A research position in the field of planning and scheduling for digital industry

The FBK Center for Digital Industry focuses its research on digital technologies for the various domains in

industry (e.g., aerospace, railway, automotive, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, etc.) by creating

applications for critical systems, adaptive and autonomous systems, advanced perception, diagnostics and

prediction systems. It is involved in multiple European research projects and collaborates with numerous

institutions and multinational companies on strategic projects with a high innovation content – including the

European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Railways Network (RFI).

The position is opened by the Planning Scheduling and Optimization Unit (PSO Unit) of the Digital Industry

Center of FBK. The Unit carries out basic and applied research, tool development and technology transfer in

the field of automated planning, discrete optimization and process scheduling with applications in

autonomous robotic systems and flexible manufacturing.

FBK actively seeks diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is also committed to promoting gender

equality.

Job Description

The open research position is in the field of automated planning and scheduling for the AI4Work European

project. The project aims at developing a framework for the collaboration of humans and AI technologies for

decision-making in an adaptive way, and FBK is responsible for the planning technologies. Moreover, we will

demonstrate the framework on two real-world use-cases in the industry and logistics domains. The expected

activities include the analysis of the use-case problems, the development of novel temporal planning and/or

scheduling techniques based on heuristic search, machine learning or Satisfiability Modulo theories and their

integration in real-world systems including robotic applications and flexible manufacturing environments

interacting with humans.

The candidate is expected to work in collaboration with other researchers, programmers and students

involved in the unit. Moreover, the candidate is also expected to interact with industrial partners and partners

of research projects. In addition to the project activities, the candidate is expected to conduct impactful

research on the unit themes (including, but not limited to the project activities).

Job Requirements

The ideal candidate should have:

● Master degree in computer science, mathematics, electronic engineering or related disciplines - the

degrees must be obtained by the start date of the FBK contract;

● Software development skills (preferably in Python and/or C++ and/or Rust);

● Ability to carry out an independent research program;

● Ability to work in a collaborative environment and deliver in research and/or industrial projects;

● Accuracy, proactivity and goal orientation;

● Oral and written proficiency in English.

Furthermore, the following elements will be positively evaluated:

● PhD in computer science, mathematics or electronic engineering or equivalent 3yrs research experience;

Know-how or previous experience in at least one of the following areas:

● Automated Planning (e.g. PDDL planners);

● Scheduling/Constraint Programming/Mixed Integer Linear Programming;

● Robotic deliberation and execution;

● Runtime verification and model-based diagnosis;

● Model Checking or other formal verification techniques.

Employment

Type of contract: fixed term contract

Working hours: full time

Start date: preferably June 2024

Duration: 2 years

Gross annual salary: about € 36.200 - € 41.400 depending on background and expertise in the field

Benefits: flexi-time, company subsidized cafeteria or meal vouchers, internal car park, welcome office

support for visa formalities and for research in accommodation, social security (SANIFONDS), family-work

balance, free training courses, support on bank account opening, discount on public transport, sport,

language course fees, counselling and psychological support service. More info at

https://www.fbk.eu/en/work-with-us/

Workplace: Povo, Trento (Italy).

Application

Interested candidates are requested to submit their application by completing the online form

(https://jobs.fbk.eu/). Please make sure that your application contains the following attachments (in pdf

format):

● Detailed CV with Research Statement

● Motivation letter

Application deadline: April 24, 2024

Please read our Recruitment Regulations before completing your application.

For further information, please contact the Human Resources Services at jobs@fbk.eu.