We are now looking for PhD Doctoral Candidates in Bioacoustic AI. We have ten fully-funded positions available, within a project that reaches across various countries: The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Czechia, Finland, and the UK. As a PhD candidate you will be based at a university/institution in one of these countries, and you will work on your project in teamwork with experts in both AI and ecology/zoology. You will also collaborate with project partners in other European institutions, including extended research visits for in-depth collaborations. 

Some of the PhD projects focus on developing AI/signal processing algorithms. Some of the PhD projects focus on ecological questions or animal behaviour. The animals of interest include different species of terrestrial insects, birds, bats and other mammals. 

Our recruitment process will begin in August 2023 (application deadlines: to be announced), and the PhDs are planned to begin in early 2024 (Jan–Mar). The funded PhDs will be full-time, and run for 3 years, or up to 4 years in some countries according to local PhD requirements. 

The PhD position advertised here will be based at the KU Leuven Electrical Engineering Department (ESAT), under the supervision of Prof. Toon van Waterschoot and Dr. Randall Ali. The focus of the research will be on the development of distributed sound source localisation and separation algorithms for wireless microphone networks deployed in the wild. The research will be executed in an international team of audio signal processing researchers at the Stadius Centre for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics of KU Leuven, and will involve an intense collaboration with and research visits to OekoFor (Germany) and Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (France). Initially a three-year MSCA Fellowship is offered, however it is anticipated that the position will be extended to a total of four years, which is the standard duration of a PhD research project at KU Leuven. 

The Stadius Centre for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics is part of the Electrical Engineering (ESAT) Department at KU Leuven and hosts over 100 researchers. The digital signal processing team headed by Prof. Marc Moonen and Prof. Toon van Waterschoot is a subgroup of the Stadius Centre, in which signal processing research is carried out in the context of audio, speech, acoustics, and communications applications. The digital signal processing team currently hosts about 25 international PhD and postdoc researchers and participates in several nationally and internationally funded research projects, ranging from fundamental research to industry-funded applied research. 

We adhere to The European Charter for Researchers and The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers.

Website van de eenheid

Project

The PhD researcher will

• carry out applied research on signal processing and machine learning for spatial audio analysis, involving algorithm design, implementation, and experimental validation;
• monitor the work plan of her/his individual research project and make sure that milestones are achieved and deliverables are finalized in a timely manner;
• actively participate in research meetings with the other Bioacoustics AI researchers;
• take part in the research meetings, seminars, etc. at the Stadius Centre;
• enroll in a doctoral training program at the Arenberg Doctoral School, and adhere to the doctoral school's coursework requirements for PhD researchers;
• assist in the supervision of Master thesis students;
• perform a limited amount of teaching activities (max. 3h per week).

Profiel

• Candidates must hold a Master degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Engineering Acoustics (or equivalent), have a solid mathematical background (e.g. in matrix algebra) and have taken coursework in both audio/acoustic signal processing and machine learning. Candidates who are in the final phase of their Master program are equally encouraged to apply, and should mention their expected graduation date.
• Research experience (e.g. through Master thesis work or research internships) in spatial audio processing and/or audio analysis is considered a strong asset.
• Experience with scientific computing in Matlab, Python, or Julia is required.
• Excellent proficiency in the English language is required, as well as good communication skills, both oral and written.
• Candidates must satisfy the eligibility conditions for MSCA Early Stage Researchers, i.e., they must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Belgium for more than 12 months in the past 3 years and not yet hold a PhD degree. 

Aanbod

• A high-level and exciting international research environment.
• A strong involvement in a European research project with high international visibility.
• A PhD title from one of Europe's top universities (after approximately 4 years of successful research).
• A thorough scientific education in the frame of a doctoral training program.
• A competitive salary or tax-free PhD grant.
• The possibility to participate in local as well as international courses, workshops and conferences.
• The possibility to perform research visits to internationally renowned research labs in Europe.
• A prestigious three-year MSCA Fellowship with the possibility of extension for a fourth year.

Interesse?

For more information please contact Prof. dr. ir. Toon van Waterschoot, tel.: +32 16 32 17 88, mail: [email protected]. Prospective candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible, since interviews may already be organized before the application deadline. Please submit:

(1) a motivation letter with a statement of skills and research interests (max. 1 page)

(2) a curriculum vitae, including transcripts and possibly GRE/TOEFL results

(3) the names and contact information of 2 references

Solliciteren voor deze vacature kan tot en met 31/10/2023 via onze online sollicitatietoepassing

KU Leuven wil een omgeving creëren waarin alle talenten maximaal tot ontplooiing kunnen komen, ongeacht gender, leeftijd, culturele herkomst, nationaliteit of functiebeperking. Hebt u vragen in verband met toegankelijkheid of ondersteuningsmogelijkheden, dan kan u ons contacteren via [email protected].