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Call for Applications
15 Early Stage Researcher/ PhD Positions
Marie Skłodowska-Curie – ITN
PERSEO Project
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Applications are invited for 15 Early-Stage Researcher (ESR) positions to be funded by the Marie-Sklodowska-Curie European Training Network on "PErsonalized Robotics as SErvice Oriented applications” (PERSEO) within the Horizon 2020 Programme of the European Commission.
The network will train 15 early-stage researchers in the context of research and development for "PErsonalized Robotics as SErvice Oriented applications”. The consortium is formed by 8 prestigious European Universities and 2 leading robotics businesses plus 9 partner organisations to cover a full training programme on scientific, technical, and personal development skills. Placements will include secondments in current world-leading organisations in Spain, Germany, Austria, UK, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, etc. to gather the necessary knowledge and implement it in Europe. Thus, collaboration within the network is strongly encouraged.
The 15 ESR positions to be filled are:
- ESR1, Ortelio Ltd, United Kingdom: Cloud Enabled Robot Autonomy
- ESR2, Università di Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy: Object and People Recognition for Personalized Interaction
- ESR3, TU München, Germany: Interactive Kinaesthetic Teaching for Conditional Tasks
- ESR4, PAL Robotics, Spain: Human Action Learning and Physical Capabilities Modelling
- ESR5, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Italy: Adaptive Robot Movements for Transparent Interaction
- ESR6, TU München, Germany: Human intention recognition and prediction for human robot collaborative behaviours
- ESR7, Università di Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy: Integration of vision and language for human-robot interaction
- ESR8, University of Manchester, United Kingdom: Theory of Mind for Personalized Interaction
- ESR9, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom: Modelling User Cognition for Adaptive HRI
- ESR10, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom: Robot as Schoolmate for Enhanced Adaptive Learning
- ESR11, University of Manchester, United Kingdom: Deep Learning for Adaptive Human-Robot Interaction
- ESR12, Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Italy: Personalized Social Cues for Robots as Information Providing Interfaces
- ESR13, Universität Bielefeld, Germany: Personalization and trust toward robots
- ESR14, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy: Deception
- ESR15, Universität Wien, Austria: Ethical aspects of personalization in companion and care robots
Details about the 15 PhD/ESR positions and the specific requirements for applicants are available at the following link: http://www.perseo.eu. Please make sure to consult the ESR-specific requirements on the website.
We are looking for talented and highly motivated early career researchers with a degree giving access to PhD studies in a domain relevant to the ESR position(s) of interest (such as Computer Science, Psychology, Robotics, Law, Engineering, Philosophy and Ethics etc). We expect dedication and enthusiasm for experimental research, combined with scientific curiosity and the capacity to teamwork in an interdisciplinary environment. Preferred qualifications include excellent grades, research talent and personal ambition. Applicants should have excellent command of English, together with good academic writing and presentation skills.
Fulltime employments as PhD students are offered for 3 years. The starting date of the contract is negotiable, but ideally it would be August 2021.
Benefits
PERSEO fellows will benefit from:
- Outstanding training aimed at fostering scientific, technical and transferable skills
- Short-term secondments in the PERSEO network
- Scientific advice from internationally recognized experts
- A solid mentoring strategy followed up through a personalised career development plan.
The position will permit to carry out research in a stimulating group with the chance to join high-level training events. You will get a very attractive salary plus an allowances package in accordance with the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) rules and the personal circumstances of the applicant. The ESR salary is subject to local tax, social benefit and other deductions following national regulations. The exact salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). The PhD students will be employed with full social security coverage and all benefits in accordance with the Marie Sklodowska-Curie ITN fellowship regulations of the European Union.
For further information please visit the MSCA website.
Eligibility criteria
European and non-European students are invited to apply to any of the 15 fellowships. The applicant can select different positions providing a preference ranking.
To be eligible, the candidate:
- must be in the first four years of her/his research career. Candidates should ideally possess a master’s degree in a relevant academic field or a comparable degree that allows them to embark in a PhD (applications from candidates who already possess a doctoral degree cannot be considered).
- must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the institution that recruits the student for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the recruitment date. Short stays such as holidays and/or compulsory national service are not taken into account.
- must be willing to spend a prolonged time in another institute/country of the network during the PhD thesis period.
- For further details on eligibility criteria please check in the Information Note for ITN Fellows.
Application
DOCUMENTS TO BE SENT
1. Application form (see Website)
2. a copy of the passport
3. a full CV
4. a 2-page motivation letter including a description of previous research experience (1 page) and current research interest, outlining the fit to the desired ESR (1 page)
5. one or more reference letters and names of 2 referees including contact details
6. Transcripts of grades obtained for B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees, expected final grade
7. Certificates
8. List of Publications (if any)
Only documents in English language will be accepted.
Applicants should submit the documentation exclusively via e-mail in ONE PDF document to applications@perseo.eu (max file size 5 MB) by 1 April, 2021 at 23 pm (GMT). Your application will be jointly processed by the members of the PERSEO consortium and treated according to the GDPR.
Applications failing to include the requested documentation which do not indicate the preferred projects or do not meet the eligibility criteria, WILL NOT be considered in this competition.
SELECTION OF CANDIDATES
Selection of candidates will be performed via online interview. In case the number of candidates for a position exceeds the number of open positions, shortlisted candidates will selected on the basis of the fit of their CV and research interests with the chosen research project(s). These candidates will be invited for interview and positions will be offered after approval by the PERSEO Committee.
Applicants who apply for more than one individual research project should indicate the order of preference (e.g. 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice).
To ensure equality of opportunities, we strongly encourage women with the appropriate qualifications to apply. If equally qualified, participants with a handicap will be preferred.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Note that some projects may have specific requirements concerning the documentation to submit and the application procedure for the specific project. The candidate must verify that the application includes all required documents and must follow the exact procedure for the ESR of interest.
Details about the 15 PhD positions and the specific requirements for applicants are available at the following link: http://www.perseo.eu. Please make sure to consult the ESR-specific requirements on the website.
Moreover, it is strongly recommended to contact potential supervisors via E-mail before submitting an application.