Postdoc Position on Multimodal Foundation Models

Are you interested in performing high-impact artificial intelligence research on multimodal foundation models that will enable an automatic detection and reporting system for elderly care in a home environment?
We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher who is looking to further research multimodal foundation models, with a real-world use case in elderly video-care settings provided by University spin-off Kepler Vision.

What are you going to do?
You will carry out research and development in the areas of multimodal foundation models, deep machine learning and computer vision. Topics of interest are generative models to generate images to improve the training of visual recognition models, and large language and vision-language models to generate activity reports. The research is embedded in the VIS lab at the University of Amsterdam, and you will work one day a week with research team members at Kepler Vision. As part of a vibrant AI ecosystem in Amsterdam, you will connect to the larger community interested in these topics and specifically to Kepler Vision to see how your research can help address their exciting and challenging real-world eldery video-care applications.

Your tasks will be to:

• Conducting independent research in AI, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed conferences and journals;
• To become an active member of the research community and to collaborate with other researchers and PhD students,
• Supervising Bachelor and Master theses and tutoring students;
• Coordinating and working with research team members at Kepler Vision.

What do you have to offer?

• PhD in artificial intelligence or computer science;
• Committed researcher, demonstrated by publications in international refereed academic conferences, or journals, in particular in computer vision (CVPR, ICCV, ECCV) and machine learning (NeurIPS, ICLR, ICML).
• Experience in supporting tasks and the willingness to take the responsibility for administrative tasks.
• Strong communication, presentation and writing skills and excellent command of English.

Our offer
We offer a temporary employment contract for 38 hours per week for a period of 2 years. Initial employment is 12 months and after satisfactory performance and a positive evaluation at the end of the first year, the appointment will be extended further with 12 months. The preferred starting date is December 1st.

The gross monthly salary, based on 38 hours per week and dependent on relevant experience, ranges between € 3,345 to € 5,278 (scale 10. UvA additionally offers an extensive package of secondary benefits, including 8% holiday allowance and a year-end bonus of 8.3%. The UFO profile Researcher 4 is applicable. A favourable tax agreement, the ‘30% ruling’, may apply to non-Dutch applicants. The Collective Labour Agreement of Universities of the Netherlands is applicable.

Besides the salary and a vibrant and challenging environment we offer you multiple fringe benefits:

• 232 holiday hours per year (based on fulltime) and extra holidays between Christmas and 1 January;
• Multiple courses to follow from our Teaching and Learning Centre;
• Multiple courses on topics such as leadership for academic staff;
• Multiple courses on topics such as time management, handling stress and an online learning platform with 100+ different courses;
• 7 weeks birth leave (partner leave) with 100% salary;
• Partly paid parental leave;
• The possibility to set up a workplace at home;
• A pension at ABP for which UvA pays two third part of the contribution;
• The possibility to follow courses to learn Dutch;
• Help with housing for a studio or small apartment when you’re moving from abroad.

Are you curious to read more about our extensive package of secondary employment benefits, take a look here.

About us
The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 42,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science (FNWI) has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The mission of the Informatics Institute (IvI) is to perform curiosity-driven and use-inspired fundamental research in Computer Science. The main research themes are Artificial Intelligence, Computational Science and Systems and Network Engineering. Our research involves complex information systems at large, with a focus on collaborative, data driven, computational and intelligent systems, all with a strong interactive component.

The position is with Prof. dr. Cees Snoek, head of the Video & Image Sense lab (VIS lab), at the University of Amsterdam. VIS lab is a world-leading lab on Computer Vision and Machine Learning, and has over 40 PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and faculty members working on a broad variety of deep learning, computer vision, and foundation model subjects, like self-supervised learning, diffusion models, and test-time generalization for perception tasks like object detection, instance segmentation and activity recognition. The position is also embedded in the ELLIS Network of Excellence in AI. You will work one day per week together with the research team at Kepler Vision.

Want to know more about our organisation? Read more about working at the University of Amsterdam.

Any questions?
Do you have any questions or do you require additional information about the position or your future duties? Please contact:

• Prof. dr. Cees Snoek, c.g.m.snoek@uva.nl

Job application
If you feel the profile fits you, and you are interested in the job, we look forward to receiving your application. You can apply online via the button below. We accept applications until and including 20 September 2024. Applications should include the following information (all files besides your CV should be submitted in one single pdf file):

• A letter that motivates your choice for this position;
• Curriculum vitae, including your list of publications ;
• A link to your PhD thesis – if online available, else include an abstract.
• A complete record of Bachelor and Master courses (including grades and explanation of grading system);
• The names and contact addresses of at least two academic references (please do not include any recommendation letters).

A knowledge security check may be part of the selection procedure (for details: National knowledge security guidelines).

Please make sure to provide ALL requested documents mentioned above.
You can use the CV field to upload your resume as a separate pdf document. Use the Cover Letter field to upload the other requested documents, including the motivation letter, as one single pdf file

Only complete applications received within the response period via the link below will be considered. Please don’t send any applications by email.

The UvA is an equal-opportunity employer. We prioritize diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for everyone. We value a spirit of enquiry and perseverance, provide the space to keep asking questions, and promote a culture of curiosity and creativity.

If you encounter Error GBB451/ GBC451, please try using a VPN connection when outside of the European Union. Please reach out directly to our HR Department directly. They will gladly help you continue your application.

No agencies please.

38 hours per week

Science Park 904