Lund University, Faculty of Engineering, LTH, Department of Computer Science

Lund University was founded in 1666 and is repeatedly ranked among the world’s top universities. The University has around 47 000 students and more than 8 800 staff based in Lund, Helsingborg and Malmö. We are united in our efforts to understand, explain and improve our world and the human condition.

Lund University welcomes applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences. We regard gender equality and diversity as a strength and an asset.

Project description
The goal of the project is to improve the reliability of the camera-based perception of autonomous robots to improve the overall reliability of robotic systems. In most autonomous robot applications, robots assume that cameras are working as expected, and, indeed, deep-learning based approaches have reached impressive performance and robustness. However, robots are not able to identify when the perception pipeline fails which can result into dangerous robot behaviors. The goal of this project is to extend perception pipelines with an explainable metric of uncertainty, i.e., how much trust the robot can actually put into data from the perception pipeline. We will be working with RGBD-cameras and LiDAR.

The research is performed within the ELLIIT project `` Situation Aware Perception for Safe Autonomous Robotics Systems’’, in collaboration with Linköping University and the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The project contains both theory development and implementation of  computer vision-based perception processes. The perception pipelines will be tested on actual robots.

If you are

  • seriously interested in computer vision and autonomous robots,
  • eager and have drive to get things to work for real
  • Very good analytical skills
  • a good team player

then this position could be for you.

Work duties
The PhD position consists of three main aspects:

  • research project, including trips to conferences, seminars etc.,
  • postgraduate courses, locally and internationally given (90 credits), and
  • teaching (at most 20%), including lab supervision and exam responsibilities. This part also involves professional development working with equality and diversity, arranging events etc.

Admission requirements
A person meets the general admission requirements for third-cycle courses and study programmes if he or she:

  • has been awarded a second-cycle qualification, or
  • has satisfied the requirements for courses comprising at least 240 credits of which at least 60 credits were awarded in the second cycle, or
  • has acquired substantially equivalent knowledge in some other way in Sweden or abroad.

A person meets the specific admission requirements for third cycle studies in Computer Science if he or she has:

  • at least 60 second-cycle credits at an advanced level with relevance for the research topic, or
  • an MSc in Engineering in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Information and Communication Technology, Engineering Physics or Engineering Mathematics.

Additional requirements:

  • Very good oral and written proficiency in English.
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Good mathematical skills
  • Knowledge and experience of C++ or Python
  • Knowledge and experience of Linux
  • Very good expertise in computer vision
  • The ability to work both independently and in small teams

Assessment criteria
Selection for third-cycle studies is based on the student’s potential to profit from such studies. The assessment of potential is made primarily on the basis of academic results from the first and second cycle. Special attention is paid to the following:

  1. Knowledge and skills relevant to the thesis project and the subject of study.
  2. An assessment of ability to work independently and to formulate and tackle research problems.
  3. Written and oral communication skills
  4. Other experience relevant to the third-cycle studies, e.g. professional experience.

Other Assessment criteria

  • Good coding and implementation skills.
  • Knowledge of matlab.
  • Robotics and ROS experience.
  • Background in Machine Learning, AI and software engineering.

Consideration will also be given to good collaborative skills, drive and independence, and how the applicant, through his or her experience and skills, is deemed to have the abilities necessary for successfully completing the third cycle programme.

Terms of employment
Only those admitted to third cycle studies may be appointed to a doctoral studentship. Third cycle studies at LTH consist of full-time studies for 4 years. A doctoral studentship is a fixed-term employment of a maximum of 5 years (including 20% departmental duties). Doctoral studentships are regulated in the Higher Education Ordinance (1993:100), chapter 5, 1-7 §§.

Instructions on how to apply
Applications shall be written in English and include a cover letter stating the reasons why you are interested in the position and in what way the research project corresponds to your interests and educational background. The application must also contain a CV, degree certificate or equivalent, and other documents you wish to be considered (grade transcripts, contact information for your references, letters of recommendation, etc.).

Type of employment Temporary position
First day of employment Snarast enligt överenskommelse
Salary Monthly salary
Number of positions 1
Full-time equivalent 100
City Lund
County Skåne län
Country Sweden
Reference number PA2021/710
Contact
  • Volker Krueger, Professor, volker.krueger@cs.lth.se
Union representative
  • SACO:Saco-s-rådet vid Lunds universitet, 046-222 93 64
Published 23.Mar.2021
Last application date 15.Apr.2021 11:59 PM CEST

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