation and 
Reasoning),
while the other relies on sub-symbolic AI (i.e., Machine Learning), 
where in particular Reinforcement Learning (RL) has proven to be a 
powerful technique to train
autonomous agents to solve complex tasks in sophisticated environments.

As both approaches have strengths and weaknesses, the three partners of 
TAIGER: E. Bartocci (Cyber-Physical Systems), A. Ciabattoni (Logic), and 
T. Eiter (Knowledge Representation and Answer Set Programming), aim to 
integrate them, thus getting the best of both worlds.


Specifically, TAIGER will introduce effective frameworks for equipping 
RL-based agents with the ability to comply with norms in possible 
interplay with their goals. Grounded in formal reasoning, the frameworks 
will be modular and facilitate transparent justification of judgments. 
Moreover, they will cope with potential contradictions
in normative requirements and handle situations in which no compliance 
is possible, without deviating too much from the optimal behavior the 
agent has learned.


Salary

The salary of the postdoctoral researcher will be of around 4,351.90 
Euro (gross) x 14 times = 60,926.6 Euro (gross). The salary of the 
doctoral researcher will be around 2,464.80 Euro x 14 times = 34,507.2 
Euro (gross).


Applications, including any attachments, should be submitted by the 20th 
of January 2024 to the following email 
addresses: ezio.bartocci at tuwien.ac.at, agata at logic.at


The following documents must be attached to the application:


·      Cover letter stating the candidate's motivation to apply, and the 
reason(s) why they should be selected for the position

·      CV

·      sample of a project of the applicant (e.g., Master thesis for 
PhD students)

·      two reference letters



Contact details

For further information and enquiries about this post please 
contact Prof. Ezio Bartocci, e-mail: ezio.bartocci at tuwien.ac.at.