Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in Embodied AI and Machine Learning

The Department of Computer Science (at the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science and Physics) and the Digital Science Center at the University of Innsbruck seek to fill the joint position of a full-time

as soon as possible, ideally 01.09.2022. This position is initially limited to 6 years; a tenure-track agreement can be offered within the first year of employment. Upon positive evaluation, the position is converted into a tenured Associate Professorship.

This career position is embedded within an attractive environment of existing competencies close to the above thematic area, including autonomous robotics, machine learning, computer vision, and data science, with many links to artificial intelligence in diverse scientific disciplines at the Department of Computer Science and at the Digital Science Center.

The successful applicant should represent the area of embodied artificial intelligence and machine learning in research and teaching. Here, embodied artificial intelligence refers to AI in a broad sense, with a particular focus on interaction with the physical world via sensors and actuators. An important objective is the enhancement of the autonomy, flexibility, robustness, and communication capabilities of artificial systems in unstructured environments.

Example research foci include:

• autonomous robots or vehicles capable of learning
• autonomous, open-ended learning
• incremental/hierarchical learning of compositional concepts
• learning and planning across continuous (sensory, action-policy) and discrete (symbolic) representations

The candidate is expected to acquire their own research funding.

Teaching comprises lectures, especially in the area of embodied artificial intelligence and machine learning, for the degree programs of the Department of Computer Science, and for the Digital Science Center, including introductory programming and data science courses for audiences from various disciplines. Tenured Associate Professors are also expected to teach mandatory courses in the Bachelor’s program.

In addition, co-supervision of Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD theses is expected. Participation in the academic self-administration is a matter of course.

1. Doctoral degree in computer science or a related field;
2. Postdoctoral work experience after the dissertation/PhD;
3. Pertinent and independent scientific achievements beyond the dissertation/PhD;
4. Research experience and international visibility in the area of embodied artificial intelligence and machine learning;
5. Relevant publications in leading international, refereed conference proceedings and journals as well as presentations at international conferences and workshops;
6. Research collaborations with international partners;
7. Experience in the acquisition and implementation of externally-funded research projects;
8. Experience in the (co-)supervision of Bachelor’s and Master’s theses;
9. Pertinent experience in academic mobility during or after the PhD;
10. Proficiency (written and oral) in English;
11. Willingness to teach in German within two years after appointment;
12. Didactic competence and demonstrated teaching experience;
13. Social competencies, communication skills, and ability to work in teams

The application must be submitted in English and must contain:

1. CV with a description of the academic and professional career;
2. List of scientific publications;
3. List of scientific presentations, other scientific achievements, and projects;
4. Names and contact information of at least two references;
5. Description of a research plan at the level of a habilitation;
6. Teaching statement and a list of courses taught with evaluations (if available)

The University of Innsbruck strives to increase the proportion of its female employees, especially in leadership positions, and therefore explicitly invites women to apply. In the case of equivalent qualifications, female applicants will be given preference.

The annual gross salary is € 56,868 at the time of employment. It is raised to € 64,394 if the tenure-track agreement is signed within the first year of employment, and once again if the qualification goals are completed (€ 69,820 as of 2022).

We look forward to your online application (Chiffre MIP 12521) by 22.04.22.

The legally binding text in German is also available here.