Postdoctoral position in Data-driven experiment design for the robotic battery lab - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

Do you want to use machine learning and optimization to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon future? Do you want to be part of a collaborative and interdisciplinary research team in the quest for the next generation of green batteries? Are you looking for an employer that invests in sustainable employeeship and offers safe, favourable working conditions? We welcome you to apply for a postdoctoral position at Uppsala University.

At the Division of Systems and Control, which belongs to the Department of Information Technology, we develop both theory and concrete tools for learning, reasoning, and acting based on data. An important goal is to develop mathematical models that capture real-world phenomena and thereby allow machines and humans to act efficiently in the world around us. Optimization methods are of central importance since they are ubiquitous in both our core focus areas: machine learning and control.

We have a wide network of strong international collaborators all around the world, for example at the University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Aalto University. There are also ample opportunities for collaborations with other leading machine learning groups in Sweden and Europe, through our affiliations with WASP and the ELLIS society, respectively.

Duties
The successful candidate will work with the research groups of Jens Sjölund (IT Dept.) and Erik Berg (Chemistry Dept.), intensifying our efforts in realizing an autonomous battery laboratory that combines robotics and AI into a closed-loop system for rapid experimentation and exploration. We already have a robotic setup for battery assembly and testing in place. The main task of the candidate will be to close the feedback loop by enhancing the system with data-driven decision-making capabilities. The long-term goal is to turn it into a fully autonomous system. The main duties of the candidate will be to perform research on, first, fundamental models and methods for data-efficient experiment design such as Bayesian optimization and, second, the implementation of these in our robotic system.

The precise research scope will be decided in a dialog between the candidate and the supervisor after a successful appointment.

The position might also include teaching in related subjects (max 20%).

Requirements
PhD degree in machine learning, automatic control, computer vision, signal processing, computational statistics, computational mathematics, or another nearby and relevant field or a foreign degree equivalent to a PhD degree in either of the aforementioned fields. Regardless, the applicant must have a strong background in method development.

Publications at leading conferences in machine learning and/or leading conferences and journals in computational mathematics (for instance statistics or optimization) are a strong plus.

The degree needs to be obtained by the time of the decision of employment. Those who have obtained a PhD degree three years prior to the application deadline are primarily considered for the employment. The starting point of the three-year frame period is the application deadline. Due to special circumstances, the degree may have been obtained earlier. The three-year period can be extended due to circumstances such as sick leave, parental leave, duties in labour unions, etc.

Besides the technical skills, we are also looking for a person who can communicate and work well with people of various backgrounds, yet capable of identifying and solving problems independently.

Additional qualifications
Experience in interdisciplinary research, battery chemistry, or development of high-quality software is an advantage.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position of two years according to central collective agreement. Full time position. Starting date 2023-12-01 or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala.

For further information about the position, please contact: Jens Sjölund, 018-471 7840 , jens.sjolund@it.uu.se.

Please submit your application by 8 November 2023, UFV-PA 2023/3569.

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